Dachshunds, with their distinctive long bodies and charming personalities, make wonderful companions. However, their unique build also makes them prone to certain health issues, particularly when they are overweight. Excess weight can exacerbate existing problems like arthritis and joint issues, and can even contribute to intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), a condition that is especially prevalent in Dachshunds. Thinner dogs may also live up to 15-percent longer and develop arthritis later. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for your Dachshund's well-being and longevity. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help your Dachshund achieve and maintain a healthy weight through diet, exercise, and lifestyle adjustments.
Assessing Your Dachshund's Weight
Before embarking on a weight loss journey, it's essential to determine if your Dachshund is indeed overweight. It’s nearly impossible to use your dog’s height and breed to determine how much they should weigh. Instead of relying solely on weight scales, use a body condition chart to assess your dog's physique. Here's what to look for:
- View from Above: When you look at your dog from above when they are standing up, your Dachshund should have a defined waist (hourglass shape).
- Side Profile: A healthy weight will show a slight tuck, with the abdomen higher than the chest.
- Feel the Ribs: Run your hands along your Dachshund’s rib cage. You should be able to feel, but not see, their ribs beneath a thin layer of fat and skin. When you run your hands along your dog’s sides, you should be able to feel their ribs easily.
If your dog scores a 4 or 5 on the body condition chart, don’t panic. Gradual weight loss is best for your dog, so you want to start slow. Go ahead and weigh your dog at your vet’s office, the nearest Mud Bay, or on your scale at home. When you weigh him in four weeks, you’ll know if your changes are working. Don’t let your dog be an overachiever-over 6 percent weight loss could cause their muscles to shrink and their appetite to skyrocket.
Consulting Your Veterinarian
Scheduling your dog’s yearly physical before you start a weight loss plan gives you the opportunity to discuss possible challenges with your vet. A yearly physical is also a great time to discuss how existing health challenges should affect your weight loss plan. Before launching a weight loss plan, it's crucial to consult with your veterinarian. They can help rule out any underlying medical conditions that may be contributing to weight gain, such as Cushing’s and hypothyroidism. Diabetic dogs, for example, have insulin dosages tied to the amount and type of food that they eat. A change in diet without altering the insulin prescription could threaten your dog’s life. Plus, many other prescription medication dosages are tied to your dog’s weight. Your veterinarian can also provide personalized recommendations based on your Dachshund's specific needs and health status. They can help you create a weight loss plan, give you advice, and improve your dog’s health condition.
Dietary Adjustments
Choosing the Right Food
Most dogs eat kibble. It’s shelf-stable, easy to serve, and provides good nutrition for your dog. When manufacturers make kibble, they use some form of carbohydrate to bind the other ingredients together. These carbohydrates add valuable nutrients to your dog’s food, but they may also make him gain weight. With ancestors who primarily ate meat, your dog may not be able to process lots of carbohydrates effectively. So, for weight loss, decreasing carbohydrates is essential. You can look for a high protein, low carbohydrate formula in a kibble, canned food or raw food. When investigating kibble, you’ll find that there’s a limit to the amount of protein a manufacturer can pack into each bite. Each kibble also needs a minimum of carbohydrates to hold its shape. There’s no such restriction for canned and raw food. Theoretically, raw foods could have no carbohydrates at all. Many dog owners mix kibble, raw and canned foods each meal. Combining foods allows you to get the nutritional benefits of raw or canned food without all the added expense.
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- High-Protein, Low-Carbohydrate Diet: More protein, fewer carbohydrates - dogs thrive in a high-protein diet.
- Avoid High-Fiber Foods: Contrary to popular beliefs, high-fiber food does not help in weight loss. Your doxie won’t feel satisfied and will eat more as a result.
- Consider Weight Loss Dog Food: You may want to opt for a weight loss dog food to reduce calories while maintaining the same volume of food but you don’t have to. It’s likely that your veterinarian will recommend some brand of weight loss dog food. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use weight loss dog food. I’m just saying you don’t have to. Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight dry dog food combines high protein, grain free kibble with all natural bites of freeze dried raw chicken. This is a limited ingredient food, which contains fish as it’s only protein source, so it’s good for dogs with allergies to other meats like beef and chicken.
Portion Control and Feeding Schedule
How did you decide how much to feed your dog? Most people look at the side of the bag or can for the manufacturer’s suggested feeding recommendations. But your dog is an individual, so it’s unlikely that they’ll match these generalized feeding instructions. It’s possible that inflated manufacturer’s feeding recommendations caused him to gain some extra weight. At mealtimes, try reducing their food by 5 percent to counteract bloated recommendations. For a more accurate approach, you can input pertinent information about your dog’s body, age and lifestyle into Mud Bay’s feeding calculator. This calculator is more precise than other types of feeding recommendations because it considers information specific to your individual dog. The feeding calculator will determine exactly how much of your dog’s specific food type and brand you should feed him.
- Reduce Food Portions: Reduce your dog’s food portion - sometimes, the easiest way to lose weight is simply reducing the amount of food you feed your buddy. Now, remember not to drastically lessen your dog’s food. As a general rule, reduce your dog’s food by five percent for a week or two. If your Doxie eats ½ cup of food twice a day, try reducing the portion of food served at each meal to ⅓. Doing it this way is effective but doesn’t work for all dogs. Some Dachshunds may not notice that you are feeding them less at meal times. However, some Dachshunds will act like you are being mean and cheating them if you put a few less kibbles in their bowl.
- Schedule Meals: Schedule your dog’s eating habits - don’t feed your wiener dog at any time of the day. Having a scheduled mealtime will help you monitor your dog’s diet. Feed two times per day: Your adult Dachshund should eat two times per day now.
- No Grazing: Don’t leave your dog’s food bowl on the ground all day. Set the puppy’s dog food bowl down for 20 minutes at a time.
- Smaller, More Frequent Meals: Sometimes a decrease in food leads to an increase in begging. Two or three small meals a day-if you can manage it-rather than one large meal may make him feel better about their lighter food dish. Instead of giving three large meals, your dog will lose weight faster if you give him frequently, but smaller portions of food. For example, you can divide three big meals into six small meals.
Healthy Treats and Avoiding Scraps
Every dog adores a tasty snack, but there are plenty of other ways to give your dog some love. Incorporate belly rubs, head scratches and plenty of verbal praise into your reward arsenal. For times when you need a food treat, look for low carbohydrate or low-calorie options. Raw vegetables add great fiber to your dog’s diet without many carbohydrates. You can also give small pieces of fruits and vegetables as treats like apple, green beans, or cut carrots. Just make sure the pieces are small and contain few calories. I suggest frozen green beans because they almost never contain added salt. Meat-based treats are also another option to try.
- Avoid Table Scraps: Don’t give food scrap - while it is tempting to give your adorable doxie leftovers or crumbs from the table, you need to control yourself.
- Low-Calorie Treats: You can make up this extra volume with no-sodium green beans or water. That’s a good low-calorie snack. That’s great Gia loves healthy lettuce.
- Track Everything: Track everything your dog eats - while this may take more work, you will see that it produces results. Write down what you feed your dachshund as well as the amount.
Exercise and Activity
When it comes to losing weight, diet is best coupled with exercise. There are a lot of great forms of exercise available for your pooch. Whether it’s a long walk, a game of fetch or a tug-of-war, your dog probably has an activity that they love. Now’s the time to encourage him to get more of that exercise every day. If your dog is a cuddly couch potato, you might want to look at what their ancestors were bred to do. For example, your loveable Labrador could uncover their love of fetch once you start throwing a toy into the swimming pool.
- Regular Walks: Plan to walk 15-20 minutes, 2-3 times per day. Walking your dog every morning, jogging with him, hiking, swimming, fetching, and bringing him in the park would surely burn those extra calories.
- Adapt to Your Dog's Needs: Some dogs aren’t ready to start daily exercise right away. A good first goal is 20 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Watch your dog for cues for when they’re ready to stop. They might be happier with three 7-minute sessions at first.
- Low-Impact Exercise: Arthritis and other joint diseases can make any exercise difficult. For dogs who aren’t comfortable with other forms of movement, swimming is a fantastic choice. Not only is it low impact, which will protect your dog’s joints, but it’s a true full-body workout.
- Make it Fun: Just be creative to make exercise fun and interesting.
- Establish a Routine: Make exercise a habit and schedule it as much as possible. Your dog also thrives in routine.
- Indoor Activities: Remember that exercise does not have to be done outside. It can be done inside your home. Just keep your pup moving and avoid being inactive. Doggie IQ Games: Searching for hidden treats or solving dog puzzles will give your doxie so much joy and reduce any destructive behavior in the process.
Supplements
Your dog doesn’t need supplements for weight loss. But as they begin to lose weight, you might want to try additives that make their weight-loss routine easier. For example, glucosamine and chondroitin supplements can make exercise less difficult for overweight or geriatric dogs. L-carnitine is a supplement that may improve your dog’s fat loss.
Addressing Potential Challenges
Sometimes a dog may not lose weight as expected despite following a weight loss plan. Imagine this scenario: You find a great high-protein, low-carbohydrate dog food and measure each meal carefully. Every morning and evening your dog goes for a brisk walk around the neighborhood, and they’re happily accepting belly rubs instead of bully sticks. Your dog is a model of healthy weight loss habits. Then, they step on the scale, and you find that your 100-pound dog has lost one pound this month. We don’t know why certain dogs lose weight faster than others. But it’s possible that your dog may lose weight at a slower rate than other dogs.
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- Patience is Key: If you’re already following all the weight loss tips in this article, try being patient and seeing if their weight loss increases over a couple months. As long as they’re losing some weight consistently, they’re making progress.
- Underlying Health Issues: Why is My Dachshund Gaining Weight? Your dog may have an underlying illness that is causing the weight gain. After 10 weeks of an improved diet and more exercise, your dog should lose some weight. So, if you don’t see the numbers on the scale change, it’s time to make an appointment with your veterinarian. In some dogs, slow weight loss or steady weight gain can be a sign of hidden health problem.
Transitioning to Weight Maintenance
Once you’ve coached your dog through the challenges of weight loss, you’ll need a maintenance game plan. Just like humans, it’s common for dogs to experience weight creep after a loss, so a monthly weigh-in is still useful. Increase their food 5 or 10 percent to stop additional weight loss or use Mud Bay’s feeding calculator to recalculate the suggested food portions. You can check their weight in a month and make any necessary adjustments then. Over time, your dog may gain some weight in the form of muscle.
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