Hi Becky, I have heard of quite a few Chihuahuas that develop thyroid problems which cause extra weight. Desi is all fun...and so he loves to run around and he will sometimes just jump out of the chair and walk around the house looking all over...so I call him the 'inspector general'! Dolly would rather lay and look pretty than to be out running around. She gets upset at Desi sometimes and then she will chase him and be screeching at him. Not always sure what happened to start it. But, sometimes when Desi goes outside to go potty in the evening, Dolly doesn't want to go out there. So this evening I went out in the back and was making sure that the branches of the bottlebrush tree weren't growing into my neighbors 'airspace'. Desi was on the patio, and the moment that I made the littel three brick high jump from the planter, he started his zoomies. He loves to do zoomies and I rather that he do them back there than on top of my bed. He was having so much fun and finally, I just had to open the door to come in and then he came zooming in the house too. I have heard about dogs gaining weight after being spayed. Some vets say that is a myth. I know when Dolly was a puppy, I had a difficult time when I was feeding her...I always thought that I needed to be feeding her more, but then I looked at the size of her and realized for her size she was getting enough. However, I sometimes think that the bags of dog food have the recommendations by size of the dog to be a bit too much. Dolly & Desi eat the RC Chihuahua and if I fed either of them what the bag says, they probably woudl weigh as much as Grace in a month. So it is your job to just cut back a kibble or two at a time and then cut back a little more in a week or so. She won't even know that you are doing that. I was a bit nervous when I started that with Desi, but he doesn't know. He just knows now that if it is gone, it is gone. Remember it will take her a little while to lose teh weight, but the important thing is that her intake is being adjusted and it will make a difference. Dolly is usually a free-feeder so she rarely overeats. Some love to eat, and some could care less. Good luck.
--- In [email protected], Becky <stewartgang@...> wrote: > > Hi Joan, thanks for all the info. > Gracie is now 6 years old. She started to put on weight about a year after > she was spayed. I really feel like she is not over eating, but rather, not > getting enough excercise. > In fact today, I had her in the pool for some stress free joint excercise. > She weighs 12 pounds right now. She used to be at a steady 8. > I am going to try extra hard to be sure she is excercising every day. I hope > this will make a difference. My daughter is a vet tech, she brought me a bag > of Canadai for weight loss. > But one point you made was the one about treats. Gracie likes her evening > treats. Guess I need to stop that. > > Becky & the girls > > Sent from Becky's iPhone > > On Apr 29, 2012, at 4:02 AM, Joan Croft <joan_croft@...> wrote: > > > [Attachment(s) from Joan Croft included below] > > From: Joan Croft [mailto:joan_croft@...] > > Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 8:40 PM > > To: '[email protected]' > > Subject: Becky & Gracie > > > > Hi Becky. > > > > How old is Gracie, and how much does she weigh? > > Can you post a picture to see just how fat she is? > > > > I have to say I really felt that I was the worst Chi-momma in the world. > > First I should have recognized that he was the fattest little puppy that I > > had ever seen. He looked like a little bear cub. > > > > I think at 8 weeks he was 3 lbs and 11 oz. I know, some of you have full > > grown chis that are that size or less. Before my vet weighed him, when he > > just picked him up for the first time, he said âOh, heâs a hefty > > one!â I > > guess that is polite for âwho the heck has been over feeding this > > puppy!â > > Andâ¦in only 8 weeks of his life! > > > > Well, he told me to cut back the amount of the then âRoyal Canin Baby > > Dogâ > > and I did, I looked at the amount on the bag and I was feeding less than it > > said to. (However, right now, Dolly & Desi get about half of what the RC > > Chihuahua bag says that they should get. I think it both increases their > > sales, but also promotes little chubs) > > > > At that time, Desi had to go every week or so for his boosters, and he was > > gainingâ¦but he was a puppy so we couldnât starve himâ¦he had bones and > > muscles and things that needed to be nourished and grow. I think at > > 12-weeks was when he was put on RC Small Breed Puppyâ¦I guess less fat > > maybe? > > Well, I fed him about halfâ¦and this puppy was hungry because he had been > > free-fed at the breeder and was accustomed to eating all day long. He would > > come and cry and cry and then when I would feed him he would be by his bowl > > before I could put the food in. He would wake me up in the morning with > > many, many kisses at 5 amâ¦he was hungry â" and why was my sleep more > > important? He was still eating three times a day then, so it was easier to > > cut back when it had to be done over three feedings. > > > > Right before he was 4 months old, the vet diagnosed a dangerous testicular > > problem and so he had to be neutered right away. Wellâ¦it took about four > > or > > five cuts in his little round belly to untangle and free the testicle that > > was not attached to anything. But, I think that during that surgery, the > > vet saw the total thickness of that fat layer he was carrying around. So > > before he was four months old, he was on RC Adult Chihuahua food. I worked > > with the vet in adjusting what he was getting. > > > > The good thing about my vet â" and maybe you can get your vet to do a deal > > like this with you â" is that he told me that I could bring him in any time > > FOR FREE, and he would weigh him, feel him to see if his ribs were really in > > there, and then let me know if we should cut back more or maybe even give > > him a little more. So if I had to cut his food back to half â" I would > > start > > cutting it a little bit each meal over maybe a weekâ¦they really donât > > notice > > that they are missing 10 pieces (RC Chihuahua â" very tiny) in each > > feeding. > > > > Remember that I did all this under the guidance of the vetâ¦because he was > > a > > puppy. There were a few times that the vet would tell me to give him a > > little more, and I could see he was growing up and out â" and then a little > > too round. > > > > I think he was maybe 11 months old when the vet said that he was a good > > healthy weight and his bones and everything could be felt and not sticking > > out. So, he said to give him a little moreâ¦but I saw him gaining and just > > cut back a little more. > > > > With both of mine wanting to be inseparable, Desi was always with if I had > > to take Dolly for something, so he had some extra feels in between his > > visits. The thing is that Desi loves Dr Bullard...maybe because he made him > > a lean playinâ machine. > > > > At about 14 months, Desi was pretty much lean and staying very steady in his > > weight. Ohâ¦I didnât think that day would ever come. And then right > > before > > he was two, I noticed that he had gotten a bit wider around his rearâ¦he > > had > > been very narrow and I even asked the groups if males have smaller builds > > than the females (Dolly is thin, but her rear bone structure is wider.) > > > > I noticed this about three months after I had surgery and thought maybe I > > just didnât remember how narrow he had been. I took him to Dr > > Bullardâ¦Desi > > had gained weight, but he was still just as lean. The vet and I think that > > because he was taken off of puppy food so early, that part of his bone > > development was delayed. He has been about the same size â" with no growth > > spurts for almost a year, so I am hoping that this is it. > > > > As hard as it is: > > > > No treats. If you have to give her a treat in order to train her to go > > potty outsideâ¦the Charlee Bear treats are very low calorie. Chicken Liver > > and Cranberry is their favorite > > http://www.petco.com/product/117215/Charlee-Bear-Dog-Treats-with-Turkey-Live > > r-And-Cranberries.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch > > > > Look for the tiniest treats, and you can even break the tiniest. I had some > > that were tiny little star treats > > http://www.petco.com/product/114218/Wet-Noses-Little-Stars-Organic-Dog-Train > > ing-Treats.aspx > > > > If you can keep the treat to just that one to train for potty > > trainingâ¦that > > is good. Once he learned to go potty, I made him come further and further > > inside the house before I gave him the treat. I would then take one and > > throw it a little distance so he had to run into the house to get it. After > > a few days of that, it was just praiseâ¦no treat. > > > > Before I had Desi, Dolly wanted treats all day and so I made it that the > > only time she got a treat was when she finished a bowl of her food (she is > > a grazer.) So I used to get all excited and then give her the treat. When > > Dolly finishes her food, she will bark to let me know, and so I still give > > her the treat, but at the same time, Desi gets a very tiny treatâ¦and > > sometimes just one little RC kibble. > > > > Your dogs (if you have more than one) donât really care if they all get > > the > > same treat, just that they get one. > > > > Desi then learned to almost inhale his food, and then he would sit on the > > bed and look like he was chewing for 20 minutes. That was part of his > > âbreeder free-feedingâ syndrome. The vet told me that he had the food in > > his esophagus and doing the chewing motions was pushing it a little at a > > time down his throat. So then, I had to buy all kinds of treat dispensing > > toys to feed him his kibble. We have been doing this for about a year and a > > half. I had to start one kibble at a time and then if he didnât chew, he > > had to wait for his next piece. (Not easy for that little guy that LOVES > > food!) > > > > It took about three months, twice a day, to get him to chew his > > food, then we started the treat dispensing toys and I would stand over him > > and watch. If he started to not chew his food, I would tell him that I > > wanted to hear the crunchâ¦and then he would chew. > > > > I am always looking for new toys, but he is outsmarting meâ¦as the > > vet predicted, so I have just figured out putting a treat which is too big > > to come out in the toy along with his kibble, slows down the number of > > kibble that he can eat in a set amount of timeâ¦and then his food will not > > get all clogged up in his throat. > > > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > > Behalf Of Becky > > Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 6:23 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Dogs that fall into hands of BAD people > > > > I am interested in hearing from you, what diet you used to get him to lose > > weight. My little Gracie could lose a little weight. Any advice? > > > > Becky & the girls > > > > Sent from Becky's iPhone > > > > On Apr 28, 2012, at 5:30 PM, Joan Croft <joan_croft@...> wrote: > > > > I will attest â" having a male Chihuahua born of the same bitch and sire as > > many other litters before him. Bitch and Sire 4 ½ and 5 ½ lbsâ¦look like > > most Chihuahuas today. I got Desi at 8 weeks old, very sweet and loving > > little guy, but at 14 weeks he was a good inch taller than his littermate > > brother when they were just standing normally. Today, Desi is almost 9 lbs > > and very lean. He has the stature and some of the features of the original > > Chihuahuas when they were up to 20 lbs. He has a much longer snout and he > > was VERY OBESE when I got himâ¦on a diet until he was 11 months old, and > > now > > he is actually losing a little more weight and has very long back legs, a > > very long narrow body, and his front legs are a bit shorter and stouter than > > his back. He got some genes that had to have been recessive. I am glad > > that I never have seen any aggressive traits in either of mine, but Desi is > > living proof that genes from many generations before get thrown into the mix > > every once in a while. > > > > > > <image001.gif> > > > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > > Behalf Of Pam Dean > > Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 4:49 AM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Dogs that fall into hands of BAD people > > > > > > Amen. Some of us are working hard to achieve that end. Hope it comes ,in > > my lifetime. > > > > > > From: jules <xogenevieveox@...> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 4:49 PM > > Subject: [Chihuahuas] Re: Dogs that fall into hands of BAD people > > > > > > A friend was sold a pup out of the back of a car here in the UK. She thought > > it was a Patterdale. She also bought a female Patterdale from a breeder. > > Very early on, the male dog was extremely aggressive towards other animals > > and humans. > > She took him to her vet, and the vet thought he was a Pitbull terrier. > > My friend employed dog trainers to no avail. This dog made an unprovoked > > attack on the Patterdale bitch causing severe damage to ligaments. > > My friend had to have the dog destroyed. He had also attacked her family. > > Aggression is hereditary. It gets passed on. > > Fighting dogs are bred > > Fortunately here in the UK pitbull terriers are banned. There have been too > > many incidences af extreme aggression. > > > > --- In [email protected], Becky <stewartgang@> wrote: > > > > > > I don't believe there is any scientific proof that all Pitbull dogs are > > aggressive. Why not focus your energies on doing something with people who > > are unfit dog owners of all breeds? There would most likely be alot less > > situations that happen, if there were educated, appropriate , accountable > > and responsible owners. > > > > > > Becky & the girls > > > > > > Sent from Becky's iPhone > > > > > > On Apr 26, 2012, at 6:09 PM, Pam Dean muffinsbabies@ wrote: > > > > > > > Do you really believe that only "bad people" have pitts that attack? > > That is so not true and I know that from personal experience. All of the > > instances I or my friends have been involved in the owners were the > > "responsible" ones. The ones that thought the sun rose and set in this > > gentle giant. The ones that insisted their dog was different and would never > > hurt an animal or human..they have been raised different. Well guess > > what..their so called gentle giant killed just as quickly as any other pitt. > > > > > > > > From: stewartgang stewartgang@ > > > > To: [email protected] > > > > Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2012 5:11 PM > > > > Subject: [Chihuahuas] Dogs that fall into hands of BAD people > > > > > > > > > > > > How unfortunate for our four legged fur friends. More and more often, we > > see on the daily news, a dog that has been badly neglected or abused. And, > > we also hear of dogs that have attacked someone. The bottom line here is, > > all of these dogs have fallen victim to being in the hands of BAD people. I > > will always feel sorrow for the ones who are hurt by the hands of people, > > but I also feel sorrow for those that will be eauthanized because of an > > attack which could have prevented if they only had been in the hands of a > > GOOD and responsible owner. > > > > Dogs come into this world as babies, no matter what the breed, and > > puppies love and trust everyone. It is what they experience through their > > lives that develop their character as adult dogs. I believe that there is a > > lot to be said about both animals and children on how they are raised and > > the outcome. > > > > I really don't think that there are bad dogs, but I sure do believe > > there are alot of bad people. Not everyone out there are like the ones on > > this forum, who love and care about their dogs, how unfortunate for those > > dogs who lie in those peoples's hands. > > > > > > > > Becky & the Girls > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > TODAY(Beta) ââ¬Â¢ Powered by Yahoo! > > > > Scandal shakes influential Chinese family > > > > Privacy Policy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! 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