LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

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That's great advice Angel. Regular checkups can help you spot problems before they grow out of control. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Both cute, small breed dogs and the regularly built ones are at risk for obesity. Even men and dogs have many similar diseases like diabetes and heart problems,so regular check up is really a must.

-- Contributed by: angel

Hi Nelson,

Every dog is an individual, so a single feeding standard doesn't fit every dog. Additionally, a dog's activity level directly affects how many calories it burns. You mention that your female is very inactive, so she probably doesn't burn off many of the calories from her current feeding regimen. The first thing I recommend is that you encourage her to exercise. Start out gently with daily walks of 15 minutes, and work up to longer walks or jogging. Rotties are meant to be working dogs, not couch potatoes, and they will gain weight if they don't get exercise. Once you have your female active again, you can decide whether to cut back on her food a little more.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

We own two Rottweilers, a 2 year intact male who is large size and weighs 125 LBS and very active, and a neutered female, age 6 who is average height and weighs 104 LBS but should weigh 75 LBS but is very inactive. A recent Thyroid test came back normal. We feed both dogs twice a day and the female gets less than 2 cups of dry food (no corn or fillers) along with about 1 cup of cooked chop meat for protein and two large dog biscuits for treats. My best estimate is she is fed less than the recommended 5 cups of food previously mentioned in one of these posts. Although we have had her on this reduced diet for several months she has not lost any weight. This weight gain has occurred in just the past two years. Can you offer any clues that would explain this? Are there any other tests we can have done?

-- Contributed by: Nelson

Hi Jeremy,

According to our guest columnist Wendy Nan Rees in her book The Natural Pet food Cookbook, the following measurements of dry kibble should be about right.

Dogs weighing 5-10 pounds: 3/4 to 1 1/4 cups per day
Dogs weighing 80-100 pounds: 5 3/4 to 6 3/4 cups per day

Thanks for a great question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My wife and I own a 7lb miniture pinscher and an 87lb pitbull. I was wonder what would be the proper food serving per day would be. Thanks

-- Contributed by: Jeremy

My dog Josie is a 4 & 1/2 yr old spayed female Border Collie mix. She was diagnosed as having hypothyroidism about a year ago and currently wieghs around 62 lbs. I'm not sure what her other half of genetics are but she would be classifed as overweight, not obese. She is very active, playing fetch for 5-20 minutes twice a day and also chase/wrestle with our 1 and 1/2 yr old lab who is solid muscle and doesn't give her any slack. They play hard and run all out during fetch or chase. In the warmer months we do go on hour walks in some hilly paths at least once or twice a week. Yet the weight isn't coming off. She's on Levothyroxine 0.4mg twice a day. I feed her 1/4 can Pedigree dogfood once a day and Weight Maintainance Pedigree kibble. Since I have multiple dogs I don't know exactly how much kibble she eats, but she's not the once usually standing at the bowl. Between Josie, our lab, and an elderly Basset Hound they go through 6 cups of kibble a day. As for treats we alternate between greenies, small dingos, and pig ear strips during the day and she may get 4-5 of those a week. We have bedtime treats usually like 4 jerky strips or sticks and one large size dog biscuit.

I've never had an overweight dog before, so I would like to know what her caloric or fat requirements should be so she could lose approximately 8 lbs? Thanks

Hi Gail,

You'll need your vet's help with those calculations, but I will offer some input. It sounds like you're still giving your dog quite a few snacks each day. That, along with the fact that you have two other food bowls available suggests your dog may still be over eating. I would develop the rountine of feeding all your dogs at once. Allow them 15 minutes to finish their bowls, and then pick the bowls up for the rest of the day. Your dogs will quickly learn to eat when the food is available, and this will relieve you of monitoring the overweight dog the rest of the day. I would also cut back to a single dog biscuit as a bedtime treat. Hopefully these suggestions, along with your vet's recommended feeding measurments will bring about the type of moderate weight loss your dog needs.

Thanks for your question.:)

-- Contributed by: Gail

I have a 4 year old miniature schnauzer. She has had 2 litters of puppies. The last litter was 2 years ago. I would like to breed her again, but she has gotten fat. She goes walks with me almost every day but just seem to lose any weight. Is it safe to breed her now?

Hi Debbie,

Good question. Being overweight has the potential to make delivery more difficult. My best advice is to embark on a program of mild exercise and moderate feeding. You'll find more information on this type of fitness plan in our articles on Dog Fitness and Canine Obesity. Follow this plan and assess your dog's condition at her next heat cycle to see if she is ready for breeding. Don't hesitate to ask your vet for input on your dog's diet.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Debbie

My dog Rosie has no tummy tuck and she cant go on walks with me and my other dogs. Is she obese, or just unable to go around as well because she is old? Is there anything I can do for her besides exercising, because she is old and even short walks make her limp.

Hi Jackie,

Unfortunately, obesity can lead to joint problems such as arthritis and dysplasia. My advice is to take your dog to your vet for an evaluation. The vet can recommend a feeding program to help take off any excess weight. This in turn should lessen, but probably not eliminate joint pain. Even if your dog can't resume taking walks with you, getting back to a healthy weight should make her feel more comfortable.

Thanks for your question, and best wishes.

-- Contributed by: Jackie
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