if a miniature dachshund doesn't over eat, why would she be obese?

Question

she has asthma, and is on steroids. she eats a very small amount of food a day, yet she is morbidly obese.

Answer 1

Mini dachies can live almost on air. I have one and he eats no where near what the package says he should eat. He is also a very active dog, agility, swimming, playing ball.

Lower the amount of food that you are feeding. Mine get about a tablespoon morning and night of dry food. About a tablespoon of wet and in the am a tablespoon of yogurt. That is really all he needs. He is health and active. I also feed a very high quality dog food so you may want to switch to a higher quality food.

It is hard to give them so little, but if it makes you feel better you can add some canned pumpkin. Just the pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin adds some fiber which will make her feel more full, but not a lot of calories. I would feed no more that a tablespoon of pumpin am and pm

Now with asthma you have to be careful of exercise, but I would talk to your vet to see what is safe for your dog to do. You may want to teach your dog to play games inside. Mine can play fetch inside. He also likes to swim. If the asthma is under control you should be able to go for walks at the very least. I would walk her for at least 20 min every day.

I seemed to never be able to get my lil' guys weight down and then I got another small dog, (and then another one :) ) so I have three small dogs and my mini gets lots of exercise just playing with them too.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Steroids will make a dog large. Are there other dogs in the house that she could be taking food from? What is a very little bit of food to you? Sometimes we think we are giving a proper amount but we are really feeding too much. One other thing you may have her tested for is under-active thyroid. That will make a dog overweight, have a dry, dull, coat, inactive (which adds to weight) and generally listless. It's a simple blood test at your vet's office. If she is positive for under-active thyroid and is put on thyroid replacement therapy the changes in her will be dramatic. Don't know if this helps but I hope so.

Answer 3

The steroids probably - one of my dachsies was on prednisone and got huge - after he was weaned off, he got back to normal.

Talk to your vet about gradually taking your dog off the steroids, there are also very low dose steroids now for dogs.

You also need to have your dachsie tested for thyroid problems.

She needs exercise, but do it gradually if she is not used to it or gets asthma. You also should be feeding her a high protein, low calorie very good dry dog food - not supermarket stuff or Science Diet (I know your vet probably carries that brand, but it is mostly corn).

Try Canidae or a quality dry that lists meat as the first ingredient.

Most importantly, consult your vet about getting your dachsie off the steroids - continued, long term use is very, very harmful - not just as far as her weight is concerned.

Best of luck, and do get a handle on this soon.

Answer 4

Steriods can cause animals as well as humans to gain weight. Getting a dog "fixed" can also cause this. You can try a low cal food such as Purina Healthy Weight Formula. I recently switched my Jack Russell to this after years of being on regular Purina because she was 4 lbs(a lot for a small dog) over weight. I trust Purina because I have always fed my animals(cats and dogs) this for years and it was one of the few brands not mentioned in the recent recalls of dog food. Iams and Eukanuba were however and are the more expensive, upscale brands. My little girl has already lost 4 lbs in two weeks! She's only 1 1/2 lbs away from the vets goal weight for her.

Hope this helps, best of luck!

Answer 5

It could be the dog food you are feeding.. It could be lack of quality exercise.. But very likely it's the steroids causing her to be such a fatty.. She needs more exercise and cut back on her food.. Make sure you are feeding her a good quality food.. She'll eat much less.

Answer 6

It might have to do with her medicine. It may be making her gain weight a lot. Call your vet and ask if weight gain is one of the side effects of her medications.

If not, she might be obese because she isn't getting enough exercise. Try to take her on walks more, so she can work off her extra weight.

Answer 7

Steroids - they increase fat storage and decrease metabolism. It could also be making her have itragenic cushings disease. seek other therapy for asthma or try to decrease the steroids. Ask your get about using Terbutaline or brethine instead or as an adjunct.

Answer 8

the steroids could definitely be the reason. I would talk to the vet about it and see if he recommends a different diet or can help in another way.

Answer 9

the most important thing to remember is that she gets enough exercise. Also some medicines make dogs gain some weight.

Answer 10

May be thyroid problem, diabetes, or the meds she's on. Ask the vet if she has any of these problems and what she should be eating in conjunction with her medicaiton.