Weight problem affecting joints

[bajoiner]

Hey there everyone I have not been on for a while, I have been working 12 hour shifts at work, luckily I work from home, but over the holidays Sassy got more treats than she should have and now when we play ball or she runs I have noticed that her front legs sometimes buckle. I weighed her and she is about 8 pounds overweight. She is small and she weighs 32 pounds, my vet suggested she weigh between 22-28 pounds so I was shooting for in the middle. I have read the diet forms and weight control and read Brynlea's thread but she suggests green beans and Sassy will not eat green beans. She loves celery, carrots, but will not eat apples, green beans, pumpkin. If anyone can help. We are walking now after I get finished working as the days are getting longer. She has access through her pet door to my 2-1/2 acres all day. I really think if I can stop the treats that will help a lot but I need something to flavor her kibble (Science Diet -small bite) as she has gotten where she will not eat it. Wondering if maybe I should change her food? If anyone could help I would greatlly appreciate it. I don't want her to start having problems with her joints due to weight.

Appreciate any and all help.
Barbara

[glencorgi]

Barbara,

Use whatever lo-cal veggies she will eat. If you are giving her a cup of kibble, scale it back to 3/4 a cup and fill her up with the celery, carrots. Try broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce - anything but onions, raisins or grapes. Cut down on the treats or substitute carrots and celery for them. Rice cakes make good lo-cal treats too. Canned pumpkin (plain, not the pie filling) is also a good filler - lots of fiber. The green beans, are you using canned or frozen. I've had some that would only eat canned (no salt) and ignore the frozen.

Changing foods, might be a good idea, there are some recent threads with good info on that. Just remember to feed less than you normally do. IF 3/4 a cup doesn't bring you results, then go down to 2/3rds a cup a day.

Good luck and yes, extra weight will cause all kinds of health problems.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

I don't know if I can add much to Debbie but here goes.

Losing weight is a two way street - dieting/less food/less fatty food on one hand and more quality daily exercise in the other. Just the same as for us humans.

If your Corgi is not eating all her food then it is probably because she is getting too much. However after endless feeding of one type of kibble, the food could become quite a bore to anyone. Cut down to a large handful of Kibble daily and add some other tasty and non fattening food. I always add other food to my Corgis dinner, mainly a slice of an excellent dog chicken roll, a small amount of fresh meat ( cooked unless it is beef steak or beef mince) and a couple of tablespoons of cooked brown rice. But I often add some pieces of veggies that I know he likes - raw if possible apart from potatoes.

I'd go for the bottom of the recommended weight. It is simple for a Corgi to put on weight and less easy to take it off.

[corgimom]

I think Bajoiner had mentioned earlier tonight that Sassy only gets 1/4 cup twice a day of her dry kibble, so that is only 1/2 cup daily; the problem seems to be with all the extra treats that she is getting from other family members - she may not be wanting to eat her regular food because she hopes that maybe some better human food may come her way.

Seems that Sassy needs to get used to not getting all those other goodies/last bites, and certain members of the family need to get a bit more "tougher" in being able to say Keep a container of healthy veggies in your refrigerator(as were suggested), and let your better half know that those are her "treats", within reason; and if you catch him being sneaky, you will just have to give him a however, you would rather give him a for helping Sassy to lose weight.


Good luck to you; I'm sure you can do it.

[Dillydoodle]

I agree the 1/2 cup of dry food a day is not what is making her overweight, it is the treats and last bite of human food. She may seem really hungry and beg a lot, but don't give in, I would actually give her more dry food at each meal -maybe giving her 2/3 of a cup of food in total per day but ONLY if you can make SURE that hubby is not slipping her treats if you cut out all treats and only feed a 1/2 a cup of food a day she will be really hungry... a bit of canned greenbeans or carrots or other veggies are still giving her treats but they are much better for her and she will lose weight.

I would also try adding a little more exercise. I know you are working really long hours, but even just adding a 15 minute ball game twice during the day or take her for a short leash walk for your lunch break- that added little bit of exercise will do her a lot of good and will probably be a nice break for you too!

You mentioned food change ( the kibble) and no one really addressed that, I hate to because it opens up a huge can of worms , but take a look at the nutrition threads here, Darci has posted some wonderful links to some great foods. I am currently feeding Timberwolf organics to my two and they are loving it..Dillon is really thriving on it. best of luck to you , i know you can do it! :yeah:

[Jane Austen]

It is hard not to give treats and although I am not good at it myself I want to suggest giving part of her kibble or some other kind of kibble for treats during the day. Taking into consideration the total that she is generally fed.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Jane Austen

It is hard not to give treats and although I am not good at it myself I want to suggest giving part of her kibble or some other kind of kibble for treats during the day. Taking into consideration the total that she is generally fed.

Excellent suggestion Jane, excellent!

Debbie

[Fluffypants]

Another way to sneak in some exercise is to get am Amaze-A-Ball, or some other interactive toy. You can put a bit of kibble in it (subtracting that bit from her daily total), and she has to work on it, play with it to get the kibble out. I know when Jackie plays with hers, she goes ALL OUT!! She chases it around the house like a nut (which is also very entertaining to watch)!

[ColColt]

I've heard of those before. What size is common or does it matter? They must be something like a Kong toy.

[corgimom]

Treat Dispensers)

Treat Toys - Small - DogToys.com

[Fluffypants]

Those are all good! The Tricky Treat Ball is Jackie's current fave.

[ColColt]

That would keep them busy for sure...thanks.