Hi!

I'm new to this forum. I've been a Chi mom for 2 1/2 years and has been an absolute joy! She has a wonderful little personality on her and is a real snuggle puss, especially now that the weather is getting cooler. We do have one small problem (no pun intended). It's her weight.

Before I adopted Dita I had done my research on the breed and in every book I read they warned that Chi's have a tendency to put on weight. I've owned other breeds of dogs and the only time they really had any weight problem was when they became older. The problem with Dita is that she's had a weight problem since the day she came home as a ten week old puppy!

The vet suggested we change her food to a low calorie kibble, which we did and keep track of her weight by weighing her at the vet's once a month. Well, we just weighed her today and she put on another pound since last month! A pound!

The vet suggested exercise. The only problem with that is Dita is terrified of anything noisy and/or new. Her eyes go wide and her tail is firmly tucked between her legs. She freezes when a car drives by. If you even say the word 'walk' she will hide on the far side of her crate,which makes it very hard to get her out. I'd try our treadmill except for the fact that she would freak out on that too and since her throat is so delicate I'm afraid she might hurt herself. Play might help except she has the attention span is about the same as a squirrel on caffeine and so loses interest very fast.

I'm sorry this post is so long.

Thanks and cheers!

How much does Dita weigh? What does she eat and how much of it each day? Can we see a picture of her?

The simplest answer for weight loss is the obvious, feed less and exercise more. When I get in a rescue that is a chunky monkey I take what they are supposed to get each morning and evening for meals and cut it in half and make up part of that half with canned low sodium green beans or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!) if they act like they are starving. That just adds bulk and fiber and helps them to feel full without adding calories. I also cut out all treats from their day unless they are needed for training then they are extremely tiny and few and far in between.

Then I start upping their exercise regimen. Put Dita on a harness and start taking her out and getting her used to being outside. Take her to parks where there aren't cars driving by to scare her and start walking her on nice, quiet trails. Reward her with praise and tiny, tiny, tiny tasty treats for walking (not one every step but 2-3 along the whole walk). Play with her at home, run around the house or back yard with her. Anything to increase her calorie burning.

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I have the same problem with one of my chi's and I've found that a high quality grain free diet helps. Unfortunately most "weight loss" foods are packed with carbs which actually makes our pups gain weight. Look for a higher protein, low carb food with lower calories. Some high quality foods are very high calorie like Acana or Orijen and they made my chi really plump up even when feeding a tiny amount. It doesn't need to be a weight loss food. The only "weight management" food I would recommend is Wellness Core Reduced fat to get your started. You can feed that for a few bags then change over to a regular food to maintain the weight. Wet food is also great for getting the weight off so maybe you can do one meal canned one dry Here's a list of recommended weight loss foods from the dog food advisor.
Recommended Dog Foods for Weight Loss

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"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

Here's the link from him for low fat
Suggested Low Fat Dog Foods

Some dogs just can't loose the weight on kibble like my chi so we feed The Honest Kitchen Zealfor dinner and the dry only in the am. All of the formulas should help but the best one for weight loss is Zeal.

__________________
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

I agree with all of the above. I know what you mean about her being afraid of outside. When I take Angel out, he does not like cars at all!! He will stop, tail between his legs and shake. I just coax him on and walk to an area where there isn't much traffic and he settles a little. He knows when we are halfway and there's no problem on the last half of the walk! He's even stated trying to resist when we go to the park! But I just keep him moving.

At first I would give him treats to show him it's a good thing. But I have since done away with the treats. He too, could have a weight problem. He absolutely loves food! He shakes when there's food of any kind around. He doesn't get much for treats during the day. My DIL measures out her dogs food for the day and when she wants to give a treat she will occasionally take it out of the daily food allowance.

I also use a laser, like the cat toys, for him to chase around the house. It gives him a little exercise for night and inclement weather.