Very Overweight Cavalier

[cavmad]

As you know, I have two cavs. Cooper has always been a lean dog and being overweight has never been an issue. Stella on the otherhand can lose and gain weight rapidly. At a vet appointment a few months ago the vet said she was overweight at 10.8kgs. This week she went to the vet and I have got her down to 8.8kgs which the vet was very pleased with. We are aiming for 8kgs. Over the past couple of weeks I have met someone else who has a cavalier. Um, her cav is 19.1kgs.... What advice can I give her and how do I say it without hurting her feelings. I know I was a bit put out when the vet told me Stella was overweight so I don't want to be hurtful.

[Ravyk]

that is big!!!

sorry no advice, but i need some similar advice my way-my boyfriends mum owns a papillion X who has reached the size of small wine barrel on legs who cant roll over fully

Edited January 7, 2009 by Ravyk

[Staffyluv]

I would be getting it checked for a medical condition. Perhaps a thyroid problem. After Ollie's chemo he put on about 4kg and nothing I did would remove it and the vet was getting frustrated with me and telling me not to feed him so much, when I explained I had him down to 100g of chicken and some veges and he was still gaining weight, he decided to do some blood work which revealed that his thyroid had all but stopped working. Ollie was exhausted most of the time too. He could only walk a short way before he had to rest.

If there is no medical condition, I would be pretty up front about the possibility of diabetes, heart problems, joint issues and the pain of trying to walk around with a body that is big enough for 2 dogs and the myriad of other diseases that follow fat dogs and suggest that the best weight for a cav is only 8kg...

The poor dog must be so uncomfortable. Just tell her that you have her dogs best interest at heart and this is what your vet told you about Stella.

[labsrule]

Something along the lines of:

"she/he's lovely, give her her/him lots of pats (pause) then say she/he is a big girl/boy isn't she/he - I had a similar problem with my girl and my vet told me that my girl will suffer some serious health problems if I did not get the extra weight off my girl. I had to work very hard with her to get the weight off and it has made such a difference and she is so much happier bouncing all round the place with a new lease of life. I felt so bad that I hadn't done anything about her weight earlier and could have compromised her health. Thank goodness my vet is a straight shooter and told me what I needed to hear"

Hopefully she will take the hint

As you know, I have two cavs. Cooper has always been a lean dog and being overweight has never been an issue. Stella on the otherhand can lose and gain weight rapidly. At a vet appointment a few months ago the vet said she was overweight at 10.8kgs. This week she went to the vet and I have got her down to 8.8kgs which the vet was very pleased with. We are aiming for 8kgs. Over the past couple of weeks I have met someone else who has a cavalier. Um, her cav is 19.1kgs.... :cool: What advice can I give her and how do I say it without hurting her feelings. I know I was a bit put out when the vet told me Stella was overweight so I don't want to be hurtful.

Edited January 7, 2009 by labsrule

[Dogsfevr]

some people intentionally keep there dogs fat so they wont be as active,have meet many a person with this idea .

Be diplomatic but truthful.I would sooner hurt someones feeling by being truthful & upfront.The way i see it is they have been made aware that there dog has an issue whether it be human created or medical & the long term future & vet bills & $$$.

The sad part is many vets wont address the issue & some owners are simply blinded by the obvious.

I remember one clients dog we groomed for years , a oversized cocker but weighed in at nearly 22kg .It was impossible to groom .we would always educate them why losing the weight was so important,congratulate them when the dog was losing weigh & looking good.

In the end the dog didnt lose much weight & they never stopped whinging about the vet bills & the fact there dog has bad arthritis & also did both cruciate s from attempting to jump.All issues we covered with them,we spent alot of time with them about an easy diet for weight loss because many dont want to spend much or go out of there way.

I have to say we board & groom alot of very fat/obese cavaliers with health nut owners

My English Setter weighs 13 kg more :cool:

Edited January 9, 2009 by settrlvr

[Dellcara]

be as polite as you can but the situation needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

with the heart problems that Cavaliers can have this is NOT GOOD AT ALL !!!

regards

[Cavandra]

I dont have any tips in this particular matter, as I find that anyone who will keep a dog that morbidly obese is not the type of person who will be able to diet the dog.

Obesity is the biggest killer of Cavaliers..........When these obese dogs drop down dead, the owners will say it died of MVD!

[Poodle wrangler]

Cavs are similar size to mini poodles and my dog was overweight at 8KG .

If she's willing to see the problem, I'd suggest HALVING the amount of food.

A dog that fat probably wouldn't tolerate much exercise, but very short walks might be OK ONLY if the dog's health/ joints are up to it .

I cut my dog's food in half until he was back to being fighting fit.

It looks like you're feeding hardly anything at all, but you have to remember they are small dogs and need very little food.

A handful of table scraps is more than a meal for a dog that size!

My dog started to slow down on walks when only a little overweight- this poor dog at >18kg.

It was obvious he had more energy (NOT over-energetic/ misbehaving) at a nice, lean weight.