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12-08-2008, 11:57 AM | #1 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Hewlett, New York
Posts: 129
| Please help with overweight six year old yorkie girl My yorkie has been getter chubbier and chubbier over the years and nothing seems to help. We have cut out all treats and yet she still does not lose any weight. She was on a prescription weight loss dry food which didn't seem to do much either, made by hills called RD. My vet has now told her to give her a weight reduction drug called Slentrol.. which made me nervous but I thought that the effects of her being overweight would become a huge health issue. So far the medicine has not helped one ounce. My vet is telling me that I have to give it more than two months so that they can get the correct dosage for her but I became too fearful of the damage it might cause and it seemed to make her even more tired. I know her problem is more of lack of exercise (lack her mom) but I cannot force her to walk on a leash. She will normally walk for a minute, at best, and then lie on the street and wait to be picked up. I am sure it is a combination of being "the princess", problems with her hips and knees (which we were told not to do surgery at this point) and being overweight. I try to run her around the house but she would rather lie down and sleep. She was always a couch potatoe type, but she seems to be getting worse. Not that she doesn't love going on errands with me but than again who wouldn't, she is carried all over, has people giving her tons of attention, or is riding in a cart, shopping. I have tried to take her off of all vet food and med and began feeding her boiled chicken and some vegetables either canned (no salt) or fresh. Still after a month she has not lost an ounce. I also am concerned about her not getting the vitamins and nutrients she will be missing from a dog food.. I have been giving her a vitamin supplement called Earth Animal by Dr. Bob Goldstein that my sister had recommended and purchased at a health food store but seems not to be boosting her energy level, either. Someone PLEASE help. She weighs about ten pounds and has been as low as 7 1/2 and should be 8 to 8 1/2 at most. If anyone has any ideas for a natural and very good weight reduction dog food and/or any other advice I would appreciate it. Anything that could enable her to lose weight, is healthy, and will boost her energy would be great. Thanks for all of your help. |
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12-08-2008, 06:27 PM | #2 | |
Loved by Layla Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 11,257
| Quote:
As for exercise- you'll just have to force her to do it. Layla hates walking too. I've started giving her treats at the corners. She sits and then gets a treat before we turn the corner or cross the street. its a motivation for her Does she like to go after the ball outside? | |
12-08-2008, 07:09 PM | #3 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Hewlett, New York
Posts: 129
| Thanks again for your input. Believe it or not as I received the last post about going back to kibble, I was on the Natural Balance website. I will be going to Petco to purchase the reduced diet dry food and will look into other products too. I have been feeling uneasy about trying to balance a good home cooked diet for her so this should work out fine. It seems to have healthy ingredients and hopefully she will gain some energy and lose some weight. We do try playing ball with her but to be honest she will play (monkey in the middle) for about three minutes and pant as if she had just run the NYC marathon.. again she takes after me. To give you an example of her personality I take her by car to drop my daughter off at school which is about 2 miles at most, away. I have to wrap her in a blanket and she doesnt stop shaking from the cold (with heat on) until we get home. She definitely takes after my three daughters and myself. She was never a real outdoorsy kind of girl unless the temperature was exactly at the right degree for her.. not too hot, not too cold. If we are outside after sniffing around for five minutes maximum she climbs up (surprise surprise) on my chair to be picked up to sit on my lap or the ottoman. She prefers to take it all in, visually... She would much rather go with me to the department stores in a bag, stroller or arms than take a nice long walk in our town. If she plays outside in my backyard she walks casually around and again will shortly ask to come up on my chair. I truly believe that Reese thinks that she is a human and would prefer to keep her "feet" clean. When furbaby friends come over and do what dogs are supposed to love doing.. running around outside, rolling in the grass, going through the sprinklers. she is looking at them as if they are nuts and she is perfectly normal for just standing or sitting there watching them. As long as she is healthy that is all that I am concerned with, but unfortunately she has problems with her trachea, so she is often hacking like a goose when she will walk on her leash with her harness.. never a collar.. has weak knees and hips and has a very sensitive stomach. I wouldn't trade her for the world but I just wish she was a little more active, a few pounds lighter and didnt seem so obsessed with food.. than again, it sounds as if I just desribed myself. Thanks so much for your suggestions and hopefully I will have good news to report in a couple of months. |
12-08-2008, 08:18 PM | #4 |
YT Addict Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Central California
Posts: 445
| Ha ha...she sounds like my little girl. She is perfectly happy to be carried rather than walk herself. The one thing that keeps her in shape is the fact that she has a brother to play with. True, they do lay around and sleep most of the time but a couple times a day they wrestle and run around the house like little crazy dogs. It lasts about 20 minutes and is generally followed by another nap. Maybe your girl needs someone her size to play with. Also, how much do you feed her? I am amazed at how little food dogs of this size require. It is easy to overfeed them.
__________________ Dawn (Brandy & Titan's mom) |
12-09-2008, 06:35 AM | #5 |
Loved by Layla Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 11,257
| i hate to sound horrible- but dogs adapt to how we let them behave- you know? so you let her not walk- so she doesnt'. Try to start demanding more of her on her walks- if you have to loore her with a treat- that's ok- whatever you have to do to get her to walk. otherwise- it could literally kill her. |
12-09-2008, 06:47 AM | #6 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Hewlett, New York
Posts: 129
| You aren't sounding horrible at all. Over the years we have let Reese rule the roost. Not to make more excuses but now that the NY weather is getting even colder she literally walks outside and turns back around. I am trying to put her leash on in the house and walk around the entire house for at least 10 minutes and will work our way up to 20 (hopefully). I feed her about 1/4 cup of dry reduced diet food 2x daily.. so she is only getting 1/2 cup per day and she is at 10 pounds. I have cut out all treats other than an occassional dental bone once a week. My vet has told me to still cut her food amount down. I can't believe that 1/2 cup daily is too much for her. I feel terrible for her since she is constantly leading me into the kitchen and will just gaze up at the food jars. I do not give in anymore and try to get her mind off of food. We are now off to Petco and will be purchasing Natural Balance reduced diet food.. I am hoping that she will like it and do well on it. If anyone has any experience with it, please do let me know. Thanks for all of your input... |
12-09-2008, 07:07 AM | #7 | |
Loved by Layla Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 11,257
| Quote:
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12-09-2008, 07:58 AM | #8 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ajax, On, Canada
Posts: 210
| My girl yorkie has to be dragged out the house to walk but I tug on her leash and she soon gets going with the boy who is always ready to go.......but I never stop to pick her up......I think she has figured out i need to do this and get it over.....so she puts her head straight and walk like she wants to get it over ....lol.....not stopping.....while the boy is always sniffing and lagging behind......so you will need to be consistent....maybe fetch her part of the way then put her down to walk back home......
__________________ Mommy to the stars Diddy and J'lo |
12-09-2008, 09:39 AM | #9 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Hewlett, New York
Posts: 129
| That is exactly what I do.. usually I end up holding her on the way out and then put her down and she RUNS back to get home. Even if I try to throw her off and take the longer route back.. she figures it out and tugs the opposite way. You are right, I have not been the most consistent. The other problem I have is that she is primarily wee wee pad trained ( a real house girl) so I too get lazy in taking her for walks. She did train herself to make outside as well and does love to mark her territory every inch or two. I have been seriously considering getting her on my treadmill but concerned about how safe it will be for her. We just bought the natural balance reduced diet and she sampled a few kibbles and seems to love it.. (not too shocked). We will see how it goes and I will report back. If she loses weight on this and doesn't get an upset stomach, it should be great for any furbaby. Thanks for all of your help. |
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