I need help with my fat Chihuahua?!!?

[BeeBee]

I'm not sure if I'm posting in the correct area, as I'm new to this site and I don't yet know my way around. I'm hoping that I've reached the recipes/diet section, and if that's not the case, i apologize!!

I have two utterly adorable chihuahuas. One is in great shape. She's a 1.5 yr old shorthair who weighs approx. 4.5 pounds. She is currently on a diet of Innova Evo kibbles and doing just fine since she has endless amounts of energy.

However, my other chihuahua, Diego, is not in the best of shape. Long-haired purebred chihuahua, and he's adorable, but he's clearly ... well, fat. He weighs almost eleven pounds, which I suppose is not horrendous; but he is so obviously unproportioned, and he actually has rolls of fat. He has been quite large since I neutered him at the age of two.

I'm just wondering if there are any well-known, well-proven weight-loss diets for chihuahuas out there that you can recommend for me. It breaks my heart to see him waddle around and struggle to catch his breath. He's such a sweetheart, and he deserves to be in shape! I'd appreciate specifics, but any advice will suffice, of course.

[technodoll]

simply feed your boy less, and exercise him more. have a full blood panel done to rule out any disorders (thyroid comes to mind). please do NOT feed him any "diet" food, which is just fillers and less protein. Feeding your dog an appropriate raw diet (premade frozen patties are great for small dogs, not expensive either) can help immensely.

what are you currently feeding your boy? how much? what exercise is he getting?

[BeeBee]

I have been feeding him Innova Evo in small servings twice a day. He's been tested more than once by two different veterinarians, as this problem will not go away. They drew his blood, examined, and couldn't come up with a reason for his heavy weight. The vet gave him a diet kibble, but he refused to eat it so he went right back to his Evo. I know that Evo can cause weight-gain, so I worry about the little guy. Are there any different low-fat yet healthy food brands that you can recommend? He hates exercise but I still drag him - not literally - on hikes with me regularly. We used to have a small whiteboard in our kitchen that kept track of his weight as we tried different diets, exercises, etc, but he seems to be stuck at this weight.

I love the little guy; I just want him to be in good shape!

[mafiaprincess]

How much evo is he getting a day?

[erykah1310]

Put him on a set amount of food, try cutting his daily intake just a bit the first few days then a bit more. Until he is eating a reasonable amount of food ( dont want him to be hungry)
Divide his daily food rations into a few feedings throughout the day.
Hope this helps a bit.

[OntarioGreys]

It could be that you are feeding too much EVO, often people do not realize just how little is needed

My 80 lb couch potato and 70 lb young more active greyhound get less than 1 3/4 cups each a day, so if you break that down in terms of size you are looking at less than a 1/4 cup of food a day total for a 10 lb dog. So lets say 1/4 cups split into 2-- 1/8 cup serviongs with " absolutely no" treats thru day.

[BeeBee]

Originally Posted by mafiaprincess

How much evo is he getting a day?

He gets 1/4 cup, but he's still always hungry. I try to give him half the 1/4 in the morning and the other half at night, but he is always starving and his round little tummy grumbles.

Originally Posted by OntarioGreys

It could be that you are feeding too much EVO, often people do not realize just how little is needed

My 80 lb couch potato and 70 lb young more active greyhound get less than 1 3/4 cups each a day, so if you break that down in terms of size you are looking at less than a 1/4 cup of food a day total for a 10 lb dog. So lets say 1/4 cups split into 2-- 1/8 cup serviongs with " absolutely no" treats thru day.

I feed him 1/4 Evo daily. For a few weeks, at one point, I even cut that in half, but he was too hungry. He's been on other brands of food, but he's maintained his chub for a steady five years now. It's so odd. You seem to know about dogs: do you know of any other brands that are less fatty?

[mafiaprincess]

Feed him veggies when he's still hungry, they are low calorie. Feeding more evo is packing on unneeded calories. Green beans or carrots are an often favorite for a hungry dog.

[technodoll]

seriously... why don't you try raw food?...

it may be the only solution for your boy.

[BeeBee]

Originally Posted by technodoll

seriously... why don't you try raw food?...

it may be the only solution for your boy.

Oh oh!! How I've been aching to! So many people have referred that I do, and I swear just last night I even did this long drawn-out research on the whole thing (or maybe the night before, but that doesn't matter) and I was ready to go! Of course, though, my parents -particularly the mom- thought it crazy.

She brought up things like, "mad cow disease" and, "salmonella", saying that, "the dogs could die!" I just know that there must be some way of avoiding such things, but really none of the sites that I found explained exactly what to get slash where to get it, or how to serve it. I feel so idiotic asking, but is the raw diet literally raw meat... like the kind that you buy packaged in a grocery store? Oh man, I'm so clueless about this. But if you could help me out and tell me the specifics I would be SO happy!!

[technodoll]

beebee, here are a few companies that sell pre-made raw frozen patties, that you simply thaw and feed your dog. they explain the how-to's, whys, etc:

http://www.naturesvariety.com/conten...4AA1Mpy329C779

http://www.urbancarnivore.com/sitemap.cfm

http://www.bravorawdiet.com/

since your dog is very small, it is very affordable to feed premade raw food. once you see the improvements and how simple and logic this diet is, you can start scouting out sales at your butcher's or grocery store and make your own meals. it is as simple as cutting up a raw chicken into smaller pieces and handing to your dog, let him go at it! pork is also excellent, as is beef, lamb, goat, turkey, raw fish, etc. you can google "raw diet" for tips and tricks, "rules of thumb", etc, or ask here, many members feed their pets a raw diet and can answer your questions.

and also here is a great "raw feeding myth" site you can maybe print and read to those doubting thomases... after all, what the heck do they think dogs ate up until about 60 years ago? and what about all those other carnivores on the planet, LOL! it's safe, it's effective, and if you feed the right quantity to your boy i can guarantee he will shed those unwanted pounds, gain lean muscle mass, and look like a million bucks in a short time! http://rawfed.com/myths/

lose the fear, gain a healthy happy pet!

[Sariss]

I had the same problem with a fat Chihuahua! I put her on a good RAW diet, exercised her daily, and after a few months she went from 12 pounds to 6. See picture below:



I would go with a premade RAW mixture, that is 100% balanced. When you start making your own, you can run into issues with C:P ratios and whatnot. This is a good brand:
http://www.pets4life.com/index.php

[technodoll]

sariss, if that is not an outstanding testimonial, then i don't know what is she looks GREAT!

did you notice other changes besides the weight? coat texture, poops, energy level, etc?

[Sariss]

Originally Posted by technodoll

sariss, if that is not an outstanding testimonial, then i don't know what is she looks GREAT!

did you notice other changes besides the weight? coat texture, poops, energy level, etc?

Other changes I noticed:

-hair no longer falling out
-no more eye boogers
-more energy
-shinier coat
-no more itching
-no more sore hips

[technodoll]

Other changes I noticed:

-hair no longer falling out
-no more eye boogers
-more energy
-shinier coat
-no more itching
-no more sore hips

yeah, those are typical "good changes" that happen when a dog or cat is switched to a raw diet

how old is your girl? and is it that much more expensive to feed her raw? oh and have you tried to feed her "real meats" such as pieces of chicken, turkey, a pork rib to gnaw on, raw fish, etc? or just the premade.

[Sariss]

Originally Posted by technodoll

yeah, those are typical "good changes" that happen when a dog or cat is switched to a raw diet

how old is your girl? and is it that much more expensive to feed her raw? oh and have you tried to feed her "real meats" such as pieces of chicken, turkey, a pork rib to gnaw on, raw fish, etc? or just the premade.

She's 9 years old. We got her when she was 8, and she had been that fat for most of her life.
It's very cheap. I can't remember the exact price, but with the premade mixture she only needs a tablespoon in the AM, and again in the PM. So it works out nicely.
As of right now, she's only fed the premade mixture, since the "real meats" are in there, just ground up.

[technodoll]

As of right now, she's only fed the premade mixture, since the "real meats" are in there, just ground up.

awe! she is SO LUCKY to have found you! and will likely live a very long and healthy life thanks to the diet & lifestyle change, and all the love she has found :love:

since there is always a way to make good things better... might i suggest that you also supplement her diet (perhaps even replace the AM or PM meal) with raw meaty bones? here is why... http://rawfed.com/myths/ground.html

excellent food for thought there (no pun intended)

[Sariss]

I won't be getting into a debate about this. The diet my dogs are fed has been sent away and tested before and proven 100% balanced, so I will keep it at that.

[technodoll]

sariss it was just a suggestion

my dogs don't eat any kinds of fruits & veggies and they don't need them. they are in prime health. thousands of raw-feeders do the same. somehow the notion that our furry critters need "scientists" to design their food seems pretty silly... i mean, think about it! People need jobs so of course they will try to convince you that you are not smart enough to feed your pet, you need a degree in nutrition to do so. crikey. how did i manage to feed *myself* all these years? LOL

also i would urge you to rething the notion that dogs are omnivous. have you looked at the data? here's a good starter: http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html

and wolves do NOT eat the stomach content of their prey, which is supposedly where those "fruits and veggies" lay, along with the acids and bile from the prey animal http://rawfed.com/myths/stomachcontents.html

i won't quote any of the material here, it's there if you want to read it.

regardless. a premade raw diet is miles above any dry food you can feed, so for that! but it can always be better. dogs are not humans in any way, shape or form so even if WE need fruits & veggies to be in prime health, that does not mean our dogs & cats do too. on the contrary! the more "stuff" you put in their diet, the less place there is for what they thrive on, which is meat, bones, organs, connective tissue, etc. For sure feed roughage as treats, the sky is the limit.

but hey i'm a hippie mom & feed my kids a bit of everything to supplement their raw diet, kibble included, peanut-butter sandwiches, cooked meats, macaroni n'cheese, milk bones for treats, LOL! and they're doing more than fine. yep... dogs can be very adaptable creatures. they also can have the room-clearing farts to prove it! ha ha

[Sariss]

My views are from personal experiences I've seen from working at the animal hospital. But I will not delve into this, as I am not getting into a debate.

[technodoll]

sariss, cool with me

what's your girl's name?... i'd love to see more photos, she's a cutie!

[Sariss]

Originally Posted by technodoll

sariss, cool with me

what's your girl's name?... i'd love to see more photos, she's a cutie!

Honey. I think I will post a thread in the gallery section with some pictures.