over weight dog?

Question

my sister has a chihuahua who is over weight, he has had lose bowl movements for a while, he has now been put onto a vets diet, he is only one. He does not eat much, to warrent the weight gain, he had his manly hood taken away and the vet said this could be the reason. But she had 3 other dogs that had there bits done and they didnt put the weight gain on. He walks every day. She was told the Bakers dired food is fatty and this makes them have weight gain! Has any one been in the same position. Or have any idea why he is putting the weight on. Her vet is reluctant to do blood tests, and he thinks he is too young for thyriod problem, because she asked him, after i mentioned it, as it is common in dogs. If any one can offer any suggustions it would be appreciate. Many thanks

When i have mention he walks every day, he walks 4 miles each day, only eats only 1/4 of a tin of special vet food. He doesnt pinch the others dogs food because he is feed seperatly from the others. He has been staying with me for the past 4 weeks, so i can honestly say he walks and plays a lot and dosent eat much.

food is royal cain

Answer 1

What is the brand of food exactly?

Have to say, it sounds like you're doing everything pretty much right - could do with some more specific details though, i.e how much exactly is the dog being fed in ounces? There should be a feeding guideline on that food, and you should be feeding the correct daily amount for the weight you WANT the dog to be (rather than the weight it is) - ask vet for guidance on this.

What you've said does indicate there may be an underlying problem with the dog, preventing him from losing weight - although hypothyroid dogs are generally lazy, and don't walk 4 miles per day!!

If you want your dog to have blood tests then it's the vet's job to do them for you.

Baker's food is certainly a BAD food as far as weight control is concerned - one of the worst in fact. Neutering does slow down metabolism, but as long as the dog is being fed appropriate amounts of good quality food, weight gain should be easily controllable.

From what you've said, all signs point to needing further investigation. If this is what you want, your vet should either do it or have a good reason why ('he's too young for hypothyroidism' not being a good reason) - or find another vet.

Chalice

Answer 2

I find when people say they don't eat much, they really do. My dogs weigh 70 lbs and are each over 24" high at the shoulder. They eat less than 12 oz. of measured dry food, twice a day. Your chihuahua should be eating about 3 oz. or less per feeding. I would still have labs done to make sure all the blood values are correct and to rule out any other reason than over eating. Less food, and more exercise are the key to avoiding obesity, and barring a hormone problem, I suspect this is the reason.

Answer 3

I am having a similar situation with my lab mix. He gets an enormous amount of exercise, and our vet has cut back on his diet a large amount. Despite all of this, he can't seem to drop the weight. We use this high-end dry food called Wysong that was produced by some doctor. I decided to contact the company. They recommended that I mix in more meaty food along with the dry. He said that our dog was getting too many carbs, eating just dry food, and needed more proteins. I haven't added the new protein yet, so I can't speak to the effectiveness. Good luck!

Answer 4

make an office snack box of your own so you re not tempted by your colleagues candy bowl fill it with small individually packaged portions of soy chips almonds and dried fruit

Answer 5

go 20 mph on your bike for 6 1 2 minutes

Answer 6

Having less than 1 200 calories a day may slow down your metabolism

Answer 7

may be it is his metabolism rate, , ask for a blood test. 4 miles is a lot for a chihuahua and he should of lost weight, with that amount of walking. Hope things work out ok.

Answer 8

Exercise in the morning to speed up weight loss

Answer 9

walk a toy poodle for 41 minutes at 2 miles per hour

Answer 10

avocados can be your secret weight loss partners theyre high in fiber and healthy fats giving you a meaty tasting meat alternative