New to Corgis - Overweight and Shedding Problems!
I recently adopted Little Feet from a woman who simply could not take the dog with her to her new apartment. She has owned the dog for about 5 years, but he did not qualify for the pet-weight limit of her new apartment. I am blessed to have a large enough property for him to run around and play in, but am cursed that it is deep in winter and the cold weather has my fiance and I beat.
We have rationed the amount of food that we give him at meal times and although his last owner gave him table scraps, there will absolutely be NO more of that.
I try to walk him at least twice a day when the weather holds up. And when it is too cold for me to go out with him, I let him free roam in our yard along with our Blue Heeler.
I was really just wondering what is a good food that I can feed him to help him cut down the pounds. I have read that I shouldn't buy anything with corn in the first five ingrediants.
Also, am I excercising him enough?
The shedding is absolutely crazy! I have a de-shed tool and brush him at LEAST three times a day. I must constantly keep my vaccuum cleaner on hand. Sometimes I notice an odd smell coming from his fur. I'm not really sure if it is because his skin is dry and the dander, or if there is another underlying problem.
Any advice you have on the shedding and his weight will be helpful! Please, no criticism, I am new to owning such a wonderful dog. :)
Thanks in advance!!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Judith Andre on
-
I give my Corgi pretty much whatever veggies I have around..mostly frozen, right from the freezer ( they like the crunch ) and raw, but also cooked if I have left overs. I mix with their food. He has never had a weight issue and I aim to keep him that way. It seems to be pretty unusual for a Corgi to smell bad unless they've rolled in something. I assume you're sure it isn't coming from his mouth (in that case it could be bad teeth). Good luck and thanks for taking him in.
-
Permalink Reply by David Whitehouse on
-
Green bean diet is the way to go!!!
I adopted an overweight corgi about 11 months ago. He was about 38 lbs, not very active. His ideal weight would be around 30lbs. We put him on Blue Buffalo dog food. Twice a day I give him 1/2cup of kibble with 1/2 cup of frozen green beens (don't even thaw them out). I put a big tablespoon of pure canned pumpkin to wet it a bit. He loves it. Gradually, over the course of 11 months he has lost over 5 lbs. He can now run really fast in the yard and chases my young shepherd mix all around. When I first got him he could barely walk up the two steps to enter our house. Now he leaps up the steps.
Green bean diet is awesome. Just be patient, it will take several months, but it will work. Good luck!
-
Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
-
Hi Deserah, a good food is one that fits within your budget and understanding of dog food lingo, read the FAQ, all the information is there. As far as shedding goes, do not over bath your dog, every few months is fine, keep the humidifier on and adding a tea spoon of oil in their food will maintain the natural oil of the skin. Once the blowing coat is over, a weekly brushing should be good for maintanance. Make sure you maintain your vaccuum too, clean it, make sure the fur doesn't get into the belt and brush bar.
-
Permalink Reply by Deserah Tickle on
-
Thank you all so much! All of your information helps me a TON! I am definitely going to start him on a green bean diet and also lower calorie food. I have also set up a vet appointment for him so we can get to the source of his smell. :)
My Corgi and I thank all of you for your wonderful help! :D
-
Permalink Reply by Cindi & Twinkie on
-
All of this is good information and I don't have much to add. I did want to thank you for taking Little Feet into your family. What a great gift to him. Twinkie is a little over weight too and she did well on the treadmill. Good luck!
-
Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
-
Shedding is not a problem. It is a way of life.
-
Permalink Reply by Priscilla, CARLY, and Frankie on
-
buy a good vacuum and use it every other day...
-
Permalink Reply by Anne E on
-
We adopted Dexter on 12/28-he weighed in at 44.1 lbs, very little energy, bad feet, nails, the works! I've got him on 1/2 cup of Iams low cal with a tablespoon of pumpkin and a tablespoon of apple cidar vinegar for his skin/coat twice daily. We started with slow, short walks as his nails would scuff so badly they would bleed. He's slowly improving, we're up to 2 3/4 mile walks a day with no messed up paws so far-we created a route that lets him walk on grass part of the way. Dex has lost 2 lbs so far, his energy level is getting better every day and I get to leave my desk for fresh air to boot! As for the 'stink', once I got his diet situated and he had a good scrubbing, that also went away. Good luck to you!
-
Permalink Reply by Vicki, Grace and Gizmo on
-
How is the diet going?
-
-
Again having had corgis over the years with diffrent coats, shedding purely depends on the breeding, amount of hair the dogs carry. Seasonal shedding. Health. My corgi now shed very minumal. She has a healthy coat but not heavy. Most dogs shed period. Corgi's shed to me depending on amount of coat and what I said. So people that want no shed get those breeds that don't I have had both. I will take my corgis due to their ease of care and smarts. There are meds that can help with shedding. During seaonal sheds I comb out in a couple days after a bath.
The smell can be anythng. Vet care is important to see if issues like hot spots, etc. Good luck and hope he is losing for you.
-
Permalink Reply by Emily Trupiano on
-
I adopted my Rex last March and he was a whopping 43 pounds! By summer he was fit and down to around 25-28 pounds. He also had a weird scent to his fur when I first got him, and I honestly think that it's because his previous owners were feeding him scraps and cheap dog food.
Here's what I did to get him trim: I feed him 1/2 cup twice a day, and no table scraps. He gets a couple dog treats (crunchy ones, the moist ones tend to be fattier.) I feed him Wellness Core, and yes it's a high calorie food. I don't pay attention to the calories in dog food because you can have a high quality dog food that's high in calories or a low quality dog food that's low in calories. As long as you feed him him the right amount, and not according to the bag, you'll be fine. I've noticed that his fur is shinier on this food too. My corgi had no problem cutting weight on a high cal food.
And yes, I wouldn't choose a food with corn in its top ingredients. It's not the best quality source of protein.
Here's the formula my vet uses for finding how much to feed your dog:
Desired weight divided by 2.2 x 30 + 70. This lets you know how many calories he can have a day. Then you take that number and divide it by how many kcals are in a cup of what you're feeding. Then you'll get how many cups a day to feed.
Good luck! Little Feet is going to be so much happier and healthier when he gets trim!
P.S: Expect a lot of shedding. Get a Furminator and bathe him once a month.
-
-
Update on Dexter...he's been part of our family now for almost 6 weeks, thru diet and daily walks (up to 2 miles now) has dropped 7 lbs and will run across the yard to fetch a tennis ball...we still have a ways to go per the vet, but he's happy, healthy and adjusting well!!
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
