losing weight for my dog

[charlieinthehaystack]

long story really but not a pleasant one either; about 4 years ago we rescued a chihuahua (he is a bit odd for a chi so may be bit crossed he has short and patches of long fur no papers) he came from a puppy farm, the man was later prosecuted but the dog was supposed to be a stud dog but as he was no good at his job so to speak the owner tried to unalive the dog with a blunt instrument. we accept Moo has issues but he has no nasty bones in his body. we know he has continence issues but deal with it with pads and its hard to catch him/ put leads on him but managed to sort it by opening door to house then van door so he hops in no problem then when out just leave van door open in he pops when he has had enough!
anyway husband is a bit fond of treats for him but he is way over weight apart from the exercise i dont know what to do is there any special food that would help? he normally has half a dish of caeser or a third of a can a day we dont have a great deal of money but usually get supermarket on but i am desperate to get his weight down so will find money for special food
ive enclosed a few pics of my darling moo

Oh my gosh.

I have a chihuahua and I'm sorry but you're killing that dog.

You need to get him on a decent quality food because they have less fillers so need less food to fill them.

I suggest forthglade. They do little 150g tubs for small dogs.

I would reduce the recommended daily food amount by 25% and do an extra walk.

I'm sorry but he's gone from one neglect situation to another.

Making a dog this fat is just as bad as starving them.

If you Google forthglade have a 40% off code.

If you absolutely have to give treats for motivation on walks cut up some cooked carrot. My chi loves them

Poor dog you are seriously affecting his health and shortening his life having him so fat.

You do not need special food just good quality dog food but way less of it!

What food is he on at the moment?

Whatever food he is on. Take 10% off the amount for his recommended weight. Should be no more than 3.5kg as max for a chi

Weigh the amount of food out for every meal and do not give any other food.

If you do want to give treats then take it out of his weighed food for the day.

I would go to the vet for some advice and a check up to make sure there are no related health issues. If you can take him for hydrotherapy that would be good for him to exercise without so much stress on his joints.

Sorry reread.

See that you are feeding Caesar. He is obvioulsy having way more food than just a 3rd of a can a day. Although that amount would feed a 5kg dog. So you need to cut down to a half a day or move to a different food which is easier to measure.

Do measure the amount dont just guess

@Kitchenwoe is right. You don't need a special food, you need a decent quality one and feed the right amount. And take treats out of the meal allowance.

Weigh/measure the food, to be sure you're giving the right amount. If there's a big difference between the amount he's getting now and the amount he should be getting, then reduce it gently so it's not a drastic change. Then take it down a little further so it's a reducing diet. Consider getting a slow feeder or smearing wet food on to a licky mat to slow his eating down

Gods. I don't even have words for this. It's awful.

You need to completely stop treats - dogs do NOT need treats. You need to cut his food by 25-30% and you need to keep your husband away from him - what he has done to this dog is just awful. You need to exercise him more, or take him swimming or anything.

This isn't even a situation where 'healthier food' or 'decent quality food' will help because you are clearly feeding that dog way more food than he actually needs.

STOP OVERFEEDING HIM. You and your husband are literally killing your dog.

What treats do you give him? It must be a a lot to make him that overweight. You need to weigh food and take treats out of that for the day. What has your vet said? I can't see that you're treating him any better than the farmer that tried to 'unalive' him- that's exactly what you're currently achieving.

Dear God. You are killing that dog.

The real question you need to ask yourselves is, how the fuck did this happen? How and why did you do this to him? Because like PP said, you don't need special food, you just need to feed him way way way less. You may also need vet attention to rehabilitate his joints with e.g. hydrotherapy because I can't imagine that level of obesity hasn't done joint damage. But mostly you need to stop feeding him way too much and understand why in god's name you started.

Poor dog, I’m surprised his little legs can hold all that weight. I think you should take him to a vet, get him weighed and make sure he hasn’t developed health issues. He’s got the body of a husky.

For the immediate term you’re going to have to feed him significantly less. You need to get your household on board with this.

Honestly op, I’ve had multiple rescue chis for decades and what you are doing to your dog is really unfair. Yes, some of them are totally lazy, greedy little devils, but it is up to you to manage that. He doesn’t need expensive food (mine have Core Wellness Small Dog with a tiny bit of wet mixed in) you just need to feed him appropriate amounts and stop with the treats, immediately.
If any of mine look like they are getting chubby, I weigh them and if they are, I cut their food appropriately. Yes, they give me sad eyes, and no, I don’t cave. It is in their best interests.
I would also have him blood tested. I have had dogs with thyroid issues before and they gain weight like you have never seen on the most minimal diet. Get him checked. If it IS his thyroid, meds will fix that. If not, then start feeding and exercising him properly.

Also I think you should start weighing food before giving it to him. It’s clear what he’s eating vs what you think he’s eating (third of a can etc) are not matching up

That is just cruel. You should give that poor thing to a rescue so it can be looked after properly. When was the last time you took him to a vet? I can't believe you have let him get in that state. Shame on you.

I would take him to the vet first and foremost to get him weighed and take advice from you vet.

Take him to the vet for advice on how healthily loose weight.

He must have at least half his weight to lose and you need to know how to do it safely with regular check ups. A calorie controlled food is likely to be more successful than just cutting his food.

Weigh every bit of food, don't use scoops as it is easy to go over. Try splitting it over 2-3 meals a day to help with hunger.

Tell your husband to stop over feeding the poor dog as it is cruel.

Bloody hell. Get this sorted as you're killing your dog.

You don't need special food op. You just need to feed far less of it.

How much food is your husband giving to him in treats?

What’s your husband’s thought process, like will he get funny if you ask him to stop? Does he have overeating habits himself? Surely he can see the size of the dog and realise treats are not a priority?

You’d probably save money but feeding him correctly ie less food.

@charlieinthehaystack
I do think you have done a really good thing by rescuing him. He’s obviously very loved, I think Judy gradually cut down on his food, and give him low calorie treats, and gradually increase his exercise. Gently does it. And well done for coming on here to get advice, take the advice and not the criticism.

I’m a vet. He’s at least 150% of his ideal weight at a very conservative estimate. He will need to be on very restricted calories for a long time to lose that - safe weight loss 1-2% a week, and if you just feed him less normal dog for a long period he will likely end up with micronutrient deficiencies. Go to your own vet and ask for help and a prescription weight loss diet. There are high fibre or high protein versions available. Most surgeries will have weight loss clinics often run by a vet nurse to support you with this. You are literally killing him with kindness - studies done in Labradors show that dogs that are fed to appetite rather than kept lean lose on average 2 years of lifespan, and that’s ’not kept lean’ rather than ‘allowed to become grossly obese’.

All those “ you are killing him” comments, have a bit of empathy. Hope you also all have a BMI under 25 yourselves and given that only 40% of adults in the UK are at an appropriate weight I find that unlikely, so how would you like your GP telling you in those terms.

OP the dog is in a far better situation with you so don’t listen to that crap. Less food and more exercise, that’s all.

That dog is not a little overweight
he is seriously overweight.
i say this only because you seem in denial of the scale of the issue. By eye that dog probably needs to lose around 50% of its weight (ie it weighs 100% more than it should)

diet is 95%+ of the answer.
Your DH needs to stop all treats until you get this under control and I’d wager the incontinence issues will improve when the poor dog doesn’t have all that extra weight on.
it terms of portions talk to your vet and start weighing the dog monthly and reducing portions if he isn’t losing

our dog is 5kg at a healthy weight so larger than yours would be) she gets…
small bowl of kibble at breakfast.
Very small bowl at dinner.
Maybe one bone before bed
with a a small bit of nice meat or fish (like 5-10g per day) and ONE medium raw egg on a Sunday

Don't be ridiculous.

Even though there is a (loose and non-causative) relationship between an owners weight and the pets, at the end of the day the human has far more agency over both their diet and the means to seek intervention than the dog has. Pet dogs should not be treated cruelly. Over-feeding is not a neutral thing, it is harmful and taken to excess is cruel.

Does that van bit mean he never goes for a walk on the lead and you can't catch him, so you just let him out and wait for him to come back? What if he got in a scrap with another dog or growled at a kid?

I've lost 100lbs so I know exactly what this dog feels like. It's hell.

Except I did it to myself

He didn't choose this.

Is Moo getting any exercise OP?

I really think you need some vet intervention now.

I have a dog with hypothyroidism and when not medicated, he can eat nothing or everything, walk all day and still blow up weight wise. There could be underlying issues here too which you won't know about until tests are done.

The weight is putting pressure on bones as well, even though he's a small dog.

But first, you need to stop with the treats. Dogs don't need treats. They need the correct care. The treats are only for you, they make you feel better, but are harming your dog.