I have a 9 year old Corgi/Terrier mix, she weighs about 23 lbs and is a loaf. I have been trying to get her to lose some weight for almost 2 years now. She is on low cal weight loss food. I give her half a cup twice a day, sometimes she gets a spoonful of wet and 2 small pieces of freeze dried raw kibble. She also gets one treat every day or every few days depending on what it is (beef sticks take her a few days to eat). I take her on 2-3 15 minute walks and she runs around the house playing for a few hours each day. I had bloodwork done and her thyroid and everything is fine. I am not sure why she is not losing weight. The vet just says to stay the course but she has a bit of arthritis in her back legs and I worry about the extra weight, I am also concerned about diabetes with the continued obesity. I am considering giving her 1/4 cup of food but I don’t want her to be hungry either. Please help!
How can I help my dog lose weight?
- Thread starter ebm
- Start date
@ebm (Registered Vet Tech here) : If anyone tells you to cut out an amount of food your dog is used to, don’t listen to them. This can backfire heavily and can cause some serious issues. 90% of weight loss in dogs is all about calorie counting (although exercise certainly helps!). From the described above, definitely too much food. However, you only want to limit food a small amount at a time to get your dog used to it (ie about 10% cut back each time).
Example: 23lb is about 10.5kg. Say we want to start at a body weight goal of 9kg, at a 0.9 RER (resting energy requirement, which is universal weight loss RER), your dog would only need 327 kcals a day. That’s not a lot! So everything going into your dogs mouth including treats and dry/wet food, needs to be calculated carefully into this.
On the bag of food you’re feeding your dog, look at the kcal/cup spot, generally it’ll say 250-400 kcal/cup. So if a full cup equals out to nearly her entire calorie intake, all the treats and wet food is giving her more calories, which is causing her to gain weight and not loose any!
So start slow and start calorie counting. Feel free to PM if you’re unsure about how much to feed etc
Goodluck!
Edit: forgot the specific reason for RER!
Example: 23lb is about 10.5kg. Say we want to start at a body weight goal of 9kg, at a 0.9 RER (resting energy requirement, which is universal weight loss RER), your dog would only need 327 kcals a day. That’s not a lot! So everything going into your dogs mouth including treats and dry/wet food, needs to be calculated carefully into this.
On the bag of food you’re feeding your dog, look at the kcal/cup spot, generally it’ll say 250-400 kcal/cup. So if a full cup equals out to nearly her entire calorie intake, all the treats and wet food is giving her more calories, which is causing her to gain weight and not loose any!
So start slow and start calorie counting. Feel free to PM if you’re unsure about how much to feed etc
Goodluck!Edit: forgot the specific reason for RER!
@8erkid Thank you so much for your help! Her food is 364 kcal per cup, it says for 13-20 lb dogs feed 1 cup a day. The wet food is 85 kcal per pouch and I give her one spoonful from that, 1 pouch usually lasts me 4-5 days. So that’s only an extra 8-10 Kcal per meal. Her collagen sticks are 259 kcal and they usually last her 3 or more days. She gets dental treats every few days and they are 48 kcal.
anonymous95
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cazareeforie
New member
@messi The corgi gets half a cup twice a day, so that’s 1 cup of food total. Depending on the food and size of the lab, 1 cup a day could definitely be the amount he needs, plus a daily treat and wet food. That’s a good amount of food, way too much for a little loaf for sure but accurate for a lab
@cazareeforie It’s too much for a corgi for sure , but I wouldn’t even qualify the wet food as a meal, more as a treat because OP said only a spoonful (depending on the spoon perhaps lol) and 1 other treat a day (depending on what it is) is basically nothing.
I wouldn’t consider that enough for a lab unless it was quite tiny and lazy or a very hearty food
I’m 100% not an expert , but I worked in dog care for many years and almost all of the labs did best on 2 cups a day (1 cup each meal) , my lab too was a very healthy weight and she was on two cups a day her whole adult life
My current golden too , she’s 66lbs and gets 2 cups a day
I wouldn’t consider that enough for a lab unless it was quite tiny and lazy or a very hearty food
I’m 100% not an expert , but I worked in dog care for many years and almost all of the labs did best on 2 cups a day (1 cup each meal) , my lab too was a very healthy weight and she was on two cups a day her whole adult life
My current golden too , she’s 66lbs and gets 2 cups a day
cazareeforie
New member
@messi Oh ya, the brand of food plays a lot into it too. I feed Orijen for example and their feeding guidelines are much less, so my 50lb doggo eats only 1.25c, because the caloric values are so dense. The spoonful thing I was taking with a grain of salt lol my extended family’s idea of a “spoonful” is like half the can at least, it’s ridiculous.
@cazareeforie Ah yes that makes so much more sense! lol
Yeah sometimes people’s idea of a “cup” is wildly different too
Had a few clients say “one cup 2x a day” and it was a whole ass drinking cup equaling around 2 actual cups (or more) of food
Yeah sometimes people’s idea of a “cup” is wildly different too
Had a few clients say “one cup 2x a day” and it was a whole ass drinking cup equaling around 2 actual cups (or more) of food
madmoonsam
New member
@messi My corgi gets a cup a day total, but he’s also not even 2, 27 pounds and regularly does high intensity exercise such as herding. I said sis Vice but imo their dog just isn’t exercising to the level that my corgi does, and therefore their dog is having a harder time maintaining weight on their diet.
@madmoonsam Yeah a lot of people don’t realize how much exercise those little potatoes require
madmoonsam
New member
@madmoonsam Yeah you’d think people would realize with these working or sport breeds but not always.
I’ve met people who , instead of doing more with the dog , medicated their border collie for being “too crazy”
I’ve met people who , instead of doing more with the dog , medicated their border collie for being “too crazy”
madmoonsam
New member
@messi The wild part is that my corgi is on medication, but it’s not for being too crazy, it’s for genuine anxiety that makes him go crazy under very specific circumstances. Despite that I still somehow manage to understand that he was bred to herd cattle all day and give him exercise that benefits such a dog.
I had no idea how energetic the breed was when we got him, nor how driven. So when we realized it? We stepped up.
I had no idea how energetic the breed was when we got him, nor how driven. So when we realized it? We stepped up.
@madmoonsam And that’s how it’s done 
madmoonsam
New member
@ebm Hi, I have a 27lb Pembroke welsh corgi. He is 19 months, he’s active upwards of 2 hours of exercise daily, and considered an ideal weight as of his vet visit two weeks ago.
He eats half a cup of his food twice a day as well, but the key difference here is exercise. My dog is active, and runs daily. He herds goats weekly, plays with a flirt pole, a ball, and goes on hikes at the river. He gets treats, but when I give him treats over a certain amount of calories (say, I give him a bully stick) I decrease one of his meals by 1/3. It sounds like your dog isn’t active enough to burn off what she’s being fed.
He eats half a cup of his food twice a day as well, but the key difference here is exercise. My dog is active, and runs daily. He herds goats weekly, plays with a flirt pole, a ball, and goes on hikes at the river. He gets treats, but when I give him treats over a certain amount of calories (say, I give him a bully stick) I decrease one of his meals by 1/3. It sounds like your dog isn’t active enough to burn off what she’s being fed.
@ebm Sounds like you're already doing a lot for your pup! Since her thyroid and bloodwork are okay, it might be about fine-tuning her diet and exercise. Sometimes, even low-cal foods can be tricky in portions. Have you tried adding some low-cal veggies to her meals? They can help her feel full without adding extra calories. Also, consider increasing the intensity or duration of her walks gradually. Swimming can be great for dogs with arthritis, as it's low-impact. Just a thought, but I read a really helpful blog post about managing dog weight, especially for older dogs. It might have some additional tips you haven't tried yet: How to Help a Dog Lose Weight. Hope this helps and best of luck with your Corgi/Terrier mix!