diet for my lhasa apso

Question
I need some advice and guidance as regarding what would be the best food to feed my lhasa apso. She was spaid when she was 13mths, due to a womb infection. She was a finiky eater from the start and so to tempt her, she was spoilt with bits of this and that, including cheese, yes I know that cheese is not a good thing to give them, but sometimes it was the only thing that would make her eat her dinner. She is five this September, and I desperatley want to get this weight off her. I am feeding her butchers tripe and I put some chicken and mixed veg in it for her. She only has say a large spoonful of the butchers because of the chicken. I leave some dry food down for her as well. She seems to have a bit of dry and then some of the wet, depending in what mood and how hungry she is at the time. I take her for a long walk in the morning around the park and a short one later at night. If I am not working, I will take her to the park again in the afternoon. She gets very tired very quickly. I dont know if that is to do with her being over weight, or, whether she may have something else wrong. She is quite a lazy, laid back dog. When we are out, she will have a little trot, and then a waddle, and then a little walk. She is my world and I want to try and wright the wrong I have done with spoiling her, before it is too late. I live in the uk. I have just read a report about some natural dog foods may still have chemicals and other animals in them, is this true. I make her my own food sometimes, using wholegrain rice, chicken and mixed veg. Your advice would be very much appreciated.
From Natalie.

Answer
First, you say that she's having trouble losing weight. Have you had her thyroid levels checked? It's very possible that she has a condition called hyperthyroidism, which can cause obesity. If you are exercising her and not seeing any results, it's definitely something that should be checked. All it takes is a simple blood draw to diagnose it, and it's easily treated with a daily pill.

As for foods, yes, some companies are still having problems. If you've made your own food before, I'd say it's much healthier for your dog if you continue that. That you, you control exactly what is in her diet. There are recipes that will help you formulate a balanced diet for her. I don't home-cook for my dogs, so I don't have any, but you can find some great tips at the Dogster (http://www.dogster.com/forums/home.php) home-cooked forums.