Hip Dysplasia ,i Don't Know What To Do...help

[bridie]

I am sorry for your troubles with your chi. My labs are 26kg and get 2 cups a day so I would think your little one would need a lot less than a cup. I take Mokha who has HD swimming twice a week. Since you have a chi I was thinking she could probably swim in a full bath for some extra exercise. She could do it every day and that would help her lose weight and is not hard on her joints.

As soon as this wound has healed I wil give the bath a go

[Kirislin]

No Bindie wasn't out there last night,but I get your point.What about this Barf?

I dont feed Barf but Persephone put a link for you to read, have you done that?

As to Bindie not being out there last night, you need to remove the food so none of your dogs can free feed. It's too easy to slip up and Bindie will get into it as well. I cannot stress this enough, you need to have total control over what goes into her stomach so you need to take the dry food up off the floor.

Off the floor,,going to Perseys link now.

bewdy then you will have total control over what goes in. You should start seeing results quite quickly. How about weighing her today and starting to keep a record. Then we can cheer her on.

[OSoSwift]

Yep I would weigh her today, then once a week on the same scales to make sure she is losing weight. If she isn't you need to cut her food down by 25% go for another week, weigh her and so on and so forth.

The most important thing for your girls well being is for her to lose weight. Not only will her hips be less painful, her heart, lungs, Liver and all her other sjoints will love you for it. Chi's are not ment to be soild dogs, they are meant to be lean and elegant.

If she stays at this weight it is more than likely she will also damage her Cruciate ligaments as well as have problems with her feet.

Her stomach in all reality is probably the size of a rounded teaspoon of food - Never had a small dog so correct me if I am wrong. She does not need table sppons of food at a time. I am quite flabbergasted that she even managed a cup of food. My Whippets get a cup and a cup and a half respectively and they go on a lead walk for over half and hour a day, then have free zoomies many times during the day in a 5 acre yard - and they make the most of it.

[bridie]

No Bindie wasn't out there last night,but I get your point.What about this Barf?

I dont feed Barf but Persephone put a link for you to read, have you done that?

As to Bindie not being out there last night, you need to remove the food so none of your dogs can free feed. It's too easy to slip up and Bindie will get into it as well. I cannot stress this enough, you need to have total control over what goes into her stomach so you need to take the dry food up off the floor.

Off the floor,,going to Perseys link now.

bewdy then you will have total control over what goes in. You should start seeing results quite quickly. How about weighing her today and starting to keep a record. Then we can cheer her on.

They weighed her on the 17/5/10,day of surgery,so I will go out there again Monday.Might weigh on vet just around the corner next Monday too be more convenient 5 minutes instead of 25,for every week being a weigh in.

[bridie]

If you are in Browns Plains I highly recommend going to see the team at Animal Options out at Ormeau www.animaloptions.com.au

Appointment Friday,already impressed as she worked out re the weight we need Bindie at and re weight how much Barf to give her no advice from mine out here,be so nice to find a good vet,they must be around it is just finding them.

Thanks, let you know what eventuated

[dead sheep]

sorry if I miss or repeat anything but I haven't read all of the replies yet.

I have a big chihuahua, he is 4.9kgs, he could afford to lose about 400g, that is all. He is a tall, long, big chihuahua. Can feel his ribs and yes he is purebred. Anyway, he was getting on the tubby side and I removed all grains and crap from his diet. He only has a piece of lean muscle meat or lean bone to eat each day. No dry food at all which is full of useless carbs. I even stopped feeding grain free Artemis. Mostly red meat but not so much lamb as it's quite fattening. Kangaroo is the goods. Occasional happy paws treat which has no fat. Once or twice a week I fast him...he gets nothing to eat at all unless he finds some crumbs on the floor. Sometimes I throw a few dried peas on the floor for him to eat if he is desperate and to keep his blood sugar levels ok. There is always a full water bowl. I feed the dogs at different times each day so they never expect food at a certain time which makes fasting easier. The dogs dont whine because they don't know they are missing food.

I know how fussy chihuahuas can be about their food and they usually want the stuff that is least natural and worst for them. It took me a long time to realise it, but too bad for chiwee. If they don't eat what you give them, they get nothing. You can try the barf if you like but I prefer the prey model diet for my dogs and it dropped weight off my fatso quite quickly. He didn;t have as much to lose as your girl so hopefully she will lose it fast and you'll probably find any gas or pooh problems will clear up. My fatso is also 5 years old and removing grains and premade stuff has increased his energy and he behaves like a puppy again. My other chi is very small and hard to put weight on him, he gets fattier or larger cuts of meat and bone and he does really well on it re energy levels, coat, poohs.

Swimming is a great way for a big dog to lose weight so they arn't putting pressure on the already damaged joints. When she has dropped some weight, take her to a safe dog park and let her run off lead at her own pace. Don't force her to walk the pavement with you until she is a little lighter. The repetitive movements can hurt her more and she can't slow down because she is walking at your speed.

Your vet knew she was very overweight, it's obvious in the photos. You can see by her neck and face she is meant to be a dainty little size. My bloke has a larger, stockier neck and face. I have another chi that has the same little face as your girl, I can't put weight on him, they are from the same lines. Anyway, I think it was wrong of your vet to cut into her knowing she is obese when I can quite easily see your girl is too large to operate on at the moment.

I hope you can get her weight down soon. Drop into the chihuahua thread in the breed specific section if you want advice from some breeders and experienced owners. Most of us have had a fatso and got the weight down.

[bridie]

Slightly off topic...but is there (or perhaps we should start) a thread on doggy weight watcher. Im all for encouraging good health and owners trying to get their pets down to a healthy weight, people who have succeeded before could post some ideas.

Chewy got Elliot her Golden Retriever (RIP Elliot) from whale to "wow" on the "pumpkin" diet. Reduce normal food by half and supplement with dry baked, mashed or pulped pumpkin (no butter or fats added)

This is the best article on canine weight I can recommend. It is written by one of the USA's top dog sports vets but what she says applies to pets as well.

40% of Australian dogs carry far too much weight. If you love your dog, you won't keep it overweight - it will be with you for longer if its leaner.

Folk need to learn to feel their dogs and adjust their diets if there weight fluctuates too high or low.

Thanks for the Link have saved and will look as soon as I have the time next few days

[bridie]

sorry if I miss or repeat anything but I haven't read all of the replies yet.

I have a big chihuahua, he is 4.9kgs, he could afford to lose about 400g, that is all. He is a tall, long, big chihuahua. Can feel his ribs and yes he is purebred. Anyway, he was getting on the tubby side and I removed all grains and crap from his diet. He only has a piece of lean muscle meat or lean bone to eat each day. No dry food at all which is full of useless carbs. I even stopped feeding grain free Artemis. Mostly red meat but not so much lamb as it's quite fattening. Kangaroo is the goods. Occasional happy paws treat which has no fat. Once or twice a week I fast him...he gets nothing to eat at all unless he finds some crumbs on the floor. Sometimes I throw a few dried peas on the floor for him to eat if he is desperate and to keep his blood sugar levels ok. There is always a full water bowl. I feed the dogs at different times each day so they never expect food at a certain time which makes fasting easier. The dogs dont whine because they don't know they are missing food.

I know how fussy chihuahuas can be about their food and they usually want the stuff that is least natural and worst for them. It took me a long time to realise it, but too bad for chiwee. If they don't eat what you give them, they get nothing. You can try the barf if you like but I prefer the prey model diet for my dogs and it dropped weight off my fatso quite quickly. He didn;t have as much to lose as your girl so hopefully she will lose it fast and you'll probably find any gas or pooh problems will clear up. My fatso is also 5 years old and removing grains and premade stuff has increased his energy and he behaves like a puppy again. My other chi is very small and hard to put weight on him, he gets fattier or larger cuts of meat and bone and he does really well on it re energy levels, coat, poohs.

Swimming is a great way for a big dog to lose weight so they arn't putting pressure on the already damaged joints. When she has dropped some weight, take her to a safe dog park and let her run off lead at her own pace. Don't force her to walk the pavement with you until she is a little lighter. The repetitive movements can hurt her more and she can't slow down because she is walking at your speed.

Your vet knew she was very overweight, it's obvious in the photos. You can see by her neck and face she is meant to be a dainty little size. My bloke has a larger, stockier neck and face. I have another chi that has the same little face as your girl, I can't put weight on him, they are from the same lines. Anyway, I think it was wrong of your vet to cut into her knowing she is obese when I can quite easily see your girl is too large to operate on at the moment.

I hope you can get her weight down soon. Drop into the chihuahua thread in the breed specific section if you want advice from some breeders and experienced owners. Most of us have had a fatso and got the weight down.

Thanks,Prey diet? Only heard of it don't know what it is?

[dead sheep]

this link is a basic outline of what the prey model diet is: http://www.rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html It says it is better than barf and I think so too but its a simple explaination and it's what works best for my dogs. All dogs are different.

it's feeding your pet as closely to a wild dog's diet as possible. ie chunk of meat, offal, bone, feathers, fur etc. The whole animal. Like throwing a whole rabbit to the dog and he eats all of it. Being chihuahuas, they couldn't eat a whole rabbit obviously and the pack would share. Sometimes they would get muscle, sometimes some offal, sometimes just scraps of leftover carcass. Try to imagine what a little dog could hunt between a small pack, (mice, rats, birds, small rabbits, little joey, new born lamb) they will eat all the parts between them. Dogs don't cook, munch on wheat and they don't hunt biscuits.

Instead of feeding mince, veggies, rice, supplements, they get a solid piece of meat (1/2 a lamb heart eg) or a couple of chicken hearts whole and a chunk of liver or 1/4 lean chicken carcass, piece of ox tail/tounge/heart/liver, chunk of rabbit or a chicken foot. Meat in it's natural form so they can grind, gnash, tear the pieces apart exercising their jaws and cleaning their teeth. It keeps a hungry chihuahua occupied instead of gulping down their mince or biscuits and still feeling hungry. It's a high protein diet and keeps them fuller for longer compared to grains. It keeps their poohs solid, dark and virtually odourless.

I found a good local butcher than sells alot of odd meats and bits and it costs me on average 40 cents a day to feed both my dogs. The only processed thing I supplement their diet with is the occassional tin of sardines in springwater and salmon to share between them or a sprinkle of grated cheese or blob of natural yogurt or splash of milk to keep them lactose tolerant.

They eat something different every day apart from fasting days and they don't get bored with whats on offer. If they don't eat what I've given them, they don;t eat that day and they will eat anything I offer the next.

Fasting is good for weight loss but I've also found they don't pester me for food at a certain time and if I can't be home for some reason to feed them, they don't miss out on anything. Dogs in the wild don't always find food so it's natural to give their digestive system a break. Chihuahuas can have problems with low sugar levels when fasting so if you are going to do it, try it first on days you can be home to supervise her. If she suddenly becomes lethargic, pale gums, maybe a bit wobbly on her feet, give her a little honey on your finger to lick to get her sugar back up. I've never had any problems here but I do scatter a few dried peas for them just in case. It's like when you don't eat for a while and get cranky, tired, headachey. She has alot of energy to work off so you shouldn't have a problem but trial it just in case.

[bridie]

this link is a basic outline of what the prey model diet is: http://www.rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html It says it is better than barf and I think so too but its a simple explaination and it's what works best for my dogs. All dogs are different.

it's feeding your pet as closely to a wild dog's diet as possible. ie chunk of meat, offal, bone, feathers, fur etc. The whole animal. Like throwing a whole rabbit to the dog and he eats all of it. Being chihuahuas, they couldn't eat a whole rabbit obviously and the pack would share. Sometimes they would get muscle, sometimes some offal, sometimes just scraps of leftover carcass. Try to imagine what a little dog could hunt between a small pack, (mice, rats, birds, small rabbits, little joey, new born lamb) they will eat all the parts between them. Dogs don't cook, munch on wheat and they don't hunt biscuits.

Instead of feeding mince, veggies, rice, supplements, they get a solid piece of meat (1/2 a lamb heart eg) or a couple of chicken hearts whole and a chunk of liver or 1/4 lean chicken carcass, piece of ox tail/tounge/heart/liver, chunk of rabbit or a chicken foot. Meat in it's natural form so they can grind, gnash, tear the pieces apart exercising their jaws and cleaning their teeth. It keeps a hungry chihuahua occupied instead of gulping down their mince or biscuits and still feeling hungry. It's a high protein diet and keeps them fuller for longer compared to grains. It keeps their poohs solid, dark and virtually odourless.

I found a good local butcher than sells alot of odd meats and bits and it costs me on average 40 cents a day to feed both my dogs. The only processed thing I supplement their diet with is the occassional tin of sardines in springwater and salmon to share between them or a sprinkle of grated cheese or blob of natural yogurt or splash of milk to keep them lactose tolerant.

They eat something different every day apart from fasting days and they don't get bored with whats on offer. If they don't eat what I've given them, they don;t eat that day and they will eat anything I offer the next.

Fasting is good for weight loss but I've also found they don't pester me for food at a certain time and if I can't be home for some reason to feed them, they don't miss out on anything. Dogs in the wild don't always find food so it's natural to give their digestive system a break. Chihuahuas can have problems with low sugar levels when fasting so if you are going to do it, try it first on days you can be home to supervise her. If she suddenly becomes lethargic, pale gums, maybe a bit wobbly on her feet, give her a little honey on your finger to lick to get her sugar back up. I've never had any problems here but I do scatter a few dried peas for them just in case. It's like when you don't eat for a while and get cranky, tired, headachey. She has alot of energy to work off so you shouldn't have a problem but trial it just in case.

Thanks saved link spend time t'morrow reading,I thinkk dried peas with my lot.......I would just have to pick them up or slip on them ha ha

Makes sense with some-thing to chew, i was giving chicken pieces & cooked food alternate nights as a change, I brought seccateurs(spell check)especially to cut them up in smaller portions same as with the carcasses,it gave them some-thing to do other than eat the easy stuff,I'm afraid i have just spoilt them and it is hard to get out of bad habits.....but I will.Bindie bless her heart has been so accepting of her diet change,never complains.Some of the others would just wait it out....days until I gave in with what they wanted,as you say you know how finicky& fussy the little monkeys can be.

[Kirislin]

How's the new healty eating regime going?

[persephone]

I was wondering too .

[bridie]

I was wondering too .

I went last Friday to the specialist vet,he advised to put her on the Barf,she had been on it any-way,all was well until I put her Omega Fish oil & Glucosamine in granule form in her dinner,so now I syringe the oil & I put the Glucosamine in Gel capsules,plus he put her on Zeel tabs.Bindie just takes it all so well,no trouble at all,seems to be happy. I am allowed to also give her twice a week,lamb shank or neck bones as her dinner,so that is what they all had last night & I know they enjoyed it plus were busy for hours,so these are on order from the local butcher each week so he can cut them up Chihuahua size! I will take half her stitches out today.I will weigh her on Monday,will do so every fortnight.

This new vet believes he has fixed worse cases than Bindie,he also said that he has never heard of a case where a dog was "too fat" for this operation,he also added that it should not be performed on a dog younger than 6 years (B 18months)& that my vet cut horizontally & it should have been vertical and not been more than one inch,5" on Bindie,he was to give my vet a call don't know what he will say or ask.

I did ask a couple of times after he looked at her exray as to what he would grade Bindie,but he kind of alluded giving me an answer.I don't know what you folks think but I'm thinking let's try this for a few months .......just wait and see if there can eventually be results..physically for Bindie.

He is very expensive with his medication,checked net and let's say the Zeel,I paid $30.00 for 10 tabs,can buy 100 for $15.00,can't find Glucosamine in granule form on the net,I paid $43.00 for 250grams,but 100 tabs from local pet shop were $10.00.I don't mind paying for his services but if Bindie has to stay on this for the rest of her life(which I assume she will) I will buy medications else where when possible,rather huge % mark up.I suppose it happens to all of us everyday in some form, if we only knew.

Cherrio

for now,thanks for your concern

[bridie]

;) I was wondering too .

Hi folks,

Today was a bitter dissappointment,weighs exactly the same,bit of a blow seeing Bindie has not cheated nor have I,I see the Specialist on Monday so will have word to him,must have to cut it back to 90grams to get her to 3kilos,when "we" get to that weight,then consider if need be 60 grams to be 2 kilos.No excuses,don't know what to think except to cut back further,I weigh Bindies but the others are loving the BARF,puppies don't even want to eat the mince,rice,pasta& veges for breakfast.......some-one has to eat it as I had cooked up 5 kilos in the freezer & just want it gone,great no more cooking.

[SparkyTansy]

hey bridie... dont be too disappointed... if she is not losing any weight, just cut it back a little more! she is obviously still getting too much.

also, have you been exercising her?

[Kirislin]

Yep, I agree with Sparky, you need to cut back her food even more. It's amazing just how little they need and it's a good thing you are weighing her because otherwise you might not have realized so soon that you are still feeding her too much.

[skip]

Now you've got me looking at what I feed my girl. She could lose a little bit too.

Wanted to point out just in case you didn't know - you do watch your dogs eating the necks? I fed chicken necks and my chi x is a little piggie. She was happy to chew once or twice and then swallow. A neck barely chewed can still be swallowed. Until it gets stuck.

I knew she used to bolt them down but one day while I was watching she got one stuck. She stopped eating and went all stiff while standing. I rushed over to her and she toppled over, still all stiff. I waS deciding what to do when she suddenly convulsed and vomited up the neck. scared me thou.

She still gets them but I watch and try to buy thinner necks.

happy dieting.

Edited May 31, 2010 by skip

[bridie]

Now you've got me looking at what I feed my girl. She could lose a little bit too.

Wanted to point out just in case you didn't know - you do watch your dogs eating the necks? I fed chicken necks and my chi x is a little piggie. She was happy to chew once or twice and then swallow. A neck barely chewed can still be swallowed. Until it gets stuck.

I knew she used to bolt them down but one day while I was watching she got one stuck. She stopped eating and went all stiff while standing. I rushed over to her and she toppled over, still all stiff. I waS deciding what to do when she suddenly convulsed and vomited up the neck. scared me thou.

She still gets them but I watch and try to buy thinner necks.

happy dieting.

It pays to be around at their dinner times,I've had it where they have had part on the neck bone stuck in their teeth too,that can happen with any bone,they panic,try to refuse your help,then relief for all I've pryed it out.Even though Bindie hasn't lost weight I'm so happy about the BARF because they all look forward to dinner & seem really contented.When it's bed time & bones are hanging around I pick them up and put them out in the morning after breakfast and it keeps them occupied through out the day.

Edited May 31, 2010 by bridie

[bridie]

Yep, I agree with Sparky, you need to cut back her food even more. It's amazing just how little they need and it's a good thing you are weighing her because otherwise you might not have realized so soon that you are still feeding her too much.

Yes it is surprising how little they need,quite often she has only eaten 60 of the 90grams,been no extra exercise because of her HD will ask about that when I go to vet clinic Monday.

[SparkyTansy]

Bridie swimming would be the best exercise for her, and being so small that is easily remedied by filling a warm bath... by all means check with your vet but swimming has low impact on joints and her weight will not affect her in the water.