overweight dogs?!?

Question

My dog 1 year old is a female Pomeranian and average weight for a Pom is 3-7 pounds, but mine is 12 pounds. Sometimes i take her for a walk for 1 hour, but everyday my grandpa takes her for a walk for 2 hours or atl least 1 hour everyday. We give her medical diet which the doctor recommended ever since we got her, for the last 3 months we are feeding her the same brand but for obese dogs. We give her those dog treats all the time like every time she comes from a walk or we feel like it and give her home food 2 times 1 bowl full which is 2 bowls in a day. What should we do to make her loose weight? i really love her and i really don;t want her to get sick due to her weight plz help!
we never give her meat from home we just give her tofu and bread and lentils..and soups or vegetables

we asked the vet how we can make her loose weight and he said all dogs are fat shes fine...:( why did he say this?!

by the way she does not look fat she looks really healthy

Answer 1

Sounds to me that you have a bigger than Average
Pom. My first suggestion was to say take her to the
vet for advise, but the comment your vet made dosn't
make sense to me. I took my Aussie to the vet and
she was quick to share with me that he is borderline
overweight and to watch it. We discussed his exercise
and food schedule and turns out I've been feeding him
about a cup too much of food, and like most owners
probably overdue it in the treats department.
What she suggested for me, I would pass on to you :

--Make sure she is gettin enough exercise.
--Feed her the proper about of kibble.
(for a 55lbs aussie, its 1 cup in the am, and 1 cup in the pm)
& be sure to accurately measure it!
--Reduce treats and/or change to a lower cal-
like Cherrios instead of snausages.

I think it has helped my pup, tho I have no scale to prove it.
Good Luck!

Answer 2

First of all, I would find a new vet. Being overweight is NOT healthy for a dog. And not all dogs are fat. Mine are not fat, and not all vets deserve your hard earned money.

Then, I would stop giving her treats as often. It is fine to give her treats, but just cut them down a bit. Third, if she is overweight, then she is getting too much food (assuming that there is not a health problem causing it, and I would get a second opinion from a different vet). I don't know how big your bowl is, but 2 bowls full for a small dog sounds like a lot. I would cut it down just a little bit at a time, until she starts to lose weight, and then keep a close eye on her until she gets to her optimum weight. Once she gets to her optimum weight you can raise the amount of food she is getting until she maintains, but does not gain weight.

I am really glad that you see that your dog can have health problems from her weight. Too many people think they are being nice to their dogs by making them obese. Dogs can have all the same health problems people can. Thank-you for your responsibility to your dog.

Edited to add:

Okay, now you have stumped me. I didn't see that she doesn't look fat. But at the same time you said that the vet basically agreed that she was fat, but thought it was ok. I still would find a new vet, and get their opinion on her weight. She may just be larger than the standard, and there is nothing wrong with that. If not, then she needs a diet. You should be able to feel your dogs ribs if you firmly rub your hand along your dogs ribcage.

Answer 3

It takes a considerable amount of time and effort to help an overweight dog. You say you give her dog treats all the time, I would suggest you cut back there first. Just one treat when she comes in from a walk or from doing her business. Then you can cut her meals by 10 percent and keep making sure she gets exercise. Don't take any drastic actions, just small steps. Hopefully in a few weeks you will see some slimming results. Remember though, just because the average weight is 3 to 7 pounds doesn't mean that some members of the breed won't be slightly bigger.

Answer 4

First of all all dogs are not fat! I work at a animal hospital and I see overweight animals all the time. We always ask what they are feeding their pets, table food is for people..You have a dog, feed it dog food. Treats are exactly that...treats, they are not to be given every time the dog blinks or makes a cute face. I would recommend you trying your dog out on Science Diet R/D. It is a little pricey, but it is a great diet food for your dog. Here is the catch...ONLY feed the R/D. And you have to get it from a vet, and they will tell you how often and how much to feed her. Don't let her graze like a cow all day, that defeats the entire purpose of dieting. Another thing to watch out for with overweight pets is diabetes. If she starts drinking water excessively, urinating excessively, starts acting lethargic, have her checked, you surely don't want t have to buy insulin and give her shots twice a day.

Answer 5

The average weight for a show-quality Pom is 3-7 lbs. But most Poms are actually larger than that. I have a purebred Pom, with papers somewhere to prove it, and she's 15-16 lbs. But she's also much taller and longer than a show Pom. If she doesn't look overweight, then she's probably not. She probably just has a larger frame than the show Poms.

Answer 6

Cut back on the dog treats and give her carrots instead. Also, cut the food in half, half bowl in the am and half bowl in the pm. Try it for a couple of weeks and re-weigh the dog. Keep up the walks. AND don't give her any people food except some veggies for treats.

Answer 7

she may not be overweight if her height is on the larger side- not all poms are the sime size there are teacups etc and you can't expect a teacup to weigh the same as a standard. Get a second opinion from a different vet and stop giving her so many treats cut back to only one or two a day after her walk.

Answer 8

I'd say your best bet is to go with yarmiah anwser... ( if you got your pet spaded/nutered this might be the cause of her overwiegth)

Answer 9

If the vet says she is not fat, then she probably isnt, she is probably just a larger, heavier pomeranian.

Answer 10

They are overweight because you give it too much food.