Dogsrawesome Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I was walking to the bus stop with my OH and i heard a dog barking i looked over and seen a Dogue De Bordeaux to me looked really skinny Just want to see that im not over reacting does anyone have a photo of a good size female dogue? This one looks like she has just either had a litter or is going to cause her teats are a bit saggy i can see all her ribs and it starting to see hip bones . I tried to call the rspca today i was on hold for over 20mins i will try again tomorrow(that was the emergency number too). Beside the rspca is there any other place that can go look? i want to ask them myself but i fear that they might yell at me for being nosey. Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Best not to leap to conclusions. Yes they might be doing the wrong thing. But you don't know that without asking. (she could be ill, old, whelping or even a rescue/rehab case) Doesn't have to be accusatory, just get a conversation going: e.g. inquire about buying pups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Breed profiles on the main home page http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/profil...de-bordeaux.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) Why cause someone the angst of a RSPCA visit without making some enquiries first. All you need to do is ask the owner if everything is ok with the dog as you'd noticed she was quite lean. My dog was super skinny for the long time despite eating over 1kg food a day. If someone commented all I needed to do was let them know he had a fast metabolism and my food bill told me he was getting more than enough food. Edited March 12, 2011 by Danois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogslife Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I had a Neo that I pulled out of the pound and he was all skin and bones. He could barely stand up. It took me over 6 mths to get the weight back on him. Talk to these people first........ the rspca can cause more issues than they solve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Some dogs are just skinny too. I have a hard time keeping weight on my malinois girl. You can always see her last ribs at least, sometimes more. She eats truckloads, though! I'd talk to them first before calling the SPCA. Perhaps they don't know of a good food to keep weight on her (good quality foods keep weight on, lamb flaps & other fatty meat cuts are good too), perhaps she has a medical condition that's making her skinny, perhaps they just don't know how to condition score a dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Gosh.... A bit hasty , maybe .. What else did you notice? was she clean? friendly? was the yard well cared for? did it look like there were people at home? was there a visible water source for her? if she has pups, then she may well be ribby .. if she's feeding a litter, and not getting quite enough to eat, she will be putting it all into milk . she may be ill. Look at some photos- ask google then go back and have another look .If you're still very concerned ,phone RSPCA during business hours - as it does not seem an emergency from your post.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsrawesome Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Gosh.... A bit hasty , maybe ..What else did you notice? was she clean? friendly? was the yard well cared for? did it look like there were people at home? was there a visible water source for her? if she has pups, then she may well be ribby .. if she's feeding a litter, and not getting quite enough to eat, she will be putting it all into milk . she may be ill. Look at some photos- ask google then go back and have another look .If you're still very concerned ,phone RSPCA during business hours - as it does not seem an emergency from your post.. her coat didnt look to good, she was standing and barking at the time . The place always has cats/kittens out the front and old tacky cars :\ so thats why im worried about going and asking looks kinda rough. Couldn't see any water because she was at the top of the stairs so i dnt know if there are any down stairs. I only called the rspca cause i wasnt sure what to do, i really didnt want to call them. Mum said maybe she is sick or something but it just doesnt look right i will ask my friend if she wants to come and talk to them cause im a chicken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefairy Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I have had 2 dogs in my lifetime that would for no apparent cause loose weight quickly. All the vet visits resulted in being told they would need a high protein diet for a few weeks and then back on to normal food. This did the trick every time. It happened 2-3 times a year, no reason, it just did. I was told it mostly affected the muscular breeds. So 2-3 times a year my 2 dogs looked like they were being starved, you could see their ribs, it was so saddening, but I would start feeding the high protein food and within a week or two they were back to their old weights again. So being skinny isn't in itself a bad thing. I agree with the others its best to ask first, and see what they say. Good Luck BF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Hmm.. if the yard looks that way , etc perhaps I wouldn't walk in & ask ... I know if it were me & a total stranger came in off the street & asked why my dog was thin I would not be terribly welcoming .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keira&Phoenix Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 My 3 yo girl is pretty skinny but I make sure to not over feed due to her hip displaxia. But she gets enough to eat and never acts like she is starving. In saying that from your description of the yard it may be underfed. Also the saggy nipples doesnt mean she is or has been pregnant my 3yo has saggy nipples but its because I didn't have her desexed until 18 months. If you have an older male you can take with you to speak with them that might be safest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I agree with what others have suggested - start up a conversation with the owner. One of my dogs is only now starting to put on a little weight and not look like a skeleton (he will be 4 in August). He was just skin and bone - I rescued him at 4 months old and he has never been interested in food. He eats a very large dinner with encouragement, however he is not into treats, bones etc. He also has a very fast metabolism (wish I did - lol). My vet checks him every year and says he is a very healthy dog - yes underweight, but not because he isn't fed, because he isn't interested and the fast metabolism. The vet actually said he would prefer to see dogs like mine than the overweight/obese ones that are constantly coming through his doors. Now that my dog has settled down somewhat, he is starting to gain some weight and keep it on. I also had people comment on how skinny he was, did I feed him, was I withholding food etc etc. There various reasons why a dog is skinny. I was always happy to explain to people what my dog's issues were and they could see from my other dog, who is in a healthy weight range, that I obviously didn't abuse them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 An untidy yard does not mean someone is a bad dog owner and does not feed their dog :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) Why cause someone the angst of a RSPCA visit without making some enquiries first. I agree. I think most or at least many DOLers here would know of the hard work, concern and money I've put into my dog with his dietary isssues, and trying to fix them. He's a lean dog at the best of times, but when this first struck he was skinny - even though at the time he was being fed 2kg of chicken per day (plus all the rest of everything such as supplements etc). I've said before that back then I was fully expecting someone to yell out "don't you feed that dog?" when we were out and about on our walks. I also recall many many moons ago, when my girlfriend bought a horse. It was as skinny as all get out. She (my friend) was 14yo at the time and worked her butt off to earn the money necessary to feed her horse up well. It took a little while but then her horse bloomed. But before then she was the butt of a number of abusive calls from drivers passing by. I remember her being in sobbing tears out of the frustration in trying to get the horse right and the embarrassment that people thought she had done this to her horse. So +1 for the suggestion of just asking if the dog is ok without bringing down the RSPCA. Although sometimes I agree it is necessary, dobbing really is not the true Aussie way. Asking, and then if we can, bogging into help, is. Edited March 13, 2011 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 if she's had a litter they've probably sucked her dry. Saying that you can just see my bordeaux's ribs, I dont like them pudgy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I think this is a damned if you do,damned if you don't situation,you obviously think there is something not right and without seeing the dog or the property it is very hard to judge. If the house and yard looked really rough,you are truly worried about the dog(it sounds like you are) and you don't think you can approach the people with or without someone else I don't see anything wrong with calling the RSPCA. We had a visit from them years ago whilst nursing a rescue back to health,as soon as the situation was explained and they could see the food he was getting and the meds he was on - they were happy to let us get on with it. He did look like he was starving and abused because he had been by previous owners, they did not hassle us and were polite and only interested in the well being of the dog. I wasn't angry that they were called because I could see how he looked and how someone could get the wrong end of the stick if they saw him through the fence,he was horribly skinny and had some sores. Just a personal opinion but I would much rather have a visit from the RSPCA than think people walked by, saw him and then did nothing. They did say they would make a note of the address so if they got further calls they would know not to come out over and over. Friends of ours have a hound who is always very ribby,despite all kinds of adjustments to his diet etc; they too have had a visit in more recent times and same thing, RSPCA went away satisfied he was fine. If the house is local maybe you could just keep an eye out for a day or two and if you are still concerned call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsrawesome Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 I think this is a damned if you do,damned if you don't situation,you obviously think there is something not right and without seeing the dog or the property it is very hard to judge. If the house and yard looked really rough,you are truly worried about the dog(it sounds like you are) and you don't think you can approach the people with or without someone else I don't see anything wrong with calling the RSPCA. We had a visit from them years ago whilst nursing a rescue back to health,as soon as the situation was explained and they could see the food he was getting and the meds he was on - they were happy to let us get on with it. He did look like he was starving and abused because he had been by previous owners, they did not hassle us and were polite and only interested in the well being of the dog. I wasn't angry that they were called because I could see how he looked and how someone could get the wrong end of the stick if they saw him through the fence,he was horribly skinny and had some sores. Just a personal opinion but I would much rather have a visit from the RSPCA than think people walked by, saw him and then did nothing. They did say they would make a note of the address so if they got further calls they would know not to come out over and over. Friends of ours have a hound who is always very ribby,despite all kinds of adjustments to his diet etc; they too have had a visit in more recent times and same thing, RSPCA went away satisfied he was fine. If the house is local maybe you could just keep an eye out for a day or two and if you are still concerned call Yeah well i always thought the rspca asked questions about the last vet check up and medical history so i thought i was doing the right thing. I honestly feel as though i cant go to the house. I have always had a bad feeling about it and i usually stay clear, i am concerned about this dog and i have seen lean dogs i just thought it was unusual for a dogue thats why i asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogslife Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Many Dolers will be aware of a prosecute first, ask questions later attitude with some RSPCA inspectors. A well respected doler was charged with neglect over a dog she had less than three days. It had been pulled out of the pound and transported to her via two other dolers to be looked after. Some RSPCA people are not interested in the facts...... I would never call the RSPCA myself. I would see if I could find a reason to chat to the owner....... maybe knock on the door and ask them if they had a Douge. Tell them you love the breed and you would love a pat. Have a chat......... then if you are concerned call the Local Council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Sorry to hear that dogslife, it sounds horrible I guess it depends where you live and who comes round. The council here would simply call the RSPCA to a suspected welfare case anyway as they don't deal with this issue directly unless the dog has been reported as a nuisance. There are definitely some people in certain houses near me that I would not approach and can understand why Dogperson doesn't want to risk it. I just think it is very difficult when you are worried about a dogs welfare,but not sure who to call- Dogperson I think it is great that you are concerned enough to want to do something hope the dog is ok whatever you decide to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfsie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Why cause someone the angst of a RSPCA visit without making some enquiries first. I agree. I think most or at least many DOLers here would know of the hard work, concern and money I've put into my dog with his dietary isssues, and trying to fix them. He's a lean dog at the best of times, but when this first struck he was skinny - even though at the time he was being fed 2kg of chicken per day (plus all the rest of everything such as supplements etc). I've said before that back then I was fully expecting someone to yell out "don't you feed that dog?" when we were out and about on our walks. I also recall many many moons ago, when my girlfriend bought a horse. It was as skinny as all get out. She (my friend) was 14yo at the time and worked her butt off to earn the money necessary to feed her horse up well. It took a little while but then her horse bloomed. But before then she was the butt of a number of abusive calls from drivers passing by. I remember her being in sobbing tears out of the frustration in trying to get the horse right and the embarrassment that people thought she had done this to her horse. So +1 for the suggestion of just asking if the dog is ok without bringing down the RSPCA. Although sometimes I agree it is necessary, dobbing really is not the true Aussie way. Asking, and then if we can, bogging into help, is. We do horse rescue and in the early days when we bought a thin rough looking horse home we would get a visit from the RSPCA, three times in one year. But we always explained and gave them our vets name and there were no issues, they stopped visiting and even asked for help when they needed to rescue a horse. It never bothered me to explain. We recently also had a very thin dog, he was very sick with the dreaded Lymphoma. people asked and we explained. I think it is OK to be visited by people asking why? If you have an good explanation, it should not worry you in the least. And maybe this dog does need help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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