My dachshund is overweight. Why, despite limited food and activity?

I recommend switching to a lower calorie dry food. The calorie content is printed on the bag. There are many good low calorie foods for weight loss. Then I would continue to measure the food and eliminate any treats and people food. If she’s still not losing weight I reduce the amount of the dry food by 25% and give green beans, canned pumpkin or other vegetables to fill her up. You are doing a good job with the walking. She probably can’t go much further until she loses some weight and increases her endurance. If needed don’t feed her then take her meal with you and give her the kibbles in her meal along the way to keep her going, just don’t increase the amount of food. Gradual weight loss of a quarter of a pound a week is what you should strive for. We use walking in an underwater treadmill at my rehab practice for dogs like this so they can exercise without carrying their full weight on their joints. Check to see if there is a dog rehab facility near you. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Athena.

In addition to exercise (walks) you can reduce his present food by one third and add bran as bulkfiber, so he does not feel hungry. You can also feed a low calorie weight reduction food available from your vet such as Hill's Prescription Diet r/d, or Royal Canin Satiety Support and Calorie Control (also available by prescription only), Your vet may also recommend other weight reduction foods tailored to your dog's health and his recommendation of monthly weight loss.

It's awesome that you want to be proactive about Maggie's health! Switching to An all canned diet can help with weight loss. I'd aim to feed Maggie for her ideal body weight. So if she should weigh 15 lbs, look at the suggested feeding amount (on the can of food) for 15 lbs and feed about 25% less for weight loss. Weruva makes a lower calorie canned food that may help. Slowly increasing Maggie's walks so she gets low impact exercise will also help. And eliminating any treats or table scraps she eats is also a good idea. Finally, if Maggie doesn't start to lose weight you may need to see your veterinarian to discuss thyroid testing and prescription weight loss diets like Hill's Metabolic. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Great question! Walking Buddy every day is a good idea, and I would see if you can walk him twice a day for at least 30 minutes a time to help him lose weight. One tip is to cut out all treats. No human food, no scraps from dinner, and no dog treats. These can really add up over time and cause a dog to gain weight. You can try cutting back a bit on his dry food and adding some wet food instead with the dry food. Canned dog food has fewer calories because it has a higher moisture content, so adding some into his dry food while removing dry food to compensate can help him lose weight. Finally, you can speak to your vet to see if they feel a weight loss food would be appropriate for him. I hope this helps!

You can keep him on his regular diet, just feed less of it and increase his activity. The general guideline is 1 cup of dry food per 30lbs of body weight. You can divide it into 2 or 3 meals. Limit treats and do not offer any table food. If he continues to gain, consider an exam with your veterinarian. Blood work may diagnose endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism which can cause weight gain.

Hello, Mario is very handsome! I would recommend testing him for cushing’s disease and low thyroid levels. Patients with low thyroid levels or overactive adrenal glands that excrete excess cortisol struggle to lose weight. My own pet lost weight eating science diet metabolic formula. I fed her the amount recommended based on her lean body weight. Also, you could consult a veterinary nutritionist to make recommendations.

I would recommend converting them to a specialist weight loss diet (many 'light' diets are designed to prevent weight gain and maintain a target weight rather than actually shed the excess). My preferred option is the hills metabolic range which provides guidelines for feeding to target weight (for dogs more than 30% overweight) and also on adjusting feed volumes if combining the wet and dry food