Vets Say Owners To Blame For Ballooning Dogs

[hortfurball]

I'm just wondering what people think the "ideal/right" weight for a pug should be.

Definitely not 14kgs.

As for vets not informing owners- I can only go by experience but on more than one occassion I have had to tell my puppy owners that they need to get some weight on their pugs. Pugs are not meant to look like racing greyhounds.

From the breed standard: Ideal weight: 6.3-8.1 kg

It should not be underestimated how difficult it can be to have this conversation with some clients. I've actually had people become so irrational they've said "so are you saying I'm fat then?" which is rather awkward (especially when they are overweight!)

Easy answer "This is not about YOU! This is about your dog's health" Get them back on track quickly and ignore silly transferral.

To be honest it really is a no brainer isnt it? Makes you wonder why it made news.

If you own a dog and you are responsible for its nutrition and exercise of course you have to wear it if its too fat .

No it's the food fairies that sneak in with armloads of dogfood when you're not around

This is what I'd love to say to owners of fat dogs:

"But I can't help it - she looks at me with those big puppy dog eyes..." is not good enough. You CAN help it, don't be such a wuss, stop being offended when people tell you your dog is fat because you've done the wrong thing and you know it. Put your dog's welfare before your own weakness, take some responsibility for your own actions and look after the dog the way it should be looked after.

[BlaznHotAussies]

Fat dogs are a lot less demanding of exercise. Convenient for a lot of people.

I know a dog like this. Used to get walked heaps but since the owners had a baby that's fallen by the wayside and the dog is now a fat lump on skinny little legs I pointed it out as politely as possible and they reckon she's just "filled out" and is "really solid" um no, it's all fat. When she runs it wobbles

[Chris the Rebel Wolf]

On an average day, the eight-year-old will have chicken necks for breakfast, snacks from his regular cafe haunts in Bondi for morning tea, often a sandwich stolen from one of Ms Erber's clients for lunch and dry mince for dinner.

Overweight dogs are no different to overweight people. The causes are bad/too much food and little to no exercise. I am constantly astounded by the amount of people in my area who do not walk their dogs. Of course some of it is feeding attitude also and thinking of "it's just a little snack" in human terms, not canine terms.

[Guest Labradork]

I have a four month old Lab and I keep her nice and lean... I sometimes get asked by people (usually non-dog people), when I'm out walking her, what breed of dog she is... And they are surprised when I tell them she's a Lab (she is pure bred, from a registered breeder). There seems to be a concensus that it's okay for Labs to be fat.

There's no excuse for overfeeding dogs - it's just cruelty. I think it happens because people project their own emotional needs onto their pets

Edited October 23, 2012 by Labradork

[tdierikx]

My nearly 7 year old Lab would eat until she exploded if I let her. She is a master of the "nobody ever feeds me" look too...

... but I have a much stronger will than her... *grin*... and though she's a bit broader than my liking, she is still much leaner than about 99% of Labs I've ever met.

Probably why she's still so darned fit and active at her age... still crazy too... she would make Marley (from the book) look well behaved a lot of the time... lol!

T.

[Nekhbet]

All I can say is look at the dog food and treat industry. How massive it is, and how much crap we give our dogs. I get asked on a daily basis what is good for a dog to chew on to keep its teeth clean! Because so many vets and companies have them scared that bones and raw food will somehow kill their dogs but its OK to feed them grain and industrial byproducts shaped into something cute instead. And big low protein, mill run kibble at $100 bag that says dental on it.

Chewing is a satisfying part of a dogs life, to sit there and scrape, gnaw, crack away at meat on the bone for a few hours how awesome is that. Its as good for their mental health as it is for their physical because a set portion takes so long to eat and satisfy. I cringe when I hear dogs that are 'too lazy' to chew bones - too well fed.

Processed products are killing us and they're killing our animals at the same time. I dont see what is wrong with dogs eating little bits during the day, especially dogs that have owners that are alone or older, as long as there is a line drawn somewhere as to quantity and what is given. My mums pomeranian lived almost 15 years eating tid bits off the side of her plate the most spoiled little dog in Melbourne, every vet praised how young he looked and I agree, he did.

Food as love is understandable, but at least balance it out with exercise or low calorie alternatives if you have the need to feed. But yes, some vets too need to understand the concept of truly fit condition of good muscle tone and low body fat compared to just crap food fed at lower portions. I visited two poodles once which their vet said were in fabulous condition because they were not fat - well they had no muscle either and their coats were so dry. That is not 'fit' either.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Nekhbet

[G.S.P.S/K]

After working in a dog grooming salon for many years I saw many obese dogs, and my boss had no qualms about telling people their dog needed to lose weight! Most people weren't offended, they usually said "I know". I remember 2 extremely obese labs whose owner would always just say "they're big boned" to which I'd inwardly groan not to mention almost breaking my back trying to get them onto the grooming table and into the bath.

I don't think desexing has anything to do with it either, it's all about diet and exercise. There's only one other excuse that can legitimately account for weight gain- dogs who are on certain types of medicines- there was one English Bulldog at the salon who used to be supremely fit and muscular, then he developed epilepsy and ballooned.

My Staffy x Kelpie weighs around 10.5 kgs normally but since having 3 knee surgeries in the past 4 months gained almost 1 kg- so what did I do? Halve her food, and her weight's back down despite a complete lack of exercise while she recovers.

It's easy to give your dogs treats every day, mine get bones, rawhides and other dental chews as well as carrots, apples and capsicum which they love. And I've never had a problem keeping them trim.