# Gidget is overweight



## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

I need suggestions on the best way to help a Chihuahua lose weight. I have been trying to keep Gidgets weight down due to her luxating patella and I feed her less than the other Chis but she is almost 2 1/2 lbs now and she is a chunker. Most of her weight gain has come after her spay but she is still a very active girl, really more so now that she has a sister Yorkie and has thankfully started walking on the pergo flooring again. I have heard of the green bean diets but I am not exactly sure how to incorporate that into her diet as in how much to give and how often.

Any suggestions?


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

What exactly is she eating now, and in what quantity?


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## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

I free feed organix kibble but it isnt really down all day as they go through it pretty quickly but she doesnt eat a great deal of it, she mostly just picks at it and eats it and then in the evening she gets a smaller portion than the rest of Fresh Pet Vital pre-made RAW with a bit of her joint supplement mixed in.

I can kind of monitor her intake as she is the only one that cannot get up and down off the couch with her doggy steps. Then she will be playing on the floor in the den but she will stay in that room and play forever, I can hear her when she (what I call) skiddadles into the laundry room to eat, LOL


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

I think it's the spay/neuter that "kills" them. I have really had to reduce Prince's food down...so low to the point I barely feel like I'm feeding him. I got him right after he was neutered. He walks three or miles on most days of the week with me too. He was up in weight about 3 ounces at his last vet visit. That may not seem like a lot but he is 3 1/2 pounds.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Lulu lost a lot of weight on Primal when I fed her the amount given on the bag for her weight. It is not a calorie-dense food. You may consider that food for her.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

If you cut down her evening meal would she eat more of the kibble? Free feeding doesn't really work if you have an overweight dog, if she is likely to eat more kibble to compensate then you may have to go for controlled portions for each dog or restrict her access to the communal kibble.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Did I read that right. She is only 2 1/2 pounds. How old is she?


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## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

She will be 2 in January. 

Honestly I have better luck in free feeding, she is the first one I have ever had to become overweight and I think taking their kibble away (along with spay) and trying to go strictly RAW is what has caused her to gain as they were so afraid they were not going to get to eat and they became gluttons and were becoming somewhat food aggressive. I might can bring up the bowls at night and just leave it throughout the day. I think the spay may have caused a bit of the problem but the neuters never caused my boys to gain so not sure if it is just her and her metabolism.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

I think that we are lucky with chis in the free feeding department- because before I had a lot of friends with them I had never met a dog that could free feed and stay healthy. Now, although I feed raw myself, I do see how maybe some dogs are suited ok for it. I bet Kerri could free feed and be ok- but generally I think it leads to food issues. In a larger pack you also can have dogs eating just to stop other dogs from doing it. I have just seen so, so many issues with free feeding that if there are any weight problems (overweight OR underweight) or even bullying or behavior problems in a pack it is the first thing I would advise to go.

I bet the spay could have something to do with it, or maybe just age. It seems like regardless of when they are fixed most dogs metabolisms seem to settle in around 2-3 years. Kerri was spayed pediatricly and before she was 2 I could literally not feed her enough food to maintain her weight. Then something clicked and she suddenly started gaining. Since then I have heard similar stories from a few other dog people.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Yoshismom said:


> She will be 2 in January.
> 
> Honestly I have better luck in free feeding, she is the first one I have ever had to become overweight and I think taking their kibble away (along with spay) and trying to go strictly RAW is what has caused her to gain as they were so afraid they were not going to get to eat and they became gluttons and were becoming somewhat food aggressive. I might can bring up the bowls at night and just leave it throughout the day. I think the spay may have caused a bit of the problem but the neuters never caused my boys to gain so not sure if it is just her and her metabolism.


I think you may be looking at it wrong. Most dogs are not crazy for kibble but will eat it cause there's no other choice, but when raw is introduced they go crazy for it which causes the food aggression. It is very easy to over-feed small dogs. 1 pound can be a visible difference. We walk a fine line in decreasing and increasing their food intake depending on the exercise ratio. Being spayed can change the metabolism and with winter coming on they bodies are telling them to indulge to stock the fat on. You could feed 2 regular meals (one in the morning and one in the evening) and supplement through out the day with some banana, carrot, sweet tator, green beans. You decrease the amount of food per meal just a bit. Her body will take some time to heal and get back on track from the spay. Neutering isn't as hard on the boys body as spaying is on the females.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

woodard2009 said:


> I think you may be looking at it wrong. Most dogs are not crazy for kibble but will eat it cause there's no other choice, but when raw is introduced they go crazy for it which causes the food aggression.


I agree with that too. It is not that they are worried about not getting food- it is that what they are getting is really good! That usually calms down with time. 
Personally I would not add snacks, I don't really see a reason for it. But if I did I would avoid banana and sweet potato- both are full of carbs and sugar and would pack on the pounds as bad as kibble IMO. Particularly the banana. If green beans or carrots don't upset their tummy they would be fine.


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## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

I am going to introduce better foods like broccoli and green beans and take up the bowls at night and see how that goes. Thanks for the advice


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