# Help!! Overweight chihuahua!?



## emmexo (Dec 21, 2011)

Hi Guys, I'm new to this thread and have a 3year chihuahua and a 4mth old chihuahua. 
Unfortunately my 3yr old Charlie has become a little tubby. He's quite a big build and looks really healthy at around 3kg (6.6lbs) but since moving away from my parents farm into a residential setting with a smaller backyard he has put on close to 2kg I estimate, so now weighs around 9.9lbs! (I think due to less exercise and stealing our new kittens food which we have since moved out of reach!) 

I have started taking him on daily walks but need some advice on what I should be feeding him. He eats eukanuba chihuahua biscuits and get around a scoop in the morning that he nibbles on during the day but will often not eat until dinner time. In the evening he's been getting jimbo's dog food raw beef. But he gobbles that down in two mouthfuls and whines for more food, and often gets fed tidbit's because my partner and I are too soft to ignore his whines...haha. My question is would it be healthy to make his portions smaller but add in something like rice or sweet potato etc so that it takes longer for him to eat it? 

I really have no clue and my vet advised a eukanuba biscuit only diet but if I can find an alternative diet that works I would rather that. Although if I don't start to see him lose the weight I guess I'll have to restrict his diet to just biscuits. 

Any helps or suggestions are much appreciated !


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Cut food back, keep him away from kitty food & feed carrots, broccoli, green beans, etc as a snack. Even bits of sweet potato are enjoyable to most.


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## cpaoline (Oct 9, 2012)

Even adding veggies to his dinner while cutting back mix in some this will fill him up and still help lose weight, you can even look into a weight control food


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## I<3Charlie-chi (Feb 25, 2011)

Hi, my chi Charlie put lots of weight on while I was living with my mum for a year because my mum kept giving him extra food and the food I was feeding him (orijen) just didn't work well with him. I changed his food to ziwipeak and stopped all treats, I just gave him pieces of his food as a treat out of his weighed daily amount. He's lost all the extra weight he'd put on now and has loads more energy. I also started to do longer walks by increasing the walk by 5mins every day. 
My vet suggested a diet food but it was full of rubbish, I'm glad I changed to ziwipeak it worked wonders! 
Let me know if you want to see some before and after pics! 
And good luck! It's so hard when they look at you with their sad eyes but just stay strong and remember you have to be cruel to be kind! Xx


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