Why can t my dachshund lose weight

Why Your Dogs Losing Weight and What to Do

Its normal for a dogs weight to vary a little bit over time. If you change their diet to one that isnt to their liking, theyll probably lose a few pounds. Or maybe they are staying inside more during the winter; in this case, theyll probably gain a little.

But what about a dog that keeps losing weight and you dont know why? Unexplained weight loss can be the first sign that a health problem is brewing.

Why Is My Dog Losing Weight?

Weight loss in dogs has many causes. Problems with a dogs diet, environment, and health could all be to blame. Here are a few of the most common causes of unexplained weight loss:

• A problem with their food: Dogs may eat less when there is something they dont like about their food. A change in diet may be to blame, or perhaps a large bag of food has started to go bad before your dog has finished it. Feeding too little or giving your dog low-quality dog food can also lead to weight loss.

• Stress:A dog thats anxious or stressed may find it hard to relax and eat because they feel like they always need to be on alert.

• Exercise: Dogs that start exercising more but dont take in more calories will lose weight.

• The environment: Dogs require extra energy to stay warm when they spend lots of time in the cold. Conversely, hot temperatures can reduce a dogs appetite.

• Reproduction:Pregnancy and lactation (nursing puppies) put extra nutritional demands on dogs. If they dont take in more calories, they will lose weight.

• Dental disease and other oral problems: Any problem that makes chewing and swallowing painful or difficult will discourage a dog from eating.

• Intestinal worms and other parasites: Parasites get their nutrition from their hosts, which can lead to weight loss in dogs.

• Cancer: Cancer cells use energy to grow and divide, and this means that the energy is not available to the dog, so they often lose weight. Cancer can also directly affect a dogs digestive system and appetite.

• Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders: Problems that affect the functioning of the digestive tract can reduce a dogs appetite or their ability to digest and absorb nutrients. Inflammatory bowel disease, lymphoma, adverse food reactions, or partial intestinal blockages could be to blame.

• Nasal problems: Any condition that affects a dogs ability to smell their food can lead to a reduced appetite.

• Diabetes mellitus: The changes in glucose metabolism seen with diabetes mellitus frequently lead to weight loss in dogs, even when they have a good appetite.

• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI): When dogs have EPI, they dont produce enough of the digestive enzymes needed to break down food and absorb nutrients.

• Infections: Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections can directly affect the GI tract and lead to weight loss. Fighting an infection anywhere in the body requires extra energy, and if dogs dont eat more, they will lose weight.

• Kidney and liver disease: When the kidneys or liver dont function properly, waste products of metabolism build up in the bloodstream, which can make a dog nauseated and not feel like eating. Dogs with kidney disease may also lose protein in their urine, which can lead to weight loss.

• Heart disease: Weight loss is common as heart disease progresses. The exact causes of this are unknown, but the condition goes by the name cardiac cachexia.

• Addisons disease:Dogs with Addisons disease (hypoadrenocorticism) dont produce enough of certain types of adrenal hormones, which can lead to poor appetite and weight loss.

• Hyperthyroidism: Although hyperthyroidism is rare in dogs, it can increase their metabolic rate and lead to weight loss.

• Neurologic conditions: Any disease that adversely affects a dogs ability to eat and swallow can result in weight loss.

Is My Dog Too Skinny?

Regularly checking your dogs weight by using an accurate digital scale is the best way to monitor for weight loss or gain. However, evaluating a dogs body condition score can also help you determine if your dog is too skinny. In general, a dog might be too skinny if:

• You can easily see their ribs or other bony points.

• When looking down from the top, they have a very pronounced waist.

• When looking from the side, they have an exaggerated abdominal tuck.

When to See Your Vet About Your Dogs Weight Loss

A little bit of weight loss isnt always an emergency. As long as your dog doesnt have any other signs of illness, you could try to change their diet or environment to see if it solves the problem. But there are times when you should get your dog to a veterinarian ASAP:

1. Puppies shouldnt lose weight! As they grow, puppies should be gaining weight, so call your veterinarian immediately if your puppy is losing weight or getting too skinny.

2. Weight loss in a dog thats older or has an underlying health problem is always concerning. The risk of serious diseases that cause weight loss increases as dogs get older.

3. Weight loss combined with symptoms of illness is never normal. Make an appointment with your veterinarian if your dog has difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, weakness, lethargy, increased thirst and urination, or any other worrisome symptoms. If your dogs symptoms are severe, call a vet immediately to determine if you should head to the clinic right away.

4. Rapid or pronounced weight loss should always get your attention. Any health problem can lead to serious weight loss. Make an appointment with your veterinarian if your dog has lost more than 10% of their normal body weight or is losing 2% or more of their body weight per week. Heres what that can look like for dogs of different sizes:

Serious Weight Loss in Dogs

How Do Vets Treat Unexplained Weight Loss in Dogs?

A veterinarian will start by asking you a lot of questions about your dogs diet, appetite, environment, behavior, medical history, and any current medications (including parasite preventives) or supplements that you are giving. They will also determine how many calories your dog is taking in each day and if this amount should be meeting their energy needs.

Next, they will perform a complete physical examination and use the information they uncover to recommend treatment or further diagnostic testing. A basic laboratory workup includes a fecal examination, bloodwork, and a urinalysis. Additional testing can involve x-rays, ultrasound examinations, specialized lab tests for specific health problems, endoscopy, exploratory surgery, and tissue biopsies.

Whenever possible, veterinarians will recommend treatment for a dogs weight loss that aims to cure or at least improve its underlying cause. For example, they will prescribe a dewormer if a dog has intestinal parasites, dental care for damaged teeth, or antibiotics for a bacterial infection. Oftentimes, a change in diet can also help dogs regain the weight theyve lost. Options include:

• High-calorie, nutrient-dense dog foods for generalized weight gain

• Highly digestible diets when GI function is impaired

• Dog foods with added fiber may be appropriate for some types of GI problems or for dogs with diabetes

• Hypoallergenic dog foods made from novel ingredients, hydrolyzed proteins, or individual amino acids for food allergies and intolerances

• Disease-specific diets like those designed to help manage kidney or liver disease

The right food and other treatments will depend on the specifics of your dogs case. Dont wait too long to get your dog the care they need. Its easier to manage a dogs weight loss when it hasnt had a chance to progress too far.

Featured Image: iStock/Capuski

How to Help Your Dachshund Lose Weight (and What to Feed Them)

Maybe you didnt realize how chubby your Dachshund was getting until yesterday because you didnt know what your Dachshund should weigh or were in denial.

Or maybe you knew but werent ready to do something about it until now.

Maybe its because you are in a panic because you just found out being obese can shorten your Dachshunds life by up to two years.

Whatever the reason, you have come to the right place.

Im going to provide information that will help you help your Dachshund lose weight.

Why listen to me?

I was shocked when I found out my first Dachshund, Chester, was fat.

He hiked all the time, and looked fine to me, but then I spotted a dog body condition chart on the wall at the vets office.

I looked at the chart, looked at Chester, looked at the chart again, and said, Oh, buddy. It looks like you need to go on a diet.

Using some of the suggestions in this article, I helped him to lose 5 lbs over the next 6 months.

I have also been learning about Dachshund weight issues for over 15 years via shared experiences through my Dachshund club members and blog readers.

Your Veterinarians Advice is Good But Not Perfect

Veterinarians dont always speak up when a Dachshund is a bit overweight because it can be a very touchy subject with owners and they dont want to upset people.

I mention this because sometimes you need to recognize the problem on your own YOU need to approach THEM about your Dachshunds weight issue.

If your Dachshund needs to lose weight, especially a lot of it, the first place you should usually look for advice for your dog is a veterinarian.

Important things to ask your veterinarian are:

• How much weight does your Dachshund need to lose
• What is a healthy rate of weight loss (For example, a half a pound a month?)
• Are there any health issues my Dachshund has that is causing the excess weight?
• How would you suggest I change my Dachshunds diet and exercise routine to help them lose weight? *

However, personal experience has taught me that their recommendations about food and exercise are not always accurate for the Dachshund breed. Thats why I put an asterisk by the last question.

Diet and exercise are also the two factors that are easiest controlled by you and that make the most difference in a Dachshunds weight.

Like with people, weight is largely determined by calories in vs calories out.

If one wants to lose weight, they can eat the same and exercise more, exercise the same and eat less, or ideally both.

I have found many veterinarians will immediately recommend a weight loss dog food but those arent always the most nutritious and can cause issues like excess gas (due to the fillers) or refusal to eat because a dog doesnt like the taste.

Ive also found that many veterinarians underestimate the exercise needs of a Dachshund and how much they are capable of.

Remember: Before you start any weight loss program with your Dachshund, you should discuss it with your veterinarian first.

So lets look at food/diet and exercise separately.

The First Step: Start Feeding on a Schedule

If you are currently free-feeding your Dachshund leaving a bowl out all day for them to graze switch to feeding a fixed amount on a set schedule instead.

Feeding your Dachshund on a schedule has many benefits but the most relevant for weight control are:

• It can lead to obesity if your Dachshund always wants to eat, especially if there is zero portion control
• In multi-dog households, your Dachshund could be hogging the food, consuming more than their share

When you switch to feeding your Dachshund on a schedule, you will know exactly when your Dachshund is eating and how much.

You may find that your Dachshund starts to lose weight with no other changes once they are eating the correct amount of food for their (ideal) weight.

However, for many dogs, and dogs that are more than a pound overweight, or if your Dachshund is already eating on a schedule, this may not be relevant or enough to change your Dachshunds weight for the better.

Next: Address Your Dachshunds Weight Loss Diet

The most common question I see about weight loss food for Dachshunds is, What food should my Dachshund eat to lose weight and how much should I give them at each meal?

Its likely that your veterinarian will recommend some brand of weight loss dog food.

This food often simply has less calories per serving.

To reduce the amount of calories, dog weight loss food often replaces more nutritious ingredients like meat and organs with fillers.

Common fillers include:

Fiber

This is the primary ingredient added to weight loss food for dogs to reduce the amount of calories.

Fiber will go through your dogs stomach without being digested and turned into calories while still adding bulk to the food and helping them feel full.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates contain less calories per volume than fat.

Some of the fat in dog weight loss food may be replaced with carbohydrates, again, to reduce the calories while maintaining a similar volume of food for your dog to consume.

How to Reduce Your Dogs Calorie Intake Without Switching Foods

The thing is though, there are ways to decrease the calories your dog is eating on your own.

You dont have to switch your dog to a diet food, or switch from a food you know they love, for your Dachshund to lose weight.

Advantages of doing it yourself are:

• Your dog can keep eating the same food they like, which is especially important for picky eaters or Dachshunds with sensitive stomachs
• It can save money because weight loss dog food can sometimes cost more

So how do you reduce the calories that your dog eats in order to control their weight?

Cut out the treats

The simplest way to reduce your Dachshund calories is to cut way back on, or eliminate, their treats outside of meal time.

This includes any edible chews, dog treats, and table scraps.

You need to make sure the whole household is on board with this temporary routine so someone else isnt sabotaging your efforts.

There are many calorie-free ways to show your dog you love them.

If you absolutely cant bear to deny your Dachshunds pleading eyes and you feed kibble, set a few pieces of kibble aside from their daily portion and feed those as treats throughout the day.

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. And give them out sparingly!

Feed your Dachshund less

The second, and most impactful way, to cut your Dachshunds calories is to simply feed them less of their regular food.

If your Doxie eats cup of food twice a day, try reducing the portion of food served at each meal to .

If your dog normally eats cup twice a day, reduce the amount to a cup.

Doing it this way is effective but doesnt work for all dogs.

The volume of food in their belly will sometimes leave a Dachshund feeling like they are still hungry.

So what can you do if your Dachshund acts like theyre starving?

How to Help Your Dachshund Feel Full While Eating Less Food

Some Dachshunds may not notice that you are feeding them less at meal times.

My Dachshunds count meals by the time there is food in the bowl, not the volume of food in it.

If you are committed to helping your Dachshund lose weight, youre going to have to resist the temptation when they give you the pleading, sad eyes.

However, some Dachshunds will act like you are being mean and cheating them if you put a few less kibbles in their bowl.

They will act like you are starving them and give you guilty eyes and/or whine for more.

If the latter describes your Dachshund, luckily there are a couple of easy, quick fixes.

The green bean method

You can take a que from the dog food brands and replace part of your Dachshunds meal with a low calorie, fiber rich food.

This will help your dog to feel like they are eating the same volume of food while consuming less calories at each meal.

The most popular way to do this is to add thawed, or partially thawed, frozen green beans.

I suggest frozen green beans because they almost never contain added salt.

You are welcome to use canned ones but, whichever form you choose, make sure they have no sodium.

Replace the volume of food you removed by adding back the same volume in green beans.

So, for example, if you went from feeding cup of dog food at each meal to c, add c of green beans to your Dachshunds food dish.

Many Dachshunds love the taste of green beans, and as an added bonus, the rough texture can help scrape tartar off your dog teeth while they eat.

Make their meal a soup

You can also try adding water to your dogs food, almost creating a soup (if you used canned or raw food) or like cereal floating in a bowl (if you feed kibble).

This extra water will replace some of the food volume in their stomach and help to keep them hydrated as a bonus.

Adding water increases the volume of food in your dogs stomach without increasing the calories theyre consuming.

I use this trick a lot and find that my Dachshunds like it better when the added water is warm.

They primarily eat raw food so adding water creates a slurry for them to lap up.

If you feed kibble, the warm water can help bring out some of the juices from the kibble to flavor the water.

You can also add a tsp of powdered bone broth or goat milk to the water to flavor it but, if you use this method, be conscious of how many calories you are adding back to your Dachshunds meal.

Best Weight Loss Food for Dachshunds

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links (Amazon Associate or other programs we participate in). As an affiliate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Im not saying you shouldnt use weight loss dog food. Im just saying you dont have to. And in many cases, its not the best choice.

Some people like the convenience of weight loss dog food because it takes the guesswork out of adding water or green beans to make up for lost volume.Also, it will tell you how much food you should feed your Dachshund on the back of the package (be sure to go by your dogs ideal weight, not what they weigh now, when looking at the chart).

If you would rather try a diet dog food for your Dachshund, here are a few that I would recommend.

Note: If you do choose to change your Dachshunds food, make sure you properly transition your dog to the new food.

Weight loss dog foods without grain

Acana Light & Fit

Acana Light & Fit would probably be my #1 choice (or the slightly better quality, but more expensive Orijen Fit & Trim made by the same company)ACANA Light & Fit dog food is nutrient-dense and high in protein, which is important for active Dachshunds like mine.

This biologically appropriate diet includes meat, organs, cartilage, and bone to provide needed nutrients naturally.

Regional farms Acana trusts provide the from whole free-run chicken and turkey and wild-caught fish.

Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight

Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight dry dog food combines high protein, grain free kibble with all natural bites of freeze dried raw chicken. Cage free chicken is the #1 ingredient.

Its made without grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, byproduct meal, artificial colors or preservatives.

This formula contains L-Carnitine to provide a fat-burning boost.

Firstmate Pet Foods Pacific Ocean Fish Senior and Weight Control

Firstmate Pet Foods Pacific Ocean Fish is a good weight control food for Dachshunds of all ages, but especially seniors.

This is a limited ingredient food, which contains fish as its only protein source, so its good for dogs with allergies to other meats like beef and chicken. Also, Fewer ingredients makes this formula easy on digestion.

If you check the ingredients list, you will see chicken fat used but FirstMate Pet Foods processes the chicken fast so its free of protein, eliminating the risk of allergies derived from chicken (its protein that sets the allergies off).

Weight loss dog foods WITH grain

Some Dachshund owners areconcerned about the grain free food Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) connection.

DCM occurs when the heart muscle becomes weak.

This leads to a loss of the ability to contract normally and pump blood throughout the body and eventually heart failure.

While Dachshunds are not a breed typically prime to this disease, some research has made a correlation between the development of DCM and dogs who are fed a grain free diet (specifically, those that contain legumes as a replacement) even in breeds that are not prone to the disease.

For those that would like a grain inclusive (the healthiest kind are barley, rice, and oats) in their Dachshunds weight loss food, here are my top pics.

Fromm Gold Reduced Activity & Senior Dry Dog Food

Fromm Family Foods is a fifth generation family-owned-and-operated artisan pet food company.

This food is designed to be high in nutrient digestibility and utilization.

Fromm Gold Reduced Activity & Senior Dry Dog Food contains grain (rice, oats, millet, and barley) as well as chicken and Fromms specially developed blend of probiotics.

It doesnt contain corn, wheat, and beet pulp (and thats a good thing).

Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult Weight Management

Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult Weight Management is another weight management dog food contains grain (rice and oats) but this one comes in smaller pieces small bites for small Dachshunds.

It features protein from chicken, lamb, and salmon. It also contains their proprietary blend of 15 superfoods like coconut, chia, kale, blueberries.

It contains no chicken byproduct meal, corn, soy, wheat, and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Exercise to Help Your Dachshund Shed Pounds

The other part of the weight loss formula is how many calories your Dachshund is burning throughout the day.

This is largely determined by their exercise level.

If your Dachshund does not go for daily walks, this is the time to start.

Taking your dog for a 20-30 minute walk (where your dog is actually walking, not strolling along sniffing everything) 4-5 times a week can make a big difference.

Note: If your dog has been sedentary and you want to start a new exercise routine, its always a good idea to check with your veterinarian first.

If your Dachshund is used to regular exercise, try increasing it by 20-30%.

For example, if you and your dog normally walk 8 miles a week (2 miles a day for 4 days), try increasing the distance walked per week by 2 miles.

This can be accomplished with one additional 2-mile walk a week or by extending the regular walks by mile each time.

If you want to know more about how much exercise a Dachshund needs, please refer to these articles:

How to Know Your Dachshund Has Reached Their Ideal Weight

The best way to tell if your Dachshund is at a healthy weight is by look and feel.

This article outlines what a fit and healthy Dachshund should look like (pay special attention to the body condition chart).Since each Dachshund has a slightly different frame and built, there is no hard rule for how much yours should weigh.

However, there are some rules around what a proper weight looks and feels like.

These are:

• You look at your dogs ribs while they are standing up and you can see them and/or can easily feel them under the skin when you touch them.

• You look at your Dachshund from the side when they are standing up and their abdomen tucks up behind their rib cage (think Greyhound) .

• You look at your dog from above when they are standing up and your Dachshund has a defined waist (hourglass shape). In other words, their body is not just one round cylinder with, basically, straight lines from front to back.

Your goal should be to keep your Dachshund on a food reduction and/or increased exercise routine until the ideal look and feel is achieved.

Once your Dachshund has reached their ideal weight, its up to you to keep them there.

I keep a close watch on how my Dachshunds look and adjust their amount of food and exercise up or down as needed to stay in the good weight zone.

Helping Your Dachshund Shed Pounds Final Thoughts

The two important keys to keeping your Dachshund at the proper weight (once you check with your vet to make sure there are no medical issues at play) are controlling the amount of food they eat and exercise they get.You may want to opt for a weight loss dog food to reduce calories while maintaining the same volume of food but you dont have to.You can make up this extra volume with no-sodium green beans or water.

You can also just try feeding the lower volume of food because your Dachshund may not have an issue with it.Increase your Dachshunds level of exercise gradually but shoot for at least 20% more than you are currently doing.Once your Dachshund returns to the proper weight for their frame and build, you may be able to increase the food, or decrease the exercise a little, and still maintain your Dachshunds newly-fit physique.However, that may result in your Dachshunds weight creeping back up so you may have to revert to the same amounts of each that worked before.Once your Dachshund is at their ideal weight, they will feel better, will be able to get around better, and will be happier.