Overweight dogs, & always hungry!!

I have 2 dachshunds. 6 & 7 years old. I feed them exactly the same amount of food. 1/3 cup in AM, & PM. But one dog is so over weight. Cookie is larger built, weighs 24 lbs, ~ Muffin is a mini, & weights 14 lbs. Cookie overweight, is ALWAYS hungry!! She would eat till she was sick. She sneaks into cupboards to find food. SHe gets into garbage & will eat anything she can. Even coffee grounds & the FILTER!!
She needs to loose weight, but I don't want to starve her.
I feed them the Kirkland Costco Brand, healthy dry dog food for weight control. but ~ on 1/3 cup 2 times a day, Cookie will not loose weight. & is always so hungry it is sad!!
Any suggestions would help!!

have you wormed them ? and i mean a decent wormer with a follow up after 2 weeks to kill any worms that weren't killed the first time? maybe as simple as that.

Have you talked to your vet about her. It may be worth a thyroid panel to make sure all is OK.

If you have medical reasons ruled out maybe consider changing her diet?

Just I was thinking that perhaps raw food that takes much longer to eat might help?

Or is there something that will bulk out her feeding without adding calories, fat, sugar etc? Some sort of veg perhaps?

I recall being told once upon a time that tissue paper was harmless to dogs and could be used to bulk out their food! I have to say I never tried this but my last dog, a CKCS, ate every scrap of tissue, toilet roll and serviette she could lay her paws on without any ill effect!

I've heard Kirkland brand goods are good quality but know nothing about their pet food. Perhaps the kibble is very low in fat or something else she is craving?

Just thinking aloud really. I know overweight humans get more hungry than thin humans so I expect it would be the same for dogs.

This is what I would also suggest. My sister's border terrier is the same. She eats a tiny amount really but her body weight fluctuates rather a lot and she seems fairly heavy and sturdy for a BT. She is also quite flat and lethargic for a young dog, so I have been suggesting the same thing for her.

Cellulose Plant fibre (paper in dog food)


When used in dog food, cellulose is a white, odourless powder often made from paper or wood pulp! (it really is!). Oddly, the very reason it is used in dog food because it has a nutritional value of zero which means it can be used to bulk out light diets whilst not contributing to the calorie count at all.
Unsurprisingly, cellulose powder is a highly controversial ingredient which many nutritionists recommend avoiding.

I took this info from www. which dog food . co. uk as an extract from Applaws puppy dry food.

You could also try to make it so food is not such a huge thing - and help her weight - by playing and training more.
Boredom eating is a problem that doesn`t just occur in humans.

My eleven yr old Yorkie lives to eat and my eleven month one eats to live so you can imagine feeding time in fun in our house! After a bit of googling I found some grain free dry food that sounds fantastic (apparently the best dry food you can get?) and have just ordered some today. I know from dieting myself that low carb is best (Not as hungry and no cravings) so this may be an option for you? I had looked at a Hills one but TBH was really put of by the ingredients, one of which was cellulose as mentioned by Zoeyvonne. The food I've ordered is called Orijen but if you want to wait and see how I get on before you buy some I will report back? If it fills my little Hungry Henrietta it will be a miracle!

Obesity doesnt just "happen" she had to get fat one of two ways

eiether she is getting extra sources of food from other family members or its a medical reason.

I would do what others have suggested get her tested by a vet to ensure its not a medical condition and then go from their.

Their isn't really much that people can suggest untill then.

Get her thyroid tested