overweight schnauzer and treats (or lack of)

Question
QUESTION: Hi, Karen.  I've asked you a few questions regarding my overweight mini schnauzer, JoAnna.  This time, I'll make a long story short:  she has been on a low fat, high quality dry food, mixed with some veggies, for almost 2 months.  She has lost a whopping 1 pound.  She only gets a half cup of food total, absolutely no table scraps, but she does get a rawhide or some other type of chew-thing because she likes to chew.  We walk every day.  
In past posts, you said the weight should come off rather easily....I recall a comment you made regarding hypothyroidism.  Should I get her checked or just give it the old college try once more?
Thanks, Karen!
Kathy
ANSWER: I would certainly keep up with the diet, but I do agree that the weight should be coming off easier than that. Are you certain that someone isn't slipping her something extra every now and then? Try to walk her a mile a day, and two would be better.

At this point you might as well have her thyroid checked as it won't hurt and it might just give you some needed answers.

Karen

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

QUESTION: I live alone so, other than the occasional bone or rawhide, she gets nothing other than dog food mixed with vegetables.  Giving her a half cup is hard (she acts like she is starving!) but I do it.
We are walking, but not a mile (or two) a day.  Quite frankly, her tongue is hanging out so low after a half mile, that I'm afraid she'll drop!  Do I just need to push her?  She's funny - when she gets too tired to walk, she just sits down where she is and watches ME walk.  Once I figure out that she's not next to me, I call and she runs to catch up....but she is panting hard!!
I'm going to give it anotehr hard push this next month and if I don't get any acceptable results, I'll take her in for some testing.
Thanks, Karen, for your advice!
One more quick question to the groomer side:  I took both of my mini schanuzers to a new groomer and she shaved the bridge of their snouts!  I hate that look - I like it just parted.  How do I present that to the groomer on their next visit?  I don't want to offend her because, other than the muzzle, she did a fantastic job!
Kathy
ANSWER: Just ask the groomer to please NOT shave their muzzles as you do not like that look and would rather have it parted once it grows back out. (And you will need some sort of hair gel to train that hair back in place eventually.)

Did you ever mention how overweight you think your dog might be? She sounds very heavy if she is panting that hard. Be sure you only walk during the cooler parts of the day. You do need to build up her stamina, rather than try too much at once. Is it possible to walk a couple times a day? That might be more effective than one long walk and overdoing it for her.

You mention you have two dogs. Is the second one in good weight, and were the two dogs fed the same amount initially? Does JoAnna tend to steal the other's food? What I am thinking is that if she is the only overweight one, no stealing, and if they are/were fed the same amount, that something else (physical) might be going on with JoAnna that needs to be checked by the vet. The hypothyroidism would be one thing; Cushings Disease might be another. If you truly cannot think of a reason why she got overweight, while the other one didn't, she should be examined as there might be something more significant going on here.

Karen

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

QUESTION: JoAnna, at 5 years old, weighs in at 32 lbs.  When she came ot live with me at age 1 year, she weighed 22 lbs and I believe that was a good size for her....not too big, not too small.  Admittedly, I over-fed her when she came to live with me, mostly for comfort, and I had her spayed.  She put on a couple of pounds from the spay and, as crazy as it sounds, I'm not sure how she got to the weight she is at now.  
My second mini is a rescue who has only lived with us since December.  He was a little underweight when I got him, but has put on maybe 2 pounds or so and looks awesome at 21 1/2 lbs.  They eat at the same time and he eats the same reduced fat food she does, just in a bigger portion.  He doesn't leave anything for her to steal really....ocassionally a spoonful of kibble may be left and you can be sure she does steal it.
I looked at the symptoms of hypothyroidism and, other than the excess weight, she doesn't seem to have any others.  I realize that doesn't mean she doesn't have it.  I don't know what Cushings is, but I'll look it up and see if she shows any of those signs.
In the meantime, I ordered Eagle Pack food online today and will work with both dogs on the walking.  She walked 3/4 of a mile this afternoon and we're going to go out before bed and walk another 1/2 mile.
I want her to live long and be her old energetic self - she tries to be, but the weight is holding her back!
Thanks for all of your help!
I'm sending you a photo of my two babies so you can see the progess.
Kathy

Answer
The best weight for a schnauzer, any dog actually, is slightly on the thin side. Studies were done on seven litters of labradors, and half of those dogs were kept slightly thinner and the rest fed as many dogs are. Those thinner labs lived 1-1/2 to 2 years longer than their heavier littermates. That said, any schnauzer over 20# is either oversized or is carrying a lot of bone (or both). The average (in-size/12-14") schnauzer runs about 12-16# for bitches and 14-20# for boys. This is just for your reference.

I mentioned the hypothyroidism because I had a male that got too heavy and I put him on a diet... and dieted, and dieted, and dieted... and he didn't lose any weight (pretty much like your gal). Looking back, it was pretty much a large DUHHH on my part. When he finally, a couple months later, started losing hair on his ear tips and along the top of his muzzle, I realized that the problem was hypothyroidism. Once medicated, the hair grew back and the excess weight disappeared. That is why I suggested that it might be a similar thing with JoAnna. The weight should be falling off a schnauzer on 1/2 cup of food.

Eagle Pack is a great food, but because it is so highly digestible, the dogs probably won't need as much of it as what you are currently feeding (excluding the dieting).

Karen