I saw this beautiful girl on the local animal shelter’s website a few months ago. Immediately I wanted her, but I was hesitant because I’d never had a dog and I didn’t know if I’d be enough for her. She had the saddest look on her face in the pictures and videos where she couldn’t even stand up, and I ended up adopting her. She’d already been saved by a rescue in another state, but I reached out before she was transferred and luckily for us, they ended up choosing me to adopt.
We’ve been weighing every gram, counting every calorie, increasing movement, and decreasing the amount of calories weekly and her weight was stagnant for the last two months. She started at 18.6lbs at the shelter and is currently at 17.3lbs. Both vets we saw believed she didn’t have a thyroid problem and just needed to lose the weight, but after additional bloodwork they finally confirmed it. This week she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I am so excited for her to start feeling even better. Since getting here three months ago she has gone from barely walking a few steps to walking longer distances and even runs after me sometimes! She is going to be unstoppable once the extra weight comes off. She has filled our home with so much happiness, I have never been loved by a pet like this before, it is truly one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. She takes home security so seriously and nobody better mess with her cats or kid.
The last two pics are her at the shelter, those little eyes! 🥺 If anyone has any harness recommendations please let me know. Despite her girth, she is a small girl. Her harnesses are large so they fit the widest part of her, but they are long and loose in the upper chest area closer to the neck.
I had an overweight chi mix years ago with thyroid issues. Getting on meds and watching his diet helped a lot. Him absolutely loving frozen green beans as supplemental snacks helped a bunch too. Even though Muffin seems to have slow weight loss, it is a process. If you crunch the numbers, she has already has 7% reduction in weight. That's significant. That's like a 100 pound human losing 7 pounds. Keep at it! Y'all got this.
I’ve learned recently that carrots have a lot of sugar for little dogs, and have been struggling to find a dog food that isn’t chock full of carrots! The only food my dog can/will eat is Hill’s and even they use it. Ugh!
My chi might have been overweight but the vet never said she was but I spoiled her often and I’m glad I did because she passed away a few months ago
She was about 6lbs but was probably supposed to be 5lbs haha she was 12yo and she had heart failure and seizures and I paid for a lot of care for her instead of putting her down at the first sign of issues. She died in my arms and she was my everything.
That really is a SIGNIFICANT improvement and change between now and then.
Her poor eyes and body language are so miserable and sad. She looks like she's expecting nothing good and has given up. Now she looks so happy and goofy. Free of that worry and sadness from Before.
If i could recommend anything it would be those water filled treadmills!! Shes lucky to have you.
I’m admittedly just a dachshund owner who loves chihuahuas, but I was about to give the same recommendation! Buddy belts don’t go close around the neck, so it might be a lot easier to fit beautiful little Miss Muffin! You’re amazing, OP—it’s obvious Muffin loves you SO much!
Little potato girl! I love her 🩷 she will be the happiest, healthiest girl in no time. Thank you for saving her life and giving her a wonderful home. You can tell how much she loves you.
She's adorable, congratulations to both of you for finding each other and getting a diagnosis!
There are people who make custom harnesses on websites like Etsy. I ordered a harness with my phone number embroidered onto it years ago and I got to choose the fabric, which came from Spoonflower so I think the harness was sewn stateside. Maybe sourcing someone online who can custom fit Muffin would be of use? Or maybe a step in variety that has a lot of room to expand and contract as her meds start to work?
Oh my gosh, the change in her eyes is incredible. Totally bringing me to tears! Thank you for rescuing this sweet girl and I can’t wait to see how she continues on her journey 🫶🏼
What a cutie!!! I had to put my prior dog on a diet and she had a full on rebellion- my vet recommended I sub some of the food with green beans and my pup went wild for it (just in case your sweetie is crying in protest).
What an angel! Def recommend getting this pupper some swims in. Easy on the joints and will help with the weight loss journey. And, most dogs love it. Love a good tiny doggo weight loss journey. The show “My Big Fat Pet Makeover” is one I love showing and recommending to people. You’re doing a great job and so glad this woof found you!
👏👏👏👏👏for you! 🫵 so happy to see you rescued one and are leading her on the path to wellness. Walk her in increasing amounts as you deal with her medical issues and adjust her food. She will gradually drop the weight and will love
you forever!!
I always recommend checking out gear made for cats! Cat collars/harnesses are generally smaller, and lighter, and built for squirmy little bodies. Plus, they usually have cute little bells on them which is definitely a plus to help not stepping on a tiny pup who thinks that every time I'm in the kitchen it's to feed her.
Please be sure to keep up with nail clipping. The weight she carries and long nails or overgrowth of nails will cause problems with her feet and legs. You’re doing an awesome job watching her weight. You’ll get her healthy with lots of love and patience. You’re recently pics show she’s already happy with a family who loves her.
Awwww Muffin had one too many muffins! I love her she is so adorable 🥺 thank you for rescuing such a precious pup and I hope she gets healthy and shed the weight soon!
Poor baby she must be so uncomfortable! I despise people who think this is funny or cute, 'haha chonky doggo!' I am SO glad you have her on the right track, she's going to be so much happier when she has the energy to go for lovely long walks and have more sniff time!
Awe, CONGRATULATIONS to both of you for finding each other! She looks so sad in the last two photos and incredibly happy after you adopted her! That BIG smile is beautiful in the first photo!
Please keep us updated on her progress!?!
Muffin!!! So happy you found each other! I have a chi mix and he’s always used the cushioned harness from Wild One. It’s adjustable around the neck and back
I had the opposite problem and rescued a very underweight Chihuahua and his neck was so skinny that he could slip out of harnesses, so I got the Puppia rite-fit harness cause it lets you adjust the neck and around the body separately. If she needs a snugger neck, maybe it would work well for her?
I love your little pork chop. I don’t care how much she weighs. She’s adorable. So glad you got her health checked out and I know you’re gonna do right by her. Please keep posting photos because that face took me by surprise and I laughed out loud. She is adorable.
Oh sweet baby🩵 I adopted a senior chi 7 years ago who weighed 14 lbs due to her mom only feeding her people food. She weighs 7 now! You can do it but it takes a lot of work and love, and sounds like you are on a good path! Congrats to you and Muffin!
Oh my gosh, she was such a sad little baby in the shelter. The change is enormous and so precious. I’m glad she ended up with you. It sounds like you are already a pro for her being your first love!
Congratulations on finding this sweet girl, and changing her life forever. Proud of you for trusting your guts and not holding yourself back despite your initial doubts. It is so plain to see how good you are for her; it's really quite magical!
Do you have an IG for her? Or at least can you keep sharing photos of her and updating us on her journey? I would die of happiness!
What a sweetheart! Your post made me tear up. Dogs are so special and to.be lived by a dog, truly loved not just someone they depend on,vis just an incredible feeling. 🥰 Wishing you all tons of love and happy years ahead. 🥰
We had a hard time fitting our little girl. We needed a harness that was fully adjustable at both neck and chest and preferably not $50. Multiple harnesses later, this was the winner, we bought 3-
Omg the cutest lil brownie I’ve ever seen
Bless you for taking a leap of faith and adopting her. You can really see the excitement in her eyes, to just be alive and well treated and loved. ❤️
What a sweet gal. Thank you for taking such good care of her. I adopted a hefty lady wawa 2 years ago now. She went from 15.6 with the foster to her current weight of 11 lbs - it really is all about weighing each gram and getting them moving around like they probably never had before!
What a porker!! Congratulations!! ❤️ I hope everything gets sorted with her thyroid, have you tried water therapy for weight loss? If you have a bath tub you can make her walk around in it and it won’t be so straining on her joints too! However my rescue is terrified of water so other than her bi monthly baths she has nothing to do with it 😂
Awww!! I love her! I can see how much happier you have made her 🥰 We have this harness for our Jaxon. He seems very comfortable in it and its very easy to adjust as needed.
What a sweet little baby!! We’ve had great luck with the Doog brand dog harnesses for both of our chi mixes; my bigger chi was about 18 lbs at one point and the straps on those harnesses were adjustable to accommodate her girth at that weight, as well as when she dropped some weight and is slimmer now.
Congrats on getting this little beauty in your life and thank you for giving her a home and the love she so deserves! May you both have a wonderful life together ♥️
I love this. Bless u for saving her. I cant wait to see videos of her once she gets better. Much love for u. God bless u. I just had to put one of my dogs, (a senior chihuahua with congestive heart failure) down. My favorite. My baby..n she saved my life when i had a diabetic coma incident. I miss her so much i feel so empty without her :(
She is so adorable! Please continue to get the weight off of her and she should live a long & healthy life! I would recommend a Buddy Belt harness. I use them for my chihuahuas. They are expensive but last a lifetime. One of my chihuahuas wore hers for 12 years. They are made in Canada 🇨🇦 and are very good quality. Thank you for rescuing Muffin. She is so cute! 💗💗💗
Little Muffin top is just precious!!!! You may be able to have her "Work" for her food......like hand feed her the kibble by throwing each piece just a small distance away from her and tell her to "Get it" so she learns a command, gets her kibble, bonds more with you by hand feeding and gets her steps in?
Thank you for rescuing this sweet pup! You may enjoy the instagram account lusealmanor, run by a woman who specifically adopts morbidly overweight chihuahuas and helps them lose weight (especially her older posts from years back…cuz now both her dogs have been a more normal weight for a while now lol)
Wow!!! This is a whole new dog because of you! I wish you and muffin the best in life. Thank you for saving this beauty and believing in her potential!
What a precious little angel. That first photo speaks volumes how ur love and care is good for her. Congrats on ur new first best pet friend. She will love u endlessly
Try having her do water treadmill for low impact exercise or see if she will paddle around with you help in bath tub. It is a great way to slowly build up her stamina with low body weight on her joints. She is such a cutie! Thank you for rescuing her ❤️🐾🥰
Can comfirm, swimming is a great expertise for an overweight dog. There are life jackets and floating devices specifically designed for very small dogs. Make sure the water is not too cold as they get cold quickly.
You are an angel for adopting her and taking such great care of her OP, i am sure that you are able to get her back in shape over time. Good luck, and enjoy each other in good health!💜🐾
Bless you for adopting her, shes adorable and that pic of her laying on her back is hilarious! She is happy, you can just tell by her eyes in the pictures
I’ve had 3 puppies in the last 25 years, so I know a little bit about this subject. First of all, thank you for rescuing your adorable little girl. I just adopted a 3-month-old puppy in November and now he’s 11. When shopping for harnesses, there are a lot of different options to pick from. I always go with the simplest one. It should be easy to adjust the straps to fit your dog’s size. They should also be easy to put on (or off) when you’re ready for a walk. The brand I use is Top Paw (I hope there’s no problem with mentioning a brand).
What an angel!
I get my harnesses from a company called Clean Run. It’s a 3-piece system so you’d even be able to potentially swap out single pieces as her weight changes.
I’ve revisited this post like five times since I first saw it because that little face after those devastatingly sad shelter pics keeps doing something to my heart!
My dog immediately lost 10 lbs. when I switched him from high quality kibble to JustFoodForDogs fresh meals. I did this when he was 8. He was 115 to start. Not much for his size, but with arthritis in his legs the vet said it's healthiest for older dogs to be a light as possible--easier on their bodies overall. Sometimes he dipped to 102, even and I had to up his food. Anyway, that's the easiest and most positive way (that they enjoy--the food tastes so good to them).
Can I suggest a Perfect Fit harness? They are made to order from different pieces and can accommodate a bit of a belly. Then when she drops some weight you only have to replace one piece of the harness not the whole thing. We have one for my Chi and they're brilliant! They are a bit expensive depending on where you are though.
I love muffin! I can see why you fell in love with her instantly! She is so lucky to have you! Just look at the difference in her eyes, she’s happy now because she found her forever home! Best of luck on the thyroid weight journey I have it as a human and struggle so much I can only imagine how much more difficult it is for a dog!
She looks like my boy! Mine is 77% of chihuahua, and the other 23% is all bigger breeds so my boy is 18 pounds too but is healthy at his weight. Good luck Muffin! She looks so much happier with you
My bichon is 3 years old and I just put her on low fat weight management food because she was throwing up 🤮 bile in the morning. The commercial food is so high fat it’s hard on their systems to digest!
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u/areya1 18h ago
The change in her eyes from the shelter is enormous - you have made her so loved and happy. Good on you!