gemibabe Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 Hello all again, Someone said to me the other day that my girl was fat... so I got some photo's of her especially to see if anyone here with experience reckons so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemibabe Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 and this one... hope they are good enough to see the problematic areas LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxagirl Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 She looks in good condition from what i can see in the pics. Can you feel her ribs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernStarPits Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 ..... Hi gemibabe, How can you tell if your dog is overweight? In order to get an accurate assessment on your dogs weight you should check three areas. The ribs, neck and hips. Some dogs carry their fat in different places. Older dogs for example carry a lot of their fat in their neck area. Some in their hips and others along their sides. By checking all three areas you cover your bases and get a better picture about your dogs weight. Checking the ribs: Standing over top your dog with them securely between your legs, place both thumbs on the spine. Now slowly run your fingers along their rib cage on both sides. You should be able to feel the bones of the ribs without any pressure. If you have to increase your pressure to feel the rib bones your dog is overweight. Checking the neck: Push your index finger and your thumb deep into the side of your dogs neck. Now try to touch your finger and thumb together at the tips. If your finger and thumb are more than a quarter inch apart your dog is overweight. Checking the hips: Run your hand over your dogs back end. You should be able to feel the two pelvic bones without pressing in. If you have to use pressure to feel the bones your dog is overweight. How much weight should they lose? My answer to this question is, how fit do you want your dog? Almost all the dogs I've seen are slightly overweight, even when conditioned. Personally, I recommend consulting a canine sports doctor and getting their opinion. They specialize in active dogs and can give you detailed advice on how to condition your dog and get them to a reliable and safe weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris64 Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 She looks healthy and beautiful. What a good looking dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricey Posted January 23, 2005 Share Posted January 23, 2005 gemibabe, your dog looks fit, not fat. Relax, enjoy your dog . Peter D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemibabe Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 (edited) Phew... thanks guys Sirmonsta thanks for that article... I will test her out on those points, actually am going to print that out and put it in her file for years down the track EDIT: just did the test... can feel her ribs, her neck is good, and can feel her hips Edited January 23, 2005 by gemibabe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteLight Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 (edited) That is one fit looking dog. Edited January 24, 2005 by L.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aatainc Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I dunno, I reckon a smidgeon could come off - maybe 500g - but I prefer mine lean and in working condition - if you know what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 ..not FAT..maybe a teensy bit extra,if one was to be picky..but she does look beautiful!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemibabe Posted January 24, 2005 Author Share Posted January 24, 2005 Awww thanks everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy's mum Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 We are becoming a neurotic and fat society. The irony is that this makes people hyper conscious of it. Is your dog a supermodel? no? in that case, she looks perfect to me. A lot seems to be in the perception. I was at a dog day out at Leichhardt standing behind a woman with a lab. The lab was rolly polly (and only 3) and she was asking the vet whether it was overweight... weell...it was pretty ** obvious. I have had people look at photos of mine and say "she's a bit fat" (Lucy had had many many litters before I adopted her and her skin was never returning to 'tight' mode. She was in nice condition like your dog (other than a bit of excess skin). What is it with people??? I wouldn't say to someone "you're a bit fat aren't you?" I think next time someone makes a remark like that I'm going to say "And you're an expert, are you?" unless I can think of something better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prydenjoy Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 Hmm... let me just say that I am a fan of LEAN dogs, the leaner the better, as long as you can't see any more than two ribs (I believe a good weight is when you can see the last two ribs, but in certain breeds even two ribs is too skinny). So although I wouldn't say she is "fat", I would say that maybe a little bit could come off :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemibabe Posted January 25, 2005 Author Share Posted January 25, 2005 I admit when I did that test, I did it over and over again.. cause I all could feel was muscle... I eventually felt her hips but am not 100% that I was feeling the right thing... Im no vet!! As for loose skin... When Shelby was pregnant - I noticed her nipples swell - I got her desexed (an aborted ) her belly has some skin that could either be a minute bit of fat or loose skin. How lean do staffy's become? I have never seen a staffy and thought, gee, she's fat... But with labs... thats easy to spot :rolleyes: Staffy, staffyluv, staffordsrule... opinions please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusky Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 I just think she is lovely I did see 2 of the fattest staffies I ever saw in my life last week, still beautiful smiling, waggy tailed and very very happy but backs so wide you could eat dinner off them. Had a bit of a chat with the owners after saying what lovely dogs they were, and they really were lovely. They fed them all the wrong stuff and too much of the right stuff, even cadbury chocolate. I said oh no :p dogs were 12 yrs old :D Your dog is beautiful gemibabe, solid but beautiful :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I often get the opposite comments about my kelpie cross I either get she is so skinny or is she part whippet? (I don't think she is either of those two!) - she is just a lean lightly built dog! Yours looks solid, not fat. Staffies are a solid dog generally, although when really toned they are , like a body builder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Same Lia! The first question is usually "What is he?" (Have decided maybe a Min Pin X) The second question is nearly always "He's a bit skinny isn't he?" Um, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna H Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Both my two get questioned about being too skinny! Cougar has been the size he is all his life, always been able to feel his ribs and hips... and he has 24 hour access to food and free feeds! Chelsea is only just starting to mature, I've kept her intentionally lean up to this point... but still, you can see her ribs when she turns... but I think that is more to do with her coat being so short than being under weight. I left her with Mum for a week once and when I got her back, you couldn't see her ribs... she looked fat to me! Gemibabe, I reckon your dog is gorgeous.. looks a teensy bit on the solid side, but definately not overweight. I'll let ya know when I meet your girl when you next come up to Perth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prydenjoy Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Rappie, I would certainly not say too skinny. Skinny is best if you ask me, my sisters Lab x has been kept on the lean side since Claire got her from Dad when Dad moved to Fiji, lately she has been eating the fruit off a fruit tree in the back yard, which gives her the runs and makes everything go straight through her. You can see most of her ribs and she is very skinny, fact is, she is happier and livelier than she has ever been, even when she was lean before (could see two of her ribs, not practically all of them like you can now), she has got so much energy and endurance - other people may say she is too skinny, but isn't it how the dog feels that counts? Also, apparently slightly underweight dogs live longer than others, probably because there is less strain on their heart etc. As long as the dog is getting enough nutrients from its food that it is active and healthy, that is the most important thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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