Feeding

JustPets

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#1
We feed our dogs just pellets(kibble, I think you call it). The best we can find in the shops is about $20. We feed them twice a day and just the right amount for their size. But still the silver dapple dachshund keeps putting on weight. We do walks 3-5 times a week and she drinks plenty of water. Snors like a tractor when sleeping. Should I cut down her food, give her more walks or change her food diet?
 
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#2
Having an extremely overweight Dachsie in my house now (he came to us morbidly obese, almost twice what he should weigh), I can tell you that it is most likely one of three things.

#1, Dachsie are a breed prone to "vacuuming", they will eat whatever if placed in front of them, and then some! Ours spends a short time after dinner and breakfast every day "sweeping" the floor for whatever else he can find, he usually walks around the house with bird seed on his nose. So, just because your Dachsie looks hungry, wants more, and eats what is in their food bowl, does NOT mean that is the right amount. Also, NEVER feed by what the food bag tells you! They are often very generous portions, especially for the "lesser" brands.

#2, Check your treats! If you use treats as training, swap what you have now for low/no sugar added children cereal, like cheerio's. And NO MORE "free treats", they all have to be earned in some way or another, and if the amount of treats outweigh a portion of their daily meals, take it out of their meals.

#3, What food are you feeding now? Yes, in the dog world hard crunchy food in a bag is called Kibble. It is VERY important to know what you are feeding, if the ingredients are ones that are full of sugars, like beet pulp for example, you have a problem, just as much, meat should be most of the meal.

For right now, just cut back on the food. If your dog is really begging for extra, you can also take out up to 1/3 of the food and replace it with green beans and use uncooked carrots for treats.
 

JustPets

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#3
Thank you. We feed them Vitagen made by Nestle.

Only the one dog is a bit fat, the other is lean and full of muscle like they should be. Would it be better changing to chicken and rice? They are pretty old and sure if the food is doing it anymore.

I will also start feeding them a bit less and get no sugar treats, thanks for that.
 
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#4
can i also recommend changing foods? Nestle/purina makes very poor quality dog foods.

Do you have anything grain free in your area?
 

lizzybeth727

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#5
Would it be better changing to chicken and rice? They are pretty old and sure if the food is doing it anymore.
Dogs can't live on chicken and rice long-term, they need other nutrients and minerals that they can't get from just chicken and rice.

I'm not familiar with that particular food, I'm sure others here are. Read the list of ingredients: If the first ingredient is a specific meat ("chicken," "lamb," etc.) or a meal ("chicken meal"), that's a good start. If the first ingredient is ambiguous (for example, "meat") or is a non-protien source (for example, "corn" or "corn meal"), you'll definately want to switch to a higher quality food. Grain free foods are also generally better foods.

Generally cutting down the amount of food the dog eats is the quickest way for him to loose weight. Start by feeding him 25% less than he was getting, and stay at that amount for a week or two. If you haven't seen significant improvement, then cut back another 25%. Adding exercise would help too, but extra exercise on an overweight dachshund will add stress to his back and joints, so you'll have to be careful there.
 

Toller_08

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#6
If you can afford it and there is something available in your area, I'd look into switching to a higher quality food. Grocery store brands generally contain a lot more sugars and such than higher quality brands, which contribute to weight gain and make it hard also for an overweight dog to lose weight. Other brands to look into include: Acana, Innova, Now!, Nature's Variety, California Natural, Canidae and many others. If you have a Costco even their Kirkland brand is a lot better than almost anything else you'd find in a supermarket or grocery store type place, and it's not very expensive either. It's still not a food I'd consider to be one of the best based on results I saw with my own dog, but it's far from the worst and would likely be a hundred times healthier than your current food. And also, definitely don't depend on the feeding instructions on the side of a bag. My dogs eat less than what their bags of food suggest. And also remember, when you are looking at the guideline, make sure you're also looking at what they're supposed to weigh and not what they do weigh.
 
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#7
So, I guess now the question is, what country are you in currently? I'd never heard of that particular variety of food either, but upon looking it up it seems to be a brand particular to South Africa? Is that about where you are? That is going to make a HUGE difference in food selection then, I know from other people that the selections are quite limited. I couldn't find the ingredient list for that food anywhere so I can not comment on it, but there are some general rules to stick to when looking for a quality dog food.

Oh, and something else, if your dog's are older and haven't had a problem before, and just one seems to be having trouble with weight suddenly, you may want to have a vet run a Thyroid panel, a slipping in function of the thyroid can cause sudden unexplained weight gain in older dogs.
 

JustPets

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#8
Thanks. Affording it is not the problem. I am now looking at Vets Choice from http://www.vetschoice.co.za, it is about double the price($40) for 8kg bag and still the first ingredient is Ground Corn.

Ingredient Statement
Ground Corn, Sorghum, Poultry Meal (min 11%), Soya Meal, Barley, Corn Gluten 60, Animal Fat, Vegetable Pulp, Yeast, Liver Digest, Minerals, Zeolite, Linseeds, Trace Elements (included chelated trace elements), Vitamins (approved anti-oxidants added)

Then 1 of the best you can find here(Yes, South Africa), is called Pedigree. Ingredients here: http://www.pedigree.com/really-good-food/ingredients.aspx, Still does not look that good to me and about double the price of Vets Choice.

So it seems like I will have to cook them a 3 course meal with the rest of the family.
 
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#9
If you wish to go the home cooked/home made route, I'd suggest a bit of reading material first. If you can find an online venue that will ship world wide (not sure about Amazon?), look for "Raw and Natural nutrition for dogs, by Lew Olson".

And you can check out The whole dog journal's website which has a few online articles: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

I'm sure others may have suggestions.
 

JustPets

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#10
Thanks, I think I am going to do that. Went to the store today and 99% is from Nestle with all of them starting with Meat/Corn as a first ingredient. So until I can find a good pet store here, I will do the home cooked meals.

I just wish I found out about all this sooner. Well, now I know for when the next pup comes.

Thank you all for the valuable input.
 

Maxy24

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#11
Your best bet would be to feed raw (meat, bones, organs) or home cooked after doing a lot of research, people on this forum can help you a LOT with that. If you must feed a kibble/commercial food, I'd go with one of the Eukanuba brands, if you can find the Eukanuba formula called "pure" I think it's probably the best they have. I do believe that brand is available in South Africa, not sure if it's common or not though.


If you do feed any kibble I'd add meat to it, either just cooked meat or 100% meat canned dog foods if they are available. That will help increase the amount of animal protein a bit.


As far as weight goes, I'd just try feeding less. How much do you feed the dog now?
 

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