Exercise

[Jhemphill]

The answer to this question may be obvious due to the circumstances, but since I am new to corgi's and want the best for Maximus, I will ask it anyway. Maximus is 13 months and 2 weeks old, we got him from a breeder, when he was about 3 - 4 months old (I have forgotten the date of purchase), we had him checked outed by our Vet right away, he received a clean bill of health. We took him off of puppy food when he turned one, which was January 10th of 2006. Due to some upheaval in our life and family we have not had a lot of time to exercise Maxis. Our lives have now settled down and we have been exercising Maxis daily, because he is over weight. He spends at least an hour a day, running around the yard playing fetch and/or chasing and running with Medjai the American Bulldog and/or our son-in-law or going for a walk. We live in a neighborhood that is very hilly so walking is a workout. Now that I have given you some background, I will ask my question. When we bring in Maxis from his exercise time he seems to be exhausted, he pants hard and seems very tired, he sleeps very hard after his exercise. is this something that I should be concerned about, or is it just that he is out of shape and overweight. I do not want to hurt him or cause him any health problems by exercising him, he loves it when we exercise him it is after we bring him in that concerns me, but he needs exercise and healthy treats (which we are giving him, fruits and vegetables) to get his weight under control.

[Michael Romanos]

There are a variety of medical conditions which could be affecting Maximus but let's start with him being overweight and the kind of exercising he has probably only recently been introduced to, and the kind of diet he is on.

A Corgi should have a visable waistline. Taylor has a very visable one as he is slimmed for agility. So he weights at around 28 -30 pounds when he could comfortably be between 30 and 33 pounds. So in exercising Max and in reducing his food, you perhaps should be aiming for a very visable waistline.

Corgis will tire quickly if they are overweight and not use to rigorous exercise.

Food is a huge subject. But certain kibble food (dry food) can put on weight so I feel this is only one reason to give your Corgi a mixed meal - and only once a day apart from, say a biscuit. The split meal is a third fresh meat, a third fresh veges and a third kibble. Confine the bulk of exercising to a daily routine of walks/ runs (off lead, on lead) totalling about an hour. A power-walk in early morning ( before work or before 9am) for 25 - 35 minutes is an excellent start to the day for your Corgi. Maximus at 13 months could still be on two meals a day which simply means dividing up his dinner or lunch. If he is on cereal, perhaps you should stop this. Corgis up until they are 18 months old, should have calcium supplements. When Taylor come home from a reasonable outing, he's ready to go again after a short rest.

Dogs reducing weight is the same as with us humans. It is a combination of reduced food/fat, and increased exercise that will eventually work the best.
Taylor can put on weight at the drop of a hat but it takes more of an effort to reverse the situation.

Beware of treats - they can build up to be a sizeable plates worth of food every day.

[tandemgal]

J,
Sounds like you are giving Maximus about all the exercise he can handle right now. With that and Michael's diet sugestions you should see a difference soon. Emma is 4 1/2 and tends to put of a few pounds in the winter but when we are out and about in the spring it comes off. Now with the new puppy Chloe she is moving alot more already LOL

One suggestion I have for a treat would be an ice cube. Emma loves chewing on them. Anytime she hears the ice crusher she comes running.

Good luck

[Michael Romanos]

Hi
Just a thought. Uncooked Baby Carrots are an excellent treat for a Corgi.

[Jhemphill]

Thank you Michael and T-Gal. Maxi gets only carrots and frozen green beans as treats and loves them very much, he also loves ice cubes and comes running when he hears that ice maker or me crunching on ice cubes. As a very special special treat he get a healthly heart treat that contains vegetables.

Has anyone heard of Honest Kitchen dog food, the food is suppose to be dehydrated the one I am looking at is Verve (from serveral web sites) a combination of 100% human food grade organic rolled barley, organic rolled rye, dehydrated beef, organic rolled oats, organic flaxseed, carrots, alfalfa, potatoes, eggs, spinach, red and green bell peppers, apples, chicory, parsley, cranberries, rosemary, peppermint, vitamins and minerals.

Preparation No cooking required! Each cup of Verve should simply be hydrated with 1 to 1.25 cups of pure, warm, filtered or tap water or boiled water that has been allowed to cool. It is best not to add boiling water directly to Verve, as this will destroy many of the enzymes & nutrients present.

Add the water to the food and stir. The product will initially resemble soup. Let stand for 10 minutes minimum, for the ingredients to rehydrate sufficiently. Add your own raw meat, meaty bones, cooked meat or other ingredients if you wish.


Verve Nutritional Analysis (Dry Matter Basis) Protein 21.0% (min) Fat 7.5% (min) Fiber 5.0% (max) Moisture 7.8% (max) Calcium 1.4% (min), 1.6% (max) Phosphorus 0.95% (min), 1.1% (max) Magnesium 0.14% (min), 0.16% (max) Sodium 0.14% (min), 0.16% (max)

Verve Rehydration Ratios:
4 pounds of Verve makes 16 pounds of fresh food.

Michael, when does a Corgi go to one meal a day and when do you feed them, morning, noon, or evening. Michael if it would not be an inpostion could you take a picture of Taylor from above so I can see what a waist line should looks like. Where should the waist began and end? I know some of my questions seem silly, but I have read many books and articles on Corgis, but most of the information is general. I have found that this board is more knowledgeable about Corgi's specific needs than anything that I have read. Maxis is the first dog of his kind that we have every had, and Corgis I beleive have special needs that other breeds do not, they are special dogs, and I want the best for Maximus.

[Michael Romanos]

Hi JH

I wouldn't want to give my Corgi a mushy meal on any regular basis.

A Corgis waistline is just before their stifle. The stifle is the whole area that incorporates the back legs.You should be able to feel a Corgis ribs- something you'll have trouble doing if the Corgi is overweight.

I can't say that Corgis have "special needs" but their personality,
character and intelligence requires appropriate responses from their handlers.

[ycistaro]

Hi
Hope you all don;t mind if I joined in on this thread.
I'm a new member and have just adopted a 3.8 Corgi. He is absolutely great!! His former owner was an elderly lady. She did not exercise him or walk him to much. She also went a little over board on the treats and feeding so he is a bit over weight. He is weighing in at 38lbs.

Now Kramer has no waist line. He is totally round. I believe I need to change his diet and exercise. He is on Science Diet and the former owner would mix a bit of Nutro-Max for variety. He has about 2 cups of food once a day but I think that is a bit much. I've heard a lot about cutting back on thier food and adding frozen green beans or vegtables. Can you tell me more about that and how much exercise I should start him out with.

Thanks,
Yolanda

[glencorgi]

Yolanda,

Most of the incoming foster dogs that we see in rescue are on the pudgie side. I've found once I get them on appropriate rations for their overall size and balance, then the weight will start to come off. 2 cups is too much, even my adult male Cardigans don't get that much. I would get him off the Science Diet and go with the Nutro-Max (much better quality food <IMO>) and start him on 1 cup total a day. To replace some of the volume, you can add green beans and other vegetables. Energy levels will increase as the weight drops, at least that is what I have observed.

Exercise wise, he should be able to handle walks with no problems. I can post a message I did to Pembroke-L on weight loss/diet tips here if you'd like.

Debbie

[ycistaro]

Thanks Debbie for your reply
Should the green beans be cooked, frozen, canned. Can you add a variety of vegtables.
I thought that 2 cups was way to much. I'll start to cut him back to 1 cup and start walking with him.
Gee what a concept - when you own a Corgi you get a work out too!!!
Give me an excuse to get out there myself and get that heart rate going.
Yolanda

[Michael Romanos]

Funny enough, but my Corgi likes almost anything but beans. No,
if you are giving your Corgi veges from the freezer, make sure they are fully unfrozen. In fact both meat and veges are better tasting for dogs if they are allowed to return to room temperature before they are consumed by your ever-hungry pooch. I often give my Corgi veges - basically cauli, broc, carrots, pumpkiin that have been very lightly boiled. But I admit, fresh (non-frozen) and uncooked is best. Never potatoes or of course, onions. Taylor loves his boiled rice and pasta that he gets on occasions.

The other thing that grabbed me was, if you are on this one cup ratio - make provision in your calculations for any other food you give your Corgi such as vegetables. Lean meat and veges are the best non-fattening food you can give your Corgi. A lot of the dry food stuff put on the pounds even going by the recommended amount of food- to dog weight ratio.

As Debbie, inferred, stick to premium dry food (kibble) and not anything that is ranked below, if that's what you want to give your Corgi.

[Jhemphill]

Michael,

What type of meat do you give Taylor and do you prepare it a certain way?

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by ycistaro

Thanks Debbie for your reply
Should the green beans be cooked, frozen, canned. Can you add a variety of vegtables.
I thought that 2 cups was way to much. I'll start to cut him back to 1 cup and start walking with him.
Gee what a concept - when you own a Corgi you get a work out too!!!
Give me an excuse to get out there myself and get that heart rate going.
Yolanda

I did post the message I did to another list under Diet and Nutrition as a different thread. Evidently my corgis palates aren't as discerning as Michael's Taylor's , IF (and I've got a few that don't necessarily care for beans) they like beans it doesn't really matter which way they are served. I've even put fresh raw beans from the garden in with their kibble and they scarf those up too. Those that aren't crazy about veggies, will eat cooked versions. Variety is fine. I've even bought the different pre-packaged frozen blends in the grocery's freezer and used those. Frozen in the summer seems to be a welcome treat.

Another one to try as a treat is raw sweet potatoes. Caution in this is to either slice them in cubes or length wise as circular (same with carrots) could be a potential choking hazard. There is a dog treat made from dehydrated sweet potatoes that I've heard a number of corgis are crazy about.

Debbie

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

Hi Jh
Fresh meat. If I was wealthy, I'd give my Corgi/s lean beef steak daily cut into small bite cubes and presented uncooked. But it is not often that lean beef steak where I live is down to the level which I feel I want to afford. But some of the beef cuts that are used only for stewing and casseroles ( ie not frying or grilling) are considerably cheaper.
So next on the list comes lamb. Again really lean lamb like what we call here lamb steaks, is very expensive, so its down to accepting a bit of fat and any lamb cuts given uncooked are fine. Unlike beef, lamb does not present any allergic reaction to Corgis. Though I hasten to add, there are not that many Corgis and other breeds who suffer from allergies brought on by beef and in other cases, wheat.
Then there is pork which is also fairly highly priced in NZ. Offal seems the best choice for budget conscious people. The best of these is tripe. In NZ, our tripe is in high demand overseas so it is now hard to come by here and very pricey. But I often give Taylor hearts - Ox Hearts are the best because they contain little or no fat. In NZ, Ox Hearts here are really beef. Pigs Hearts are next in ranking then Sheep Hearts. Offal is always brought to the boil in water before serving and storing in the refrigerator. There are other meats in the offal category which are all popular with dogs - liver, kidneys etc.
Meat fat in small quantities is actually beneficial for dogs as long as the dog is not on a weight reducing diet.
Finally, I suppose there are the birds - chicken ( what Corgi does not love chicken?), duck, turkey etc.
Off the subject of fresh meat. I'm trialling Taylor with a new dry food (kibble) formula which is a poultry, pork and duck mixture brought out by Virbac. It is not the same dry, biscuit-type food that are in other kibble varieties - but softish and crumbly. Taylor loves it. Of course, kibble type food is only given to Taylor as part of his dinner.

[Jhemphill]

When I start to add meat to Maxi's dry food and vegetables how much should I start giving him. I ask this because we had a male Shih Tzu that became very ill when he got a hold of uncooked meat, he got so sick that he required a vet visit and medication for several days. I do not want to start out to strong and make him sick. Michael, I know that you stated in another post that in the end it should be a third of meat, third of vegetable and third of kibble. Since Maxi is overweight, I do not want to overfeed him so he does not lose the excess weight, and have never had a prue breed dog that could eat raw or cooked meat with out becoming ill. I think that most people in the US give their dogs dry or canned commercial dog food, because it is promoted by the dog food companies and it is easier to put a scoop of food in a bowl for your dog than have to prepare a meal, heck a lot of Americans do not even prepare food for their families. they pick it up a restaurant or put something frozen into the microwave. The US has become a nation of quick and easy. Another question what about giving Corgis bones from meat, like a bone from a ham, chicken or steak that has been cooked for the humans and the bone is left over. I had heard that giving dogs chicken bones was dangerous because that splintered and could get lodged in or cut the inside of a dog. As I have stated before I want to do what is the best for Maximus.

[Michael Romanos]

Hi Jh
Gee, in all my time in the dog world, I've never before heard of dogs becoming sick from their most staple diet of all - fresh meat. Though as I've have said some dogs are allergic to beef. One of my Corgis developed a dislike for raw meat because he got a taste of the other, so I had to always lightly cook his meat. If your dog is overweight then the quickest way to get his/her weight down, is a lean meat/ fresh raw vegetable diet. But introduce Maxi to fresh meat on a graduating basis. This business about a third of this and a third of that doesn't constitute overfeeding becaue you keep the quantities down to the level of the size of meal you want to give your dog. It's elementary mathemathics So in total. keep the weight level of the food to say, 90 grams.

You Americans are amazing! You're killing yourselves with time saving devices including food and you're not only promoting it to your dogs but around the world. Yet we recently had a visit to New Zealand by an American dog nutricianist who warned dog owners against the dry food brigade and the damage kibble type food is doing to dogs. So Jh you're on the right track to understanding what's going on.

By the way, fresh fish and some of the canned variety is excellent for dogs. Sardines though, whilst hugely beneficial, causes sloppy faeces if given too often.

Meat and fish bones are a dog's curse and can afflict Corgis something terribly. Poultry and fish bones must be avoided at all costs and all - but for one or two types - of the red meat and pork bones are damaging and potentially a killer for dogs through splintering - an easy thing for the strong jawed Corgi with their good set of teeth. So unlike all my other Corgis, my three year old Taylor has never had a meat bone in his life, poor thing because dogs just love them and do such wonderful things with them - like intensive guarding, burying/storing and sometimes digging them up weeks or months later to continue with knawing the bones that by this time smells to high heaven and probably has more dirt on it than meat.

I had two Corgis who have had to endure operations to remove partcles of bones lodged in their intestines. One of my poor Corgis had to have a second op some time later. So it is safer though less than natural or enjoyable, to give your Corgi an alternative non threatening substitute. Though there is no real substitute to giving a dog the "real thing."