My Dog Is Not Too Skinny!

[kiwioz]

Hmmm I think Finn might still be too skinny. I've posted about him before but he's pretty tricky to keep weight on. That's another trouble with having a cross breed - there's no 'ideal weight' to refer to!

[dee lee]

I think that this thread has just shown what I should have known all along: DOLers are very sensible about keeping their dogs at the right weight!

Its Joe Blow who I worry about, who thinks their fat dog is healthy.

My friend swears black and blue her doted upon cocker is healthy weight, yet she looks like a small coffee table and has no waist at all! I have tried to tell her that she needs to restrict her dog's food intake as well as exercise her, but she doesnt listen. She thinks that her dog gets enough exercise so therefore is the right weight.

She is one of those who has commented that Honey is too skinny.

Kiwioz- I believe dogs are like people, throw away the scales and ignore the "ideal weights". Its more how they look and feel. If Finn looks like the posted diagram of a healthy dog and feels like Erny's description, he will be ok.

[Ravyk]

UGH!! according to that, my FMIL's dogs are grossly obese. But I already knew that much. Now I wonder if showing her this will change anything...

[perfect partners]

When we adopted Honey we were told that when she came in she had been overweight. She had been on a diet and looked ok but did have some fat on her.

Apparently she had lived most of her life in the yard and was not taken for walks.

We are not the family for couch potatoes though!! From day one she has been in bootcamp- I wanted to get back into jogging so took her with me.

On jogging days we jog and (less and less) walk for an hour. On my non-jogging days it is an hours walk and offlead ball session.

She was reluctant at first but we both got fit together and now she is full of beans and a very fit dog - if only it was that easy for me!

At one point I wasnt happy with her food, I felt she was losing weight too quickly, so I changed it (another Artemis convert here! ) and she is thriving.

She is small for a golden retriever, has completely dropped coat and she is very lean, BUT ... I am having people comment with a frown on how "skinny" she is.

This morning I met another goldie and the owner didnt say anything but I saw her feel for Honey's ribs!

I do feel she is in perfect shape, which is backed up by 2 compliments on her condition I got at our dog training club. I figure these people would have a good idea.

Its making me feel so cranky- I felt like saying to the woman this morning- "well your dog is fat!"

This is a pic of Honey about a month ago (am trying to upload some from this morning but having technical difficulties), what do you think? Too skinny?

A while back I was having a discussion with my vet about animals and weight as I've always been fussy about not letting them get overweight. He said there was a study done with dogs where they had 3 groups - one group was overweight, one group underweight and one group that they thought were ideal weight. It turned out that the dogs that were in the 'underweight' group lived the longest!! I think it is so sad to see overweight animals struggling to do anything. Happens with overweight kids too. IMO letting your animals or kids be overweight is a form of abuse - after all you control the food.

[kiwioz]

Kiwioz- I believe dogs are like people, throw away the scales and ignore the "ideal weights". Its more how they look and feel. If Finn looks like the posted diagram of a healthy dog and feels like Erny's description, he will be ok.

You're right deelee! He's definitely not as skinny as the 'thin' dog in the diagram, but he's probably a bit under ideal as I can feel his hip bones and the end of his spine. His ribs are quite well covered though!

I agree that this thread shows the right attitude towards a dog's weight! I cringe when I see the shapeless lumps that people have on the end of a leash sometimes...

[pixie_meg]

deelee if you're unsure, I'd take her to the vet to be weighed and get their opinion.

That can depend on the Vet as well. I have seen some dogs that I would describe as fat verging obese, yet informed by the owners the Vet has told them the dog looks fine, weight wise. If the Vets go by scale and then by the average only, or if the Vet is going by what they are used to seeing, this can give misleading information to the dog owner.

absolutely agree. I was told my one vet that my boy was underweight but then went to a sighthound specialist vet who said he was in perfect condition. The first vet was a nob for more than one reason though.

[Zhou Xuanyao]

Your dog does look very lean to me. I'm used to my mums Golden Retriever. We call him "big oaf", because his a big boy

Not fat, just the way his built. Big boned, really big paws, a big boof head, fat muzzle, ect.

[Bailey9]

I've also got a lean goldy, but she is hard to keep weight on and I'm always keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn't get too skinny (wish her owner had this problem ). She also has fairly short body hair compared to some other GRs (still has the long trims though). I've had a few comments about how "long" she looks. One lady did say though that it is probably because she is used to seeing round goldies, so had forgotten what a healthy lean dog looks like. Bailey is around the 25kg mark, but I haven't weighed her in ages as I just go by her rib fat coverage.

Honey looks fine to me ;) I think there are far too many fat labs and GRs around these days.

Last yearly trip to the vet there was a hugely over weight goldy. She got on the scales she was 39kg Poor thing could barely walk. Made me so sad seeing it that overweight. There is 'fat and happy', but then there is just way too fat

Edited February 11, 2010 by Bailey9

[dee lee]

I've also got a lean goldy, but she is hard to keep weight on and I'm always keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn't get too skinny (wish her owner had this problem ;) ). She also has fairly short body hair compared to some other GRs (still has the long trims though). I've had a few comments about how "long" she looks. One lady did say though that it is probably because she is used to seeing round goldies, so had forgotten what a healthy lean dog looks like. Bailey is around the 25kg mark, but I haven't weighed her in ages as I just go by her rib fat coverage.

Honey looks fine to me I think there are far too many fat labs and GRs around these days.

Last yearly trip to the vet there was a hugely over weight goldy. She got on the scales she was 39kg Poor thing could barely walk. Made me so sad seeing it that overweight. There is 'fat and happy', but then there is just way too fat

39 kilos OMG!!! Poor dog. :D

Sounds like Bailey and Honey are cut from the same cloth!

I had to laugh when I read about the "long" comments- I get "she's got short legs, doesnt she?". Makes me most indignant!

[LoremIpsum]

I get the same thing. Well, that's not true — most of the time I get, "Oh, it's so nice to see a Lab that isn't fat!", but other times I get told she's too skinny, and yes, it's always by people who have overweight dogs. (Or, truth be told, are overweight themselves.)

Martha is 24kg, and our vet thinks she's is in superb condition. She's very fit, a great diet, a glossy coat. So stuff 'em.

[Spot.]

I have the same problem with my dalmatian. I know that she is being fed though, so that is all that matters.

She looks fine and happy She is gorgeous

Mia wants to have a play with Honey one day

[dee lee]

I have the same problem with my dalmatian. I know that she is being fed though, so that is all that matters.

She looks fine and happy She is gorgeous

Mia wants to have a play with Honey one day

Aw thanks! I think she's damn gorgeous too!

Honey and I would love to play one day! and I'd love to meet your beautiful broken Dally!

Hang on- when did you move to Sydney?!! Didnt you used to live in Qld?

[pigpup]

nothing at all wrong with your dog!! she looks fantastic, fit and spritely!! its great to see dogs with a waistline!

[Spot.]

I have the same problem with my dalmatian. I know that she is being fed though, so that is all that matters.

She looks fine and happy She is gorgeous :D

Mia wants to have a play with Honey one day

Aw thanks! I think she's damn gorgeous too!

Honey and I would love to play one day! and I'd love to meet your beautiful broken Dally! :D

Hang on- when did you move to Sydney?!! Didnt you used to live in Qld?

haha I moved to Sydney in December

Mia doesn't have very many Sydney friends yet.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

What you CAN feel - if your sighthound is healthy and not just emaciated - is chunky shoulder and thigh muscles, and wonderful, springy planes of muscle wrapping over other areas like the point of the shoulder, up to the neck and up the back of the neck to the skull, and the lower thigh...

This is how I explain it. I have one sighthound who is, IMO, overweight. She could stand to lose 2 kilos - you can see her pin bones (just) but no ribs. All the vets I have seen have said she is fine.

The other two are perfect IMO. You can see the last three ribs, their coats are glossy, their eyes are bright and they have proper well defined muscle which they would not have if they were emaciated.

However, I've been taken to task for not feeding them. Go figure. They get the right amount of good quality food, they don't get a bucket of supermarket kibble and human snack food.

Once I was told my dog was underweight by a very large guy with a very obese Lab. There is bugger all you can say in those situations but it must be worse for Lab and Golden owners I think because most Labs and Goldies are obese and it is considered normal. So if you have a fit Lab or Golden, you will always be an outlier. At least most people have some concept that a sighthound should be lean, even if they don't understand what lean is.

[Lindyx]

Deelee, I think Honey looks perfect.

Im forever trying to get my guy's weight right.

I struggle to keep Lara's weight down 29kg's at the moment(smaller female) and I struggle to keep weight on Mav 37kg's(he is a large male)

Although looking at the chart I'd say his perfect

[woody2shoes]

Coming from Retrieving Trial circles, our labs have always been lean and fit so we're well used to being told that they must be crossbred or that they could do with an extra feed! Having said that, our vets constantly comment on how great they look and we know that keeping their weight down is essential if they are ever to do a day's work! There are a few goldens competing in Retrieving Trials, one at the very top level, and being overweight is just not an option.

I agree Deelee, Honey is pretty much spot on IMHO... I cannot stand the sight of fat labs and goldens and why anyone would choose to have their dog look like that is beyond me! ;)

I now own two whippets for showing and that's been another learning curve - instinct tells me to keep them really lean but the ideal for showing seems to be to have them carrying an extra kilo or two. In any case, both of mine get lots of exercise and plenty of retreiving in our channel so waistlines are not a problem. And so far, no-one has told me they are either over or underweight so it seems I have them about right.

Keep up the good work - a lean fit dog lives a longer (and happier) life.

w2s

[poocow]

I constantly get looks and comments about Darcy being underweight, but for his history hes at the heaviest hes ever been.

She looks ok from the pictures - go the Artemis

[7464]

Honey looks good. She's wet so she'll look a bit leaner than normal.

I see fromt his chart that Cody is verging on the pudgy side. It's getting hard to keep him lean as he has finally decided at 9 years old that he is not a puppy anymore.

[kiwioz]

I had to take Finn to the vet yesterday so asked about his weight while I was there - the vet said he was "on the lighter side of normal". He said personally he'd probably prefer just a little more on him to cover his hips a bit more, but that he certainly wasn't 'skinny'. So that was good news