Overweight dog

[deste]

We have a Cavachon, Cavalier/Bichon cross. We keep being told he is heavy and he shouldn't put on any more weight. He gets a small tub of wet food in the morning and three quarters of a cup of dry food in the afternoon. He is not a greedy dog, he doesn't look for food and he doesn't beg. He weighs about two stone. How can we reduce his weight. We take him to the beach a couple of times a week where he runs free and he gets a long walk in the evening and a shorter walk in the morning.

[TrionicLettuce]

Reduce his food intake and increase his exercise. Make him work for his food; use it for training, scatter it in the garden or feed it from a treat ball rather than a bowl.

Weigh his food out rather than measuring by eye so you know he's getting the right amount each day and stick to it religiously.

[tabulahrasa]

I make that a full stone heavier than a bichon and between a stone and ten pounds heavier than a cav...that's really quite considerably overweight.

Work out how much food he should be getting at a bit under his weight, measure it and feed him that, then when he gets to that weight do the same again until you're feeding him for the weight he should be.

[Floralnomad]

See if your vets run a weight loss programme , lots of practices do and get him properly weighed and they will tell you what he should weigh and can then advise on how to get there - which is basically less food and more exercise . The average bichon weighs 3-6kg , the average cav 7-9 kg , at 2 stone your dog is nearly 13kg .

[Frenchfemme]

If you haven't already, ask the vet to check his thyroid function. My Spanish Water Dog was quite overweight and nothing worked. Turned out he has an under active thyroid. He is now on thyroid tablets and a weight-management diet under vet supervision. He is steadily losing weight, and is much more like his former self!

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I was watching The Supervet last night, and they were treating a very overweight dog - and advised the owner to shred white cabbage and mix it through the dog's food, to bulk it out and fill the dog up.

We have a brown lab, who is prone to gaining weight, so we use a dry, weight-control dog food. Over the past year and a bit, we've had both dogs on it, because our other dog (a high-energy, skinny lab-pointer cross) has been on cage rest/very limited exercise for 10 months out of 14, following three knee surgeries.

[deste]

I spoke to the groomer today who also has a Bichon and she said we couldnt give him any less because it didn't sound like a lot. I wonder if it is thyroid. He does like to sleep a lot. I know they say you should see his hips and you can. We did meet another Cavachon last year and the owner said that his dog was heavy and they did have the same build.

A friend was told her Cockapoo was overweight and he eats a raw food diet so I'm not sure really what or how much ours should have. I would change his diet if I thought it would help.

It is my daughters dog so I will ask her to speak to the vet although the vet did say not to let him get any bigger so he has seen him.

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Hmm I think your groomer is talking bollocks tbh - your dog weighs nearly as much as mine and is having more food but mine's a lot bigger and has way more exercise

People have got so used to overweight dogs (and children) that fat now looks normal...you should be able to feel your dog's ribs with only light pressure and he should have a defined waist when seen from above

You are risking all kinds of longterm medical problems if you don't get to grips with his weight now

[CMOTDibbler]

My 20kg lurcher has half a cup of dry food plus some wet at each meal, so three quarters for a small dog sounds a huge amount to me.
You need to cut down the food and up the exercise - throw a ball till they are panting in the garden if they can't go off lead normally

[tabulahrasa]

"she said we couldnt give him any less because it didn't sound like a lot."

Really? Because it sounds like a lot to me, my 38kg (who is kept very lean because of joint problems so would be more like 48kg if for instance I wanted to show him) gets two cups of food a day, that's small cups not mugs.


You own a small dog, he should be having small amounts, it's kind of how it works...

You should be able to feel all his ribs...if he were short coated you'd want to see the last one and from above you should see a well defined waist shape.

[georgedawes]

Sorry it does sound a lot for a small dog. Mine weighs 21kg and gets less food than that a day. If you feed a good quality dry food it's surprising how little you need to feed.

[georgedawes]

Oh and just to add our dog weighed 27kg when we got her so has lost quite a bit. We reduced her food by quite a bit and only used her food allowance for training treats. Upping her exercise helped but reducing food was key. We also weighed her 2x a week to check we were on the right track.

[Wolfiefan]

It depends how big the cup is! Weigh the food.

[GreyHare]

I have two Cavachons one weighs 9.5kg and the other 9kg but they are tall for Cavachons, they get a small treat for breakfast and then they get 90grams of dried food (Canagan) in the evening with maybe a few table scrap added and they get a few treats when out on a walk, you need to feed for the weight the dog should be, most vet practises run weightloss clinics for dogs which are usually free or quite cheap as the nurses tend to run them, but don't drastically cut your dogs food down do it gradually, what food are you feeding as some foods are full of rubbish and won't be helping matters.

[WeAllHaveWings]

You need to tell us wet and dry food weights/brands/recipes before we can tell you if you are feeding too much, but it does sound like a lot and he does sound heavy.

I'm not surprised he doesn't beg he's probably constantly full! What is his output like? Loose and/or large stools are a sure sign of overfeeding.

[deste]

I am quite strict with his diet and don't give treats or snacks. Because he isn't greedy my DD thinks if he goes to his bowl looking for something, usually late at night that he must be hungry. I'm not sure of the wet food but the dry food is Bakers weight control. He doesn't even eat it all every day, he sometimes doesn't touch it.
His output is quite small and not loose at all.
I need to get everyone on board.
Where would I find a chart to tell me how much to feed for his breed thanks.

[Floralnomad]

Bakers is a crappy food . Take the dog down to the vet and get an opinion about what weight he should be and take it from there . Have you a picture you could post ?

[MaynJune]

Please take the advice to see the vet or vet nurse about your dog's weight.

If there are no health issues, find out how much less you need to feed him.

Once you know properly how much to feed him, weigh it every time. It's so easy to feed too much dry food as it looks so little.

[OttiliaVonBCup]

Buy him some low calorie food, weigh his portions exactly, up his walks a bit and you're done.

[deste]

He got cut today so I will get a photo when he comes next time and post it up. You will get a better idea seeing him cut.

[GreyHare]

Can you feel his ribs and does he have a defined waist, as you should be able to feel ribs, but Bakers is awful food, full of rubbish and fillers, there should be a feeding guide on the side of the packet, and as I said you should feed for the weight your dog should be not what he weighs, so I would look at say 9kg - 10kg and go from there, ok just looked it up there recommended daily amount is Optimal weight of dog 5-10kg, daily feed (g/day) 95-160. So I would be strict and weigh out 140grams and split it into 2 meals, but ideally I would change him onto a better food, oh and don't guesstimate the amount, strictly weigh it out everyday.

[georgedawes]

Bakers is really bad food, my dog was on it before I had her and it is not good at all. It's a bit like haribo for dogs! Allaboutdogfood is a good site for info on decent foods.

[deste]

Ok apologies, he is 11 kg, I will post a picture later on this morning.

[deste]

Ok he was 11 kg at the vet, my mistake. I put the usual amount of dry food on his plate and then weighed it, it was 56 grams.

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Well he's not morbidly obese but he could definitely do with losing quite a bit of weight

You've had lots of good advice on this thread - now you need to put it into action

[cuntinghomicidalcardigan]

He certainly looks chunky, and sorting it out now will reduce pressure on his joints and make him much healthier in the long term. There's some great advice on this thread