Hi Peggy,
And thank you for sharing all of the onfo with me.
I know treats can be a real issue with the weight problems, and someone else
bad suggested giving low sodium green beans or carrots for the treats. I think
I will give that a try too.
What kibble are you using that is lower in protein and fat?
I currently feed Purina Pro Plan, tiny toy size.
My little white chi, "Sabrina" has to eat Hills Prescription ID. She was one
of the dogs who ate the tainted dog food about 5 years ago. We nearly lost
her. She pulled through but has neroulogical damage leaving her with seizures.
She will not eat on her own, I have to syringe feed her every 4 to 5 hours.
Our lives have been changed forever. So sometimes I allow Gracie to have some
canned ID. Sabrina's food has to be put through the food processor, and I add
baby rice cereal to get her through the night. It is very complicated. She
will have IBS if I do not feed on time.
It is a good thing I love her so much, because to be honest, I don't think many
people would deal with this.
So I have one who likes to eat, and one who will not eat. Pretty bizarre about
Sabrina.
But back to Gracie, yes, her weight gain began after spaying her at age 2.
I have not had Gracie tested for thyroid, but had given some thought before,
because I myself suffers with hypothyroidism. It makes losing weight very
difficult, and gaining it very easy.
Thank you for wishing us luck on her next test coming up in June.
I will post about it at that time, because Mark also wants to know, he posts on
this forum too.
Becky & the girls
Sent from Becky's iPhone
On Apr 30, 2012, at 6:41 PM, Peggy & The Girls <[email protected]> wrote:
> Becky, I think that when people don't respond to a certain post in regards to
> a health issue it is because they haven't had that problem and maybe don't
> know anything about it.
>
> Gigi gained over a pound within a couple of months after her spay too. Yet
> she was on the exact same diet with the exact same amount and the exact same
> treats, which are limited to only 2 a day. I found out that she has a
> border-line liver issue and cannot digest high protein or extra fat content
> in foods, because the liver can't flush them out. But spaying can change a
> dogs hormone level drastically as well. Gigi blew her coat for almost a year
> after the spay, that she actually looked like a short hair. Princess also
> blew her coat after spaying, but it started to come back 3 months later. Gigi
> had a very hard time with the after affects of her spay. She was a BYB when I
> rescued her and had several c-sections. The Vet said her organs were three
> times the normal size. He believes that she was continually bred with no rest
> in between. When I got her almost two years ago she was estimated to be about
> 5 or 6
> years old.
>
> So age, hormones and any main organ disfunction can have a lot to do with a
> dogs weight gain, and yes, lack of exercise. In Gigi's case exercise was not
> an issue because we go for half to one hour walks everyday and it didn't seem
> to help at all. She weighed a perfect 5 lbs 15 ounce when I got her, and
> within 3 months she was over 7 lbs at the time. Most people feed their chis
> 1/2 a cup of kibble per day, split into 2 feedings. Gigi was and is only on
> 1/3 cup per day, split into 2 feedings. I finally found a kibble that is much
> lower in fat and protein and she is now 6 and 1/2 pounds. I really don't
> think she will ever loose that extra 1/2 pound.
>
> As far as treats go, I only give her a small milkbone biscuit and that is
> broken in half and given each half twice a day. It is very low protein and
> very low fat. Both my girls love milkbones and they are so cheap too. She is
> on a very, very strict diet with absolutely no people foods because of her
> liver issue.
>
> I sure hope the Vet is wrong and your baby doesn't have Cushings disease.
> When Gigi goes for her next checkup with full blood test, I am going to
> request a thyroid test as well, just to rule out the possibility of another
> issue.
>
>
> <GIRLSC~1.GIF>
>
>
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: Becky
> Date: 4/30/2012 8:33:11 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Becky & Gracie
>
>
> Thanks Joan. You know I posted a message on this forum not too long ago in
> regards to Cushing's Disease. Gracie went for annual vaccines and bloodwork,
> and her ALKP was slightly elevated. My vet says this raises concerns that
> possible Cushing's Disease may be starting to show. She will be retested in
> end of June. I am hoping that it was elevated due to a med she had been on
> prior to the test. But of course time and test will tell.
> A person named Mark was the only one who responded with any experience with
> Cushing's Disease. He was very informative and supportive. I just hope that
> the test in June comes back normal.
> Another thing, Gracie's mother and 2 Aunts were fat little chihuahuas. So I
> don't know, maybe it runs in the family?
> Anyway, thank you for your advice on diet. She does seem to like the Canidae
> that my daughter brought home. Usually, Gracie turns her nose up to diet
> foods.
> I will do anything for my chihuahuas, I love them like kids. In fact, I tell
> everyone, I have my kids, and also have my furkids!! LOL!!
>
> Becky & the girls
> Gracie & Sabrina
>
> Sent from Becky's iPhone
>
> On Apr 30, 2012, at 3:12 AM, "Joan" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> 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 ‘Oh, he’s a hefty
> > > one!’ I
> > > guess that is polite for ‘who the heck has been over feeding this
> > > puppy!’
> > > And…in only 8 weeks of his life!
> > >
> > > Well, he told me to cut back the amount of the then ‘Royal Canin Baby
> > > Dog’
> > > 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
> > > gaining…but he was a puppy so we couldn’t starve him…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 Puppy…I guess less fat
> > > maybe?
> > > Well, I fed him about half…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 am…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. Well…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 week…they really don’t
> > > 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 vet…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 more…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 playin’ machine.
> > >
> > > At about 14 months, Desi was pretty much lean and staying very steady in
> > > his
> > > weight. Oh…I didn’t think that day would ever come. And then right
> > > before
> > > he was two, I noticed that he had gotten a bit wider around his rear…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 didn’t remember how narrow he had been. I took him to Dr
> > > Bullard…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 ho=
