Obesity: Number-One Health Risk
Just as the Chi has a problem with not eating enough food as a puppy, the mature adult Chihuahua has the opposite problem. She eats too much food for her slower activity level. Overeating is largely an owner-induced problem. The Chihuahua is very adept at convincing owners that she is starving and needs more food. Those big, brown eyes are hard to resist.
But resist you must. The overweight Chihuahua puts extra stress on her joints, wearing down cartilage and increasing her likelihood of developing arthritis at an early age. Additionally, obesity puts additional stress on the Chi's heart, putting her at greater risk of suffering a more severe form of several heart diseases that affect Chihuahuas.
If your Chi is already overweight, here are some tips to help your dog shed her excess weight and live a healthier life:
Reduce your Chi's food portions by 10 to 20 percent.
Consider feeding a weight reduction food; you can keep the portion size the same but reduce calories 20 percent or more.
Eliminate feeding any leftover people food.
Incorporate training snacks into your dog's total food allowance.
Take action; start walking your Chihuahua and play indoor games at least three times a day.
The ultimate cause of obesity is the same for all dogs: too much food in and not enough energy expended. Research has shown that dogs can lose weight by either cutting back on their food portions or by increasing exercise; however, a combined effort of decreasing the amount of food and increasing the dog's exercise was shown to be most successful.
