one of my yorkies is very over weight he has always been big and after he was neutered he became huge,just recently i have noticed him limping ,not using his back leg and the vets say he has to lose weight other wise they will not be able to treat him if he needs anasectic ect, he is a character ,he sits by the fridge ,and when i give him eucanuba light ,he will not eat it i am finding dieting not easy at all ,he goes out for a 2hr walk daily with a trust worthy dog walker,when he is hungry he makes sqeaky noise and will not stop until he gets some thing to eat i want to do what is right and get the weight down, has any one else had an overweight dog and won the battle ,i would appreciate some advice.
would it be possible to put all 4 of them on euchanuba light in the summer,one yorkie is very tiny 2kilos,furey must be about 10 kilos from yorkie mum

Give him the food he likes but only about half the amount he has now and no titbits.JH

My dogs drool when I am peeling carotts, why not offer him a little bit and see if he likes it. If he does its a non-fattening snack - in moderation. You are going to have to be tough, it will be hard for you, not to give in to his appeals, but for your dogs' sake you know you must succeed!! He will live/stay sound so much longer. Its good advice to halve his food, be strict with yourself and actually halve it. Can the vet give him something to relief his stiffness so that he can still be exersised? It will be harder for him to lose weight if he cannot get his walks. Keep a weight chart and weigh him every week so you can see how its going. Good luck

Also you could add some raw carrot to his food to make it seem more, and give the carrot to chew instead of any chews or biscuits, which some people forget are FOOD!

The only way I have ever shifted any weight off an overweight dog is to HALVE the food!

Puppy buyers of mine had let their Elkhound bitch reach 27kg! where for her size she should have been only 19 or 20! They halved her food for nearly a year to get it off, so it will be a long haul.

Greetings,
I had the opposite problem with my ailing Yorkie in the last few months of her life. She took forever to eat her food & I had to supplement it with canned food. That's where the problem with the other two began. They stole food & ate alongside her more than I thought they did.

Samma had never been lightweight... But she didn't look fat --you could feel her ribs still. But she had really short legs, a big butt, and she hid all of the weight in her chest between her front legs.

The vet kept telling me she was ok... but after having to put Pepper to sleep, I began to notice that she just wasn't moving right. She weighed 22 pounds!!! Chienne wasn't much better at 21 pounds. Her waist wasn't as nipped in & her hip area was broad. Again, I could still feel ribs.
Samma would do the same thing that your overweight puppy does... whine & nag for food. I had to cut her down gradually... no overnight crash diets. Exercising went up, gradually too. I was concerned about her back & legs being strained.

Two hours walking at a time with a bad leg is not good for your dog. Splitting the time in the morning & evening will help. It will also inhibit the appetite, just like in humans. Even though your dog walker is "reputable" getting out with your dog will help to bond & see how he's doing physically. This will take time.
You don't say how much he weighs & what ideal weight you're aiming for. But figure that the first couple of weeks, he'll lose inches & gain muscle ---if he's been a couch potato most of the time. Slow & gradual is the best way for him to lose his weight. Once he does lose it, you have to keep him conditioned --- just like a human, he'll gain it back if you don't watch him.

Both dogs lost the weight in about 4-5 months in 1998 and have kept it off ever since. I have to watch Samma like a hawk though. Chienne remains around a normal weight of 17 pounds. Samma slightly pudges & gets soft in the winter. Walking & running when I'm just walking, just doesn't keep her in tone..but she muscles up quickly when spring hits....

They're in shape now after 2 weeks of gradual conditioning running alongside my bike. Samma's looking nice and sleek at 15 pounds. I have a picture of her at 22lbs. She looked like a long blonde haired slug. 7 pounds is a big deal for such a small dog. Yes, her skin is loose in places if I pull gently on it. When we start going long distances again (over a mile & half) I have a bike trailor that they both fit into when they get tired.

My best suggestion is when your dog starts nagging.... send him to "his" bed. Somewhere in the living/family room....not where he sleeps, but where he rests during the day. When you eat...he goes there. If he sits next to the fridge... move him to his bed. He stays there for as long as you decide. You'll have to move him there several times.. but he'll get the message that the "Kitchen is closed." If you feed him, you're only giving into his demands.
good luck,
toodles