My Dog Just Had A Go At Me. :(

[dancinbcs]

Let the crazies begin. lol. Thanks so much Bundyburger. :) Just so you know i dont really care wether you think my BC is pure or not. The subject wasnt even about that. but i put pics up becuase some think i have a staghound cross & clearly he is not the size of a staghound. lol.

I love my old boy & i will be happy to have him with me for amny more yrs to come. No offence to those who couldnt pic what a 37kg BC looks like. he is a short hair BC & a fatty. lol.

There is definitely some other breed lurking in there to give that size, shape and especially colour but for that size he still looks to be at least 5-10 kg overweight. His whole rear end is very poorly contructed and that is probably why he has developed so much arthritis. Dogs are not meant to have straight back legs like that and it does take a toll on them as they age.

[megan_]

Who cares what breed he is? He is clearly very overweiht (vets are used to seeing fat dogs so that becomes the norm). Losing a few kilos will make him feel z lot better. If you don't want to cut down portions halve his meals and add cooked pumpkin to fill him up.

[janisw]

Thanks megan, you are right. he has lost 3 kgs in 2 weeks so im very proud of him & me. lol. I have portion control down pat now.

You are right he can afford to loose weight & its working. :)

[aussielover]

Glad to hear he is on a diet- you should be able to easily feel his ribs and he should have a visible waist when viewed from above and have a "tuck up" (and tuck-in) when viewed from the side.

He looks like a lovely boy, very sweet happy face he has :) I am glad you have a plan to keep him healthy and manage his pain.

[Katdogs]

Can someone cleverer than me find the old thread about Chewy's dog that went to fat camp?

It's lovely to see you caring for him and he should do well on the meds and diet! Pumpkin is your friend and he does have a lovely face. He actually doesn't look that big to me, so hopefully soon he'll feel much better

[hortfurball]

Wow! How to drag someone through the wringer!

I'm not shy about telling someone when I think their dog is overweight but when someone has already acknowledged that their dog is carrying extra weight and states that he is on a diet plan for it, why do a number of people then still feel it necessary to tell her that her dog is fat? Why not simply applaud her for the diet plan but suggest the vet take a refresher course or read their own weight charts? It is now screamingly apparent that Janice is aware her dog is carrying a few extra kilos but that the vet is ignorant so how about we all get over the fat comments?

I also think the conformation of the dog, while relevant to the arthritis from a structural perspective, could have been addressed more tactfully, or are we all so busy 'telling it like it is' that we don't care who or how we offend or hurt?

Janisw, I hope the combination of drugs and diet works to make your lovely old boy comfortable and wish you many more happy years with him. :)

EFS

Edited September 3, 2012 by hortfurball

[sandgrubber]

Thanks megan, you are right. he has lost 3 kgs in 2 weeks so im very proud of him & me. lol. I have portion control down pat now.

You are right he can afford to loose weight & its working. :)

Congrads. Good to hear things are going well. Hope you get several more healthy years out of your boy.

Wish I could get portion control down for myself . . . and take off a couple kg in a week :)

I find it interesting that so many seem to hold higher standards for their dogs than for themselves.

[janisw]

Thanks so much Hotfurball, I dont take offence. I just ignore the stupid comments as you said i already know he is need to loose weight & we are working on it.

Sandgrubber, Thankyou as well, i expect it will take a while to get to a decent weight. I have all the time we need though. :) I agree , i could do with some extra weight off. we are working on it together. lol.

Thanks everyone. so far so good. , off to have our second injection on thursday & he seems to be feeling better already along with the tuff rock I have him on. He is getting up & down a bit easier, once he is up though he runs around like a 2 yr old.

Edited September 4, 2012 by janisw

[Dame Aussie]

3kgs in 2 weeks is fantastic! Well done. He's a beautiful looking boy :)

[persephone]

Thanks everyone. so far so good. , off to have our second injection on thursday & he seems to be feeling better already along with the tuff rock I have him on. He is getting up & down a bit easier, once he is up though he runs around like a 2 yr old.

[blitz3]

you have a lovely looking pack and good to hear your old boy is getting back to himself

[dogbesotted]

Thanks for the opinions. Vet think he is going well with loosing weight & has always for his entire life been a big dog. he runs like any other dog all day chasing cows & works a trooper on the farm, his problems are getting up & down & he has arthritis (vet opinion) & hence he is now on the injections & tuff rock to help with any joints. He is on a great eating plan also to help with the weight.

i must add he is tri colour but i clipped him last yr & he hasnt recovered to well lol. hence the looks of the shitty coat, he is also a short coat . I love him anyway.

did the vet do a T4 test ..often older dogs develop a thyroid problem and one of the signs can be poor regrowth of coat and becoming a little more portly.. combined with showing signs of snappiness .... i have had several dogs who had these kinds of symptoms and they have all had low T4.. another was exhibiting classic hypothyroid symptoms and still the vet did not twig.. poor lad. once dxd and put on thyroxine all recovered well..

just musing here...

BTW i love Tri BCs they are gorgeous

H

[janisw]

HI Dogbesotted, I will ask the vet tomorrow about that. Thankyou. he is off for his second injection tomorrow & so far i noticed he is getting in & out of the dog door with alot more ease, he has to bend down a bit as its a bit small for him (made for the other dogs) and he isnt crashing when he tries to get through it.

Getting up off the couch & bed better. Its early days though but i thnk we are on the way. I am going to weigh him in again tomorrow again, even half a KG will be good. fingers crossed.

[WoofnHoof]

Sounds great you are obviously on the right track!

[LizT]

3kgs in 2 weeks is fantastic! Well done. He's a beautiful looking boy :)

Remember* With any weight loss it is slow and steady that wins the race. Though it seems "good' too much too soon isn't really the best option for man (woman) or beast. :)

Glad your boy is feeling more comfortable and less crotchety.

[dogbesotted]

glad your lad is doing well.. should have added before that two of my old guys( Hairy Beary 14yo and Dennys Dog 12yo) have had a 4 week course of synovan.. it has worked miracles for them

Honey young dog with hip problems has just started.... one week on and she is looking more comfortable.

these guys are keeping me in the poor house.

Cheers

helen

[persephone]

Remember* With any weight loss it is slow and steady that wins the race. Though it seems "good' too much too soon isn't really the best option for man (woman) or beast. :) <br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(238, 242, 247); "><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(238, 242, 247); "><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(238, 242, 247); ">Glad your boy is feeling more comfortable and less crotchety.

yep.

500 g for a dog is a LOT ...

[janisw]

yep I have been hindering my dogs weight loss & I didnt even know it. At least im in the know now. My dogs always had adlib dry food & I didnt realise that could be the cause for my boy being a fatty boomba. Vet informs me dry biscutes are fattier than wet food. Okay , I have had dogs for yrs and until you are faced with a fatty I just didnt think about it.

Anyway onward & upward. New program will get us in the right direction. Second injection today & yes i too have noticed a difference in his getting up & down & he is looking so much happier to. :)

Helen I hear you loud & clear. Seems vet thinks we need to remove this tumor sooner rather than later before it poses any problems in the penis area. So there is another $500. Its not a rush job & when i get some more weight off & these injections sorted & paid for we will then do the op.

So far so good. :)

[sandgrubber]

yep I have been hindering my dogs weight loss & I didnt even know it. At least im in the know now. My dogs always had adlib dry food & I didnt realise that could be the cause for my boy being a fatty boomba. Vet informs me dry biscutes are fattier than wet food. Okay , I have had dogs for yrs and until you are faced with a fatty I just didnt think about it.

Anyway onward & upward. New program will get us in the right direction. Second injection today & yes i too have noticed a difference in his getting up & down & he is looking so much happier to. :)

Helen I hear you loud & clear. Seems vet thinks we need to remove this tumor sooner rather than later before it poses any problems in the penis area. So there is another $500. Its not a rush job & when i get some more weight off & these injections sorted & paid for we will then do the op.

So far so good. :)

Good to hear things continue to be better.

When you see your vet again, you might want to have another discussion about weight loss. In my experience, vets don't generally recommend canned food unless the dog needs a specialized diet . . . dry food is usually preferred for weight loss.

Dry food is more condensed than wet food, which is mostly water. Thus, a cup of biscuits has a lot more joules than a cup of canned food. Whether or not it's fattier depends on the fat content of both, and whether you look at fat per volume or fat per unit dry weight. The better a approach to weight loss, at least as put by the vets I've worked with, is to use a very high quality of biscuit, reduce the quantity fed, and maybe move to a variety with lower fat content (ie, weight loss biscuits). Ad lib works with some dogs, but many will overeat; so portion control is required. Canned food is expensive, often not well balanced, and bad for teeth and gums. Others will advise about BARF diet. This can be good, but it's a lot harder to manage than biscuits.

[hortfurball]

Really good info from Sandgrubber. I stopped feeding my guys canned food ages ago. They get chicken necks for brekkie and a quality kibble with chicken mince mixed in for dinner. No food is ever left out on a help yourself basis or I'd have an emaciated dane and a butterball kelpie x. She's always waiting to finish his food so I have to supervise.

Leaner is always better for aged joints - my old dane x lab boy was about 43 kilos most of his life but when he got older I kept his weight down to about 39 kilos to take some of the stress off his joints.

He also kept me in the poor house...in his last 5 years I spent about $8500 on his heart pills alone! I don't begrudge a cent of it. :)

Glad your boy is feeling/moving better, hope he continues to improve.