How can I help my basset hound lose weight? I walk him for about 20 min every couple of days? Whats a healthy?

Question

weight for him to be at anyways? He is roughly 5 1/2 years old.

Answer 1

Take him to a vet and ask that same question..... It seems the dog hasn't seen a vet in a long, long time.....

Answer 2

A goodlooking basset hound is heavy in the chest and round in the body...the abdomen seems to get lower to the ground as they mature.But..you must take him out at least twice a day for a short walk or once a day for a long walk...up and down some hills and terrain....go for about an hour or so.The basset is not a speedy creature..but it sure needs exercise...methinks you are overweight too? An overweight dog shows an overweight owner...you lay around and do boring stuff and share food with the dog...booo...get walking..both of you.Get that dog on a proper diet....go see the vet....

Answer 3

For weight loss:
Exercise more. DAILY walks, for example.
Feed less. Make sure it is a quality food so he gets all his nutritional requirements, something like Canidae, or, better yet, Wellness Weight Management:
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/dog_wellness_dry_super5mix_weight_management.html.
Re: Hill's Science Diet RD (which vets will push)
The #1 ingredient is corn - (now then, think about what happens to corn when YOU eat it) - for dogs corn has no food value and may cause allergies
#2 ingredient is 15% cellulose (think wood pulp)
It also has 11% peanut hulls
This product works to take off weight but that's because it's mostly empty non-nutritive fiber. Better off putting something quality in his bowl, less of it, you can always add some salt-free canned green beans or plain canned pumpkin (1/3 cup of either) to add fiber/bulk and make him feel full, for the first week or two until his stomach shrinks; at least either of those have SOME food value.

Answer 4

I have a 6 yr. old basset hound he weighs 62 lbs. I feed him Beneful healthy weight (this has been approved by my vet) and Stanley loves it. You need to walk your basset EVERYDAY. This is part of the key to your bassets health and well being. Mine loves to play soccer, he sails over the top of the ball when I kick it to him! You just need to find something he likes and go from there. Bassets are not known for being outgoing so you have to work at it to find something for him to work off some of his weight. But the payoff is when you find that something that makes him light up and then let the fun begin!!

Answer 5

Reduce his diet. Figure out how much he should weigh look up the breed standard... then weigh him, at the vet, or petsmart, then feed only what it says on the bag ... no treats, no extras. Then make sure you keep weighing him every week.

Exercise. Walking is good if you walk for an hour, and at a fast pace. Try finding something he likes to do, and make a game out of it. Hide kibble in the yard, and have him find it(reduce his food though).Throw the ball and have him run after it, take him out on your bicycle or rollerblades(but make sure he is trained to walk first). He should be exhausted when you are done exercising.

Good luck

Answer 6

Try a special diet. They sell diet dog food now. Mix a little in with his food, and substitute more each day. Also watch his portions. If he still doesn't lose weight go to the vet. As for his ideal weight you need to ask his vet. Depends on whether or not his is purebred or mix. Or if he is standard or toy.

Answer 7

hi guy........if you could walk him every day that would be much better, preferably twice a day. having said that, you know your dog better than any of us, and maybe hes happy with the routine you currently do.
if thats the case try getting him to play more indoors. chasing his toys, or a ball.
cut back on his treats and make sure his food is good quality. a lot of foods are full of fillers and not much nutrients. and like human foods, the ones will fillers are not at all good for us!
i hope you can help him get his weight down, its hard to do with humans, lol, you'll have to come back and tell us how you fare with your buddy!
good luck!

Answer 8

You can put him on a RD diet (Reduced Diet).This is from Sciene diet and can be found at your local pet store.For a miniature basset hound the weight should be about 30-40pds.For a regular basset hound it should be 50-60pds.Just ask your vet about the RD diet and they will help you.

Answer 9

as in other answers, you need to walk him everyday for at least 45 minutes. if you can't do it all at once, try splitting up the walks, maybe one in the morning for 20 or so minutes, and then another in the evening for the other 20 or so minutes. also, canidae is a wonderful food for your dog. good luck.

Answer 10

Only 20 minutes every couple of days might have something to do with it..

It's nowhere near enough, plus he should be out everyday at least once

Answer 11

They do make dog food that is for dieting. Now, by itself like humans, dosesn't work. 20 minutes of walking isn't suffant. Make him run!!! Play featch.