Overweight Corgis - Corgi Forums

Overweight Corgis

Published by Michael Romanos
02-02-2008

Overweight Corgis

Over half (50%-plus) of all dogs are overweight. But only 17% of dog owners accept that their dogs are obese.
I would imagine that Corgis and owners of Corgis fit into these categories.
Overweight is associated with arthritis, heart disease, breathing problems, high blood pressure, hormone imbalance, joint disease, diabetes, back and leg problems, some cancers, less heat tolerance, shortened life span and shortened life quality.

The primary causes of obesity are overeating and lack of sufficient exercise.

Food: lower your Corgi's daily calorie intake, increase fiber or water intake.
Assess all food intake - daily meal/s, treats, snacks and table food.

Assess exercise schedule.

Diet recommendations:

PREVENTION
Hill's prescription diet w/d

TREATMENT
Eukanuba glucose-control
Eukanuba restricted calories
Eukanuba weight loss formula
Hill's prescription diet r/d
Waltham calorie control
Purina CNM OM-formula
IVD mature
IVD hifactor

In the USA there is a nation-wide free weight check for dogs at participating vets. It will be launched in February, 2008 and will even come with a free gift.

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#1 (permalink)

By glencorgi on 02-03-2008, 12:00 AM

StopCanineObesity.com

While the recommendations harvested from several online newspaper articles and the campaign website are options for an owner to use in a weight loss program, I have never used any of the suggested foods nor any weight loss formulas when dieting a corgi. I don't like the ingredients nor am I comfortable with the protein percentages in the vast majority of the weight loss labeled foods. I've only used all life stages/adult foods - what everyone else was being fed and I've successfully taken anywhere from a couple of pounds to thirty pounds off of overweight corgis without a bad of "diet" food in the house. In being on a lot of corgi lists and forums the one common mistake I see even IF an owner decides to use a "diet" food, they don't reduce the amount of food they are feeding and often add green beans on top of the amount they are feeding and then are puzzled because the dog isn't losing weight.

I've always been able to run one of mine in for a free weighing at my vets. Other places which offer the ability to weigh one's dog for free in my area are some of the pet supply stores, PetsMart, etc.

Another thing to factor into the overall calories being fed is supplements. Many of them such as Missing Link or Shed Stop add calories and food amounts need to be adjusted to compensate for those as well.

Debbie

Last edited by glencorgi : 02-03-2008 at 07:56 AM.

#2 (permalink)

By Peggy on 02-03-2008, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glencorgi

Like Debbie, I've also had much success with using our regular all live stages/adult food and just cutting back the amount the dog is given. My last 4 rescues have all been very overweight. All I did was cut their food to one cup a day and with very few treats.

When giving treats you can even give pieces of a cookie and the dog is still thrilled. It's not how big the treat is but that they get one that makes them happy. So break your biscuits in half or even smaller when you have a dog on a diet.

Cheerios and baby carrots work great as treats too.

Peggy

#3 (permalink)

By Michael Romanos on 02-03-2008, 09:03 PM

The USA free weight check includes breed-specific info, weight check card, educational material and a post card in order to receive a free gift.

A bit more than just simply placing your own dog on the scales.

#4 (permalink)

By Michael Romanos on 02-05-2008, 03:06 AM

Dieting regimes for dogs are of course similar to that of people. Low calorie intake is the most common way for people to diet in regard to food. This way other factors are preserved for the health and benefit of the dog/person.

#5 (permalink)

By Beppo&Georgie's Mom on 02-06-2008, 06:48 AM

Average weight?

Does anyone know the weight that corgis should be around? I've heard a few different ones and I just wondered what people thought on here. I think my boys are on the right track, but I'm not 100% sure. They are 12 months old and Beppo weighs 23 lbs and George weighs 26. Beppo has always been quite a bit smaller, he was the runt of the litter.

#6 (permalink)

By MyPemCharlie on 02-06-2008, 07:25 AM

They're in the right range. The AKC standard is 25-30 lbs. The "ideal" medium-sized male weighs 27 lbs. More important than weight for specific dogs is that you should be able to feel the ribs (imagine the ribs under one slice of American cheese) and see a defined waistline.

#7 (permalink)

By bsr8129 on 02-21-2008, 04:14 PM

I think i am one of those people in denial about my fat corgi. My 2 year old weighs in at 34 pounds, since i am new to corgis, from the others i have seen i would say she is also on the small side. We give her one cup of food a day, we weigh it out, and watch how many treats she gets.

What is the ideal amout of food to give her? I think she just needs more excersie and have started to jog with her.

#8 (permalink)

By Michael Romanos on 03-04-2008, 06:49 PM

Depending on what you feed your Corgi daily, but one standard cup is max for dry food such as Hills, Eukanuba, ProPlan, Nutrience and the like when in diet mode. Just make sure than any treats and other bits and pieces of food are taken into account. I would not renege on teeth cleaning agents such as a fresh meaty bone once a week, or a Eukanuba biscuit once daily or a chew bar every so often.
Exercise - what can one say. At least 45 minutes-one hour daily of walking/romping including 20 minutes of power walking if no off-leash opportunities.

Last edited by Michael Romanos : 03-05-2008 at 05:20 PM.

#9 (permalink)

By KetchikanCorgi on 03-06-2008, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Solid gold has a great formula for overweight dogs. Barking at the moon is a gluten free formula. If your dog has a severe problem, this formula will work. My mom has two dachshunds. I was extremely upset at how fat they were getting. We started them on this food and they are at a healthy weight now. I love the solid gold food, I rarely have problems with over weight dogs. I use the Hund de flockin or Millenia and my dogs never get fat. I also never use puppy food for my dachshunds, I use a whole life food.

#10 (permalink)

By Michael Romanos on 03-06-2008, 02:02 PM

I'd cut down on food quantities and increase exercise first before contemplating shifting to other products and drifting away from applicable puppy or senior specialist food and see how that pans out. At 34 lbs, the overweight situation is retrievable in a relatively short time. It could be that Solid Gold has less calories than some other products. In opinions I have sought, gluten-free food is only necessary when there is an specific allergy problem directly related.

#11 (permalink)

By newhall9 on 04-22-2008, 09:35 PM

Overweight Corgi what do I do? Plus a tooth question.

Hi,

My Corgi is overweight (36.2 lbs at 2 years old). We have been using Eukanuba Weight Management and have been giving the amount it said on the pakage (about 1 3/4 cups). She gets cookies but usually only about 2 of the small Mother Hubbard cookies a day. She gets a dental chewy every once in a while. My question is are we over feeding her? We walk her atleast 4 times a day plus will generally bring her to the dog park. My concern is she usually does not play at the park and I am not sure if it is because of her wait or something else. Also, when we walk she lies/sits alot or wants to turn around. We just fully switched to Eukanuba Weight Loss yesterday and are giving 1 1/2 cups of that. Any one have any ideas about what is going on or any ideas.
On a seperate note we gave her a pig's hoof because it was recommended from the pet store. Never give these!!! Now she has a slab fracture in her right P4 tooth and possibly another one in her left P4. The Animal Dentist we went to today said a root canal will cost between $1500-2100/tooth plus another $1500-2100/tooth for a crown. My local vet said pulling it would cost a few hundred dollars. Has anyone had experience with this? We are not sure what to do. Obviously, if we save the tooth it would be the best but it could cost up to $8400, which is a lot. The other option is pulling the tooth (teeth) but I am not sure if that will leave her at a disadvantage because they are her main chewing teeth. What are your thoughts? I know I must seem like the worst Corgi owner but I am trying. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Matt

#12 (permalink)

By MyPemCharlie on 04-23-2008, 08:35 AM

Most package feeding instructions suggest more cups/day than a Corgi needs. I'm not a huge fan of "weight loss" foods, as much as in favor of just feeding less quantity of a good quality regular kibble. I would cut her to 1 - 1 1/4 cups of food per day, and add some green beans to help her feel more full. If you don't have a bathroom scale, get one. You'll want to weigh her every week. If her weight is dropping, then keep at it. If she stays at 36 pounds, cut the food quantity back some more.

Whatever it takes, you need to get her to stop sitting/lieing down on walks, and get her up moving to burn off calories. I know this can be a real challenge. Try enticing her with a squeaky toy, ball, stick (or other favorite toy). Or break her Mother Hubbard cookies into small pieces and only give them to her for walking.

Sorry to hear about her fracturing her teeth! You'll have to make the decision on what to do. At a very young 2 years old, I would try to save her teeth, since most of her years are still ahead of her. I would probably feel differently if she were a senior.

#13 (permalink)

By halpey1 on 05-04-2008, 12:28 PM

It amazes me how much some folks feed their corgis... I got both of my boys from reputable breeders who have owned and shown corgis for a combined total of over thirty years... BOTH ladies have told me that one cup (half a cup in the am and half a cut for dinner) is all a corgi needs. Both of my boys get this amount, plus adequate treats. I was also told that a male corgi should never weigh much more than 33 pounds, and ideally, most should weigh between 30 and 33. Both of my boys weigh about 31-32 pounds. They don't look too skinny either - actually most folks think they look 'chubby' but they aren't. My vet says they are the perfect weight. Again, 1 cup total daily is enough of a high quality food.

#14 (permalink)

By SparklingSparky on 05-05-2008, 01:02 AM

By the way, one cup is about how many grams of kibbles?