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Overweight Ruby

eimear

Member
I have a 2 year old ruby who weighs 10kg. I feed her dry diet nuts which i get from my vet. As treats she gets carrots and a few other vegetables. I used to give her other treats but when i realised she was putting on weight i stopped them altogether. I walk her most days, weather permitting, for at least 40 minutes sometimes longer - and still she isn't losing weight!!! In fact i think she may be getting bigger. She had a few pains in her kness about a year ago (when she was lighter) but she never makes any complaints now. She runs up and down the stairs and jumps on the couch no problem. She enjoys walking but can get a little lazy expecially if it's wet, to the point she will refuse point blank to walk if it's raining. I'm concerned still about her weight becoming an issue further down the line. Has anyone had any similar issues or can anyone give me any ideas?
 
How much are you feeding her? Generally I never bother with diet dry foods but instead simply cut back by a third. You can also do this with diet food of course.

I would guess your issue is she is still getting too much food. Reduce by a third and see how she does on that.

Also: is anyone sneaking her treats? Is there a cat litter box in the house or cats using the garden (eating cat poop is a favourite dog activity and they will get calories from this)?

Sounds like she gets a good walk daily. You could try two 30 minute walks as an alternative.

If she still does not lose weight than your vet probably will want to check for thyroid problems.
 
I measure out the food in the container that i got with it and give her half in the morning and half in the evening. It doesn't seem like i give her very much either, not even a handfull of nuts I'd say. She gets a good lot of vegetables but i wouldn't have thought that would make a difference weight wise, would it? There is no one else to feed her and nothing at all in the garden to eat - except the grass. She doesn't move very much in the house and prefers to just sit most of the time, except when i call her for her food. I'll try the two walks a day and see if that helps though, thanks.
 
I really think it is likely the amount of food. What is the weight of what you feed, or the measure in a measuring cup? Most recommendations on dog food bags are WAY over what most dogs need. My dogs would be huge if I fed what the bags or tins recommend.

My cavaliers range from around 5.5kg to 8kg and eat between 1/2 a cup to 2/3rds a cup of food, just a s a point of comparison.

You should see weight loss on the correct amount of food, without having to increase walks, but increasing her walk time slightly will also help the process. :)
 
When I realized my Mindy was overweight I was shocked:eek: My son calling her a soccer ball was the ah ha moment for me. We increased exercise and I cut down her food. She is now eating 1/2 cup total a day and is maintaining her current healthy weight. She is not very active really and gets one or two twenty minute walks a day but prefers to sleep while the younger two are running around.
 
I had a big issue with Molly and her weight she was almost 12kilos. It didn't matter what diet food I put her on the weight didn't shift plus she was miserable and wasn't getting much. We feed her a total of 100 grams per day of ground vegetables and fruit plus a little chicken/fish etc.(plus supplements) This amount is split into 2 main meals plus a snack lunchtime, she is down to 10 kilos. Molly is happy and looks forward to her meals and as a bonus has a lovely flat tummy and slim waist. (lucky thing)
 
Harley was 14kg, now 11 and has pretty much stabalised doesnt seem to be losing much more, you need to weigh the food, so you know exactly how much you are feeding, harley has 60 gms a day and 40 min walk regardless of the weather unless its pouring. I feed twice a day as that helps and after each walk whilst the heart rate is still high. I also feed Arden Grange Light as it contains more fibre a supplement that burns fat. The weight loss needs to be gradual but constant, like us, its more of a life change rather than a diet.
 
One of our dogs is about 10kg. He gets 75g of food twice a day and a treat only after his walk. He is just a big dog, he is not over weight, he is a very solid built dog. Our other dog is about 6.5kg, he gets 50g twice a day. They both get long walks weather permitting.

If the vet advises you the dog is over weight then cut down the food and treats and increase the walks however sometimes some cavs are just big dogs.
 
My 'AH-HA' momment was when Rubes got called a "PUDDING" at training class.
She was 11.5 kg at her heaviest and she stablised out at 10.2kg. She is a tall well muscled Cav.

I cut her food down to 3 ounces a day and upped her training and exercise schedule.
She is much more active now and we go out for around an hr a day but like your little one she does not 'do' rain!! Bless
 
Thanks Everyone, I'll try cutting the food down a bit more. Hopefully it'll do the job. The walking in the rain is a definite no though, I tried last night and she just sat down and refused to walk until we turned and headed back for the house, she ran then!
 
Thanks Everyone, I'll try cutting the food down a bit more. Hopefully it'll do the job. The walking in the rain is a definite no though, I tried last night and she just sat down and refused to walk until we turned and headed back for the house, she ran then!


That sounds familiar - oh so VERY Cavalier:jmp2:
 
Hi eimear,
How is the weight issue going? Did your cav loose weight? I am with you there. I have to get some weight off my cavalier. She is not liking it at all. she will go to the pantry or the fridge and bark, thinking I will cave and get her something. She is so smart. I have switched from giving her dog treats to giving her raw veggies for snackes. She is on low calorie dog food and I mix cooked veggies with it to help her feel a little fuller. It works for a little while! She has lost some weight but has a little more to loose. Good luck to you and your cavalier!(y)
 
My "being nagged" moment was when Emiko went to the vets to have her teeth cleaned in August - 11Kg!! I was shocked as Yoshi was so slim I just hadn't noticed. The vet did nag me a lot about it! She is also one of those lazy cavaliers - when we are walking especially in the rain she will just sit down and not move - my latest trick is to walk off and appear to leave her - she gets up then as she doesn't like to be left behind :) I think the only time I really see her move is when we approach home - then she runs!

I trained her to walk on our running machine so she gets an hour on the heath walking in the morning and 30mins on the machine in the afternoon. I also changed to Hills diet food mixed with sperziebonen (haricot or french beans?) and cut out all treats except veggies. Last week she went for a check up with the vet to see how the weight loss was going and she is 9Kg! the vet said 1Kg more to go so over halfway. I also never fed my dogs the recommended amount always around three quarters as it seems so much for a little dog. Training her to walk on the machine was probably the most help as she is exceptionally lazy and that was probably the cause of her weight problems.

good luck with getting the weight off!

Sarenna
 
When i was getting Stitch groomed yesterday they weighed him and said he is overweight at 8kg....at least I am sure she said kg but reading this post 8kg seems to be alright?!? they told me that he should lose 1.5kg and then he will have less risk of health problems - He does look very tubby. I have been feeding him 50gm in the morning and 100gm in the evening...compared to what some people have said here that even sounds too much? should I reduce it to 50 and 50???
 
Healthy weight will depend on the overall size of the dog. Max is quite tall and his healthy weight will probably be a few pounds more than Rylie's. I think the main thing is that you should be able to feel the ribs, and they should have a waist. I expect for dogs with fuller coats you might only see the waist when wet but I'm not sure. Mindy's is visible but she has quite a thin coat. Max is fairly fluffy and I can't see his waist when he's dry but I can after bathing.
 
I would have thought 8Kg was fine for a cavalier:confused:.
That's less than 18 lbs.I certainly wouldn't be panicking over that.
Sins
 
My boy is approx 8kg and he is certainly not over weight, although he is longer in the legs than some cavaliers. On his visit to the vets for his check up for MVD and more meds this week the vet said he was a nice weight for a cavalier.
 
stitch is quiet short for a cavalier I think - after looking at all the pics on here most seem to have long legs but be very slender ... stitch is more short and tubby! lol
 
Pudding is kinda cute! I had a cat once someone called a meatloaf with legs...now that's insulting!
 
I have had my friend's Cavalier Leyla staying with us now for 1 week, her mum has gone to work abroad. When she came she was very overweight at 11.5kg as she is only a small cavalier due to being given cakes and chocolate etc.
I am pleased to report that after only a week she now weighs 10.6kg a loss of nearly 1 kg due to being only fed James Wellbeloved Light and a few veggies and going for a long walk every day. Still a way to go yet but am really happy and have already noticed that her breathing is better and she is not lagging behind on our walks. Just have to hope that her mum stays away for a while.:p
 
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