Mature Corgi

[craigroo]

I recently acquired a 9 year old female cardigan ("Shelley"). The owners could no longer take good care of her - she lived in the garage and had a small backyard, so almost no physical activity. She's a bit overweight and appears to have a bit of arthritis (when she first gets up she limps slightly - but then ok). Also has difficulty with stairs (especially going down) (can't seem to synchronize the engine and the caboose!).
Any recommendations regarding diet, supplements or exercise that have helped the "mature" Corgi? We have 1 1/3 acres near San Diego, and she seems to enjoy the big new digs.

Thanks

Craig Roothoff
Escondido, Ca.

[Michael Romanos]

Hi Craig
A nine year old Corgi that's been well cared for should be able to exercise as well as any who are considerably younger, and not have any premature arthritis. If she lived and slept in a garage, perhaps the garage was a cold, dark, damp place, especially at night and hence, the arthritis. There again lack of proper exercise and an overweight situation can lead to her condition.
First get rid of the overweight situation through a careful feeding regime and notwithstanding the acreage of land she has at her disposal, get her into regular walking, graqdually increasing the distance and speed. At the same time, there are some brilliant treatments for arthritis including in tablet form or liquid medication which hugely takes care of the problem as long as it is administered regularly. And if the arthritis is severe, the medication will ease pain greatly. Go see a good vet.

You should be able to feel her ribs and she should have a waistline. If not she is due for dieting and personal exercising away from the yard.

[craigroo]

Thanks for the information. I weighed Shelley today - she weighs 47 pounds. About what is a good range of weight for a Cardigan female?

Thanks

Craig

[glencorgi]

Yikes! Depending upon her overall size and balance proportions, 28 to 32 pounds is a good ball park weight for a Cardigan girl. I have a post in the Diet and Nutrition Forum (I think that's where it is ) outlining things I did to take 30 pounds off a Pembroke girl. She originally weighed 56 pounds and I was able to get her down to 26 pounds. It took a while, but we did it. While she "might" have some arthritis, I also am rather sure some of the stiffness and limping you are seeing are related to her obesity. Once you get some weight off, you'll likely see more energy and willingness to exercise and activity.

How much are you feeding her now?

Debbie

[craigroo]

I figured that was heavy - she has more the tubular shape of a basset. Her owners gave us "Kibbles 'n Bits Homestyle made with real meaty pieces & vegetables, roasted chicken and vegetable flavor" and "Pedigree with chunky chicken" (canned).

So far I've only been feeding her the kibbles, about 2 cups a day. I figure that's probably less than she got at her old home, where she probably had food available all the time.

Thanks

Craig

[Michael Romanos]

Hi Craig.

Shelley needs immediate attention to her diet and exercise.

Give her no more than one cup of food daily. Get off the kibble and onto lean meat and fresh veges - not onions - and fresh fruit - not raisins or grapes.

Get her onto an exercise pattern that increases daily in distance and in speed.

Like Debbie said, she is closer to twice the weight she should be and it is doing her no good or any favours. In fact she is suffering - hence her arthritic actions.

[Jane Austen]

Bless you Craig for adopting an older Corgi. For giving her a loving home and care. She sounds like a lovely dog with a good disposition.
I am not having an easy time of dieting my own dog but I know it is for her own good. Our weather in New England is starting to moderate so we will also be doing more walking. Jane

[craigroo]

Thanks for more info. Regarding diet, a friend with a wonderful mixed-breed (believed to be corgi & bull terrier) recommends "Iams mini-chunks for adults" (green bag). She says it should be more digestible.
This morning Shelley threw-up her kibbles. This was the first time, and she seems otherwise fine (not ill or any other digestive problems).

Craig

[Michael Romanos]

I still say get her off the dry stuff and into leaner, meaner fresher versions of food. Be staunch and one day Shelley might show her gratitude. My Taylor has never vomited.

[glencorgi]

Craig,

I began a lengthy post to resond and by now most of it is out of date - lots going on here the past few days. The IAMS will be a better food than the Kibbles and Bits, although if you are going to go strictly with kibble there are some better foods. I spend about as much time reading labels on dog foods as I do anything else. <G> One you might want to look into is Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. I've used the senior formula with a couple of older foster dogs and they've done well on it. It is also readily available in most areas.

Just as a safety precaution, I'd scale her back to a cup and a half for about a week and then drop her back to the one cup, which should be a good maintenance amount for her. The fresh vegetables will be excellent for her and help to fill her up.

As far as supplements - well I'm not a vet, so there's my disclaimer. One that would likely be of benefit to her is a tried and true oldie but goodie called Missing Link. They do have a formula for joint health that I've seen good results with. This is available at PetsMart and some of the larger chain type pet supply stores. If you have any smaller type specialty pet supply places you might want to stop in and talk to the staff there. They are usually a little more informed than employees of the large chains. Wellness brand foods (another excellent brand) has a supplement line that is really good. The older Cardigan male here had a back injury and we have him on their WellFlex joint supplement. IF there is a Trader Joe's near you, that might be worth a visit as I know of a number of corgi owners from other lists who are fans of their foods and treats. It sounds too as if the staff is fairly up on their products as well. Online - Doctors Foster and Smith, Care A Lot Pets are two good sites to check out. Now some of the dog supplements, human supplements can be substituted at less cost with the same results.

Stay strong. You may find yourself modifying and changing things as you go along but you'll get there.

Debbie

[Shelly]

Craig, When I adopted my rescued female corgi 4 years ago (she was then 8 years old), she was 31 pounds. She's a petite corgi meaning on the small end of the scale and you could see her belly was practically on the ground. Her previous home was in an apartment with elderly owners so I don't know how much exercise or table scraps she got. Anyway, she also has problems metabolizing fats (her pancreas), so the vet had me start giving her Hill's Prescription Diet W/D, 1/2 cup a.m. and 1/2 cup p.m. You have to get it from the vet. Between that and walks 2-3 times a day she slimmed down to 21 pounds within a year which is about perfect for her. Check with your vet and he'll recommend a healthy food that corresponds to the dog's health needs. For treats we usually resort to canned string beans or the little carrots. If you don't know by now, corgis will eat until they literally explode if not monitored, so don't let the dog overfeed. Good luck, you did a good thing by rescuing the dog. ~Shelly

[Michael Romanos]

There's nothing leaner than lean beef,

[craigroo]

Shelley is now down to 39 pounds (has lost 8 pounds). This while on a limited diet of dry food formulated for older dogs with arthritis. She often has difficulty getting her rear end up, especially after an active day. The vet diagnosed arthritis in the hips and back of the spine. She gets Megaflex and Metacam for the condition, and seems to be doing better.

Craig

[Michael Romanos]

Craig - keep up the good work on Shelley's weight. I'm sure she will feel considerably better still and get more relief after another eight pounds or so lighter yet. There are some wonderfull medication available in NZ to help dogs stifle the effects of arthritis and get the dogs really quite active again - get back that get up and go feeling. If you want the names of these drugs, let me know. At present, one of them is regularly advertised over radio stations.

[Jane Austen]

Craig,
Thanks for the update. It was interesting to read this thread over. I hope you will have good luck in helping Shelley with her arthritis. I know the dieting is doing a lot to relieve her discomfort.