overweight dog

Question
QUESTION: Hi there,  My parents and grandma have a wonderful dog named Lenny who is very overweight right now.  He's some sort of a standard dachshund mix and is about 12 years old.  He's gained a lot of weight over the last few years.  Some of this is likely due to the fact that my Grandma who usually walked him, has Alzheimer's disease and has slowed down quite a bit herself and doesn't walk him every day anymore.  I'm always on my parents about taking him out but they're not very consistent (they could use a little more exercise too! :).  

My parents are on vacation right now so I'm taking care of Grandma and the dogs.  I've noticed that Lenny is not eating very much at all but is still at the heaviest I've seen him.  He seems very uncomfortable at this weight and he keeps getting up about every 3 hours to use the bathroom at night.  This is very unusual for him, we used to joke about how long he could hold it because he's never had an accident in the house in all these years.  He's also lost almost all of his hearing over the last year and whines quite a bit more then he used to.  I know this sounds like a lot, but he's still a really happy dog, he chases his toys back and forth across the house, sits on Grandmas lap and loves to be around people.  We also got a new little guy who's only 5 years old and he gets Lenny playing a little more too.  He's like Grandma's little care taker and I want to make sure he's as healthy as can be for the rest of his life - and I want the rest of his life to be a lot longer!

I had my parents give him the science diet low fat food for a while and it didn't seem to make much of a difference.  The thing that seems to help out the most is him getting exercise but I don't trust that when I leave, that's going to happen.  

Do you have any suggestions for specific foods or other things that may help him?  Also, do you think his frequent use of the "toilet" is due to him being so overweight that there's a lot of pressure on his bladder?  

I'm going to have my parents take him to the vet when they get back but I was curious if you had any suggestions.

Thank you very much!

ANSWER: Taking him to the vet should be a priority. He could have a blood sugar problem, thyroid or many other things at his age. Doxies and doxie mixes are prone to being overweight. Exercise is crucial to keep him in good health but start him slow. Science Diet btw, is not a good food at all. Add some boiled skinless chicken and brown rice to his food. Both are good for him and low calorie while giving maximum benefit. Get him to the vet asap.
Diane

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Lenny has a doctors appointment tomorrow and it looks like I might be taking him home with me for a while to make sure he's getting his exercise and that Grandma isn't slipping him anything extra under the table (she forgets that she can't).  I did have one more question though;  What is it about the science diet food that's not good? I started using it for my other dog when the ID was the only thing she could digest for a while (she has pancreatic problems but is healthy now).  Is there a regular low fat food that I should get for him aside from the chicken and brown rice?

Thanks,

Natalie

Answer
Science Diet is preserved with BHA and BHT which are known carcinogens. It also has ingredients that I don't much care for. Type in Dog Food Comparison chart in your webbrowser and it'll take you to many sites that will help you learn the definition of ingredients in dog foods and to compare brands and cost effectiveness. There are quite a few good low calorie foods for dogs on diets. I like Royal Canin and several more, You can research the foods and compare for yourself what you think will work for you. Price really isn't relative as the more expensive foods are actually more cost efficient, since most premium foods have higher digestibility than the grocery store brands etc, which ACTUALLY can also be ridiculously expensive for what they are.
Diane