# My baby is overweight!



## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

Axle just got weighed again and he gained 150g in a month! The vet said he was borderline overweight a month ago when he was 2kg and I have been trying to cut down his portions but obviously i'm not being strict enough, he's now 2.15kg. He has back fat when his harness is on and carries a bit of fat around his neck too and he has a little pot belly. I can't feel his spine at all even when I really press on his back quite firmly. He has such a small bone structure, his legs are thinner than Chloe who is shorter than him in height and length and only weighs 1.8kg, so he is really not meant to carry a lot of weight.

He loves his food so much and he's really active so I feel bad not feeding him much but I know weight issues are bad for his long term health. He's only 8 months old so I have to get it under control now so it doesn't become an issue. I guess I have portion distortion because he's on raw and ZP and it's really concentrated nutrition.

I guess it's just up to me to start saying no to those big green eyes 
I will also start adding some short jogs into our daily walks to burn off a bit more energy (good for me too) and try to work up to straight running over the next month or so.

Has anyone had success getting a young dog to lose weight? Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Mel's chi's (Jun 2, 2011)

If you are feeding raw, it should be easy! Use the calculator sticky in the raw food section to see exactly how much he needs ( you will put his weight in to get your amounts). You should be feeding 2% at most. Use a measure tool and scale to accurately give the correct amount. And be very careful of the "extras" like treats and table scraps! 

You are doing the right thing by getting his weight under control now. It so bad and sad to see overweight pets. . Good luck and keep us posted on your progress


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

OMG I just used the ZP feeding guide kindly posted by Karen and I'm super over doing it on the ZP! My raw portions are spot on at approx 20g for his evening meal but I've been feeding him his whole daily calorie requirement in ZP for breakfast! I don't know how I got this so messed up  Chloe has been doing really well on just slightly more than this as she still has some growing to do and was quite thin before I put her on ZP because of her pickyness so I will keep her on a half scoop for breakfast but Axle will go on 1/4 scoop for breakfast as of tomorrow!!!


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## Mel's chi's (Jun 2, 2011)

See...it is easy to fix the problem--lol! No worries, Axle has just been on a pig fest for a bit, no harm done, but he might act a bit hungry for a few days. Just give hime something good to chew on to take his mind off it, or play and walk on & off more often for a day or two so he doesn't feel deprived ( love is so much better than food )


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

I think it was Jan here who had success using the green bean diet for her dog.
I need to do this soon with Bijou! he's a little tubby and not meant to be anywhere near that chubby he is sooo tiny boned. :lol:

Like your dog, he LOVES food.


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> he might act a bit hungry for a few days


 He acts hungry every time I open the fridge door anyway so it can't get much worse!


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## bayoumah (Nov 30, 2010)

hi how much weight is that in pounds and ounces thank you


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

He is currently 4 pounds 11 ounces, he should be around 4lb (according to the vet). He has gained almost half a lb in a month  I know that's small but he just can't carry it, he has a pot belly and I really can't feel any ribs or spine. 

Hopefully it won't be too had to get his weight down now that I know i've been feeding him a double helping of breakfast.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

haha! I'll bet he REALLY loves you for the extra!

Overfeeding is easy to do. We have a ton of Chis in my area and most are overweight but most people do not know it or seem not to notice it.

My big girls weigh right at or a touch under 4 pounds and they get about 1/8th cup or 1/3 scoop ZP for each meal. My little one at 3.5 pounds gets a tiny bit less. 

They are almost 15 months-18 months and have been spayed so I am no longer feeding them as puppies. 

What they eat looks like such a small amount but it is a calorie dense food with ZERO filler so they are getting appropriate calories. I do add warm water to help them feel more full.


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

I have a chunky chi too  Penny is a bit rounder then she should be, but she is so obsessed with food that it is hard not to feed her! I bought some Zuke's treats (they aren't grain free, but are pretty good quality) that are very small and easy to break into tiny pieces. ZiwiPeak also makes treats that are easy to divide up. I take a couple treats out each day and break them into smaller pieces. It makes it easy for me to monitor exactly how many treats I am giving her, otherwise I go overboard!


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## Finn (Sep 14, 2010)

I know people feel so guilty about controlled eating, but my four are all on controlled diets or they would all be fat except Finn. I never feed the girls table scraps and they have given up begging. Everyone gets his/her portioned meal which they eat in their feeding crates. Their treats are very small (tiny) and only twice per day. All by way of saying I support your efforts to get your little one to a healthy weight. I really see so many overweight Chis and it is just not good for them. I think our dogs are amazing at adjusting.


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> My big girls weigh right at or a touch under 4 pounds and they get about 1/8th cup or 1/3 scoop ZP for each meal


I was feeding a 1/2 scoop for breakfast then approx 25g of raw meat at dinner topped with about 8 to 10 squares of ZP (Chloe needs this to encourage her to eat the raw but I gave it to Axle too to be fair) - much too much! it didn't look like much though.

Last night he got just the 25g of raw meat. He gave me the stinkeye for the rest of the night! For breakfast Ax got 1/4 cup and Chloe got 1/3 cup (she is a perfect weight so i'm cutting her down too so she stays that way).

Missy r and Finn - I hadn't thought about treats. I only give little bits as training aids but I was giving at least 1 piece of duck jerkey per day (more when i'm home because they beg) to keep them occupied and for their teeth. I probably need to factor this in too.


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## Christabelle (Dec 21, 2011)

When I first brought Mimi home she was a full pound overweight, with her
RAW diet it was really easy to get her back to down to 4 pounds where she
needed to be. However she still acts like she could eat a horse at any moment!


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> she still acts like she could eat a horse at any moment


Sounds exactly like Axle!


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

I don't know if you feed any vegetables to the dogs but, the greenbeans are one of Rico 's fav treats. He is also a dog who LOVES his food and I do believe that he would eat anything at all....He is about 41/2 pounds ( stays between more than 4 but less than 5). I absolutly understand that it doesn't sound like much but their tiny legs just are made for extra weight. He is young and active the weight should come off easy


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