People With Fat Dogs

[cali]

I do think its rude to just launch into a lecture, I mean I had a client do that to another client and it was very rude, the owners knew the dog was fat, she had just been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and was on a treatment plan, but the lady did not let them get a word in edgewise, it was just instant ripping them apart. that said I truely don't understand how a general comment(oh look who's a chunky monkey!) is offensive. offence is not an emotion its a choice, you can chose to believe the person is being malicious or you can choose to believe the person is just concerned. I just fail to see the point in choosing to believe the person has malicious intent.

[Lasareina]

I would probably go with rib cover as different breeds often have very different shapes. A lot of short coated sight hounds will for example show the knobs of their vertebrae, even when in good condition. some of our dogs have less tuck than others and I have noticed with staffy mixes the males can often have an almost straight bottom line, due to the way their penis is set and the skin that connects it to their belly.

Not sure if I am describing this very well.... Bundy (on far right in my sig) is bit heavier than ideal atm but even when slim, he has minimal tuck, especially when he is not in fit condition. With increased muscle tone he will gain some tuck.

Thanks BlackJaq - your description of the staffy botton line fits Hunter perfectly. However, after reading this discussion, I went home and tested his ribs coverage again and he is getting a little more padded :laugh: it can creep up so quick! Time to cut his meat quantity back a bit I think! Or get my butt out off bed earlier enough to go for a decent walk in the morning like I have been telling myself to do...

[RiverStar-Aura]

I know some vets can find ideal weights difficult too. I was told by my vet that Poochie was overweight at 10 kilos, especially for an Aussie Terrier but later admitted that when she'd dropped weight due to illness, that she was perfect at the 10 kilos -- he was using the breed standard.

Kirah on the other hand tips the scales at 6.4 kilos and for the same breed and sex (both females) that's a whopping 3.6 kilos different for their ideal weights. Breed standards are a guide and weight should be determined on each individual dog rather than the ideal.

I like to keep both my dogs on the slimmer side due to the sheer amount of running, jumping and twisting they do. They're not agility dogs yet but it's in progress and I believe that as long as they're not underweight, just lean, their joints will be better in the long term.

I don't mind if my guys bulk up a little over winter either; they sleep outside so an extra 500g won't hurt but come summer I cut their food back again.

[dee lee]

Lol, I just put my dog on a diet after thinking about this thread! :laugh:

Seems I'm not as immune to creeping weight gain as I'd thought! I checked Honey out & hidden under that fluffy shedding were... no ribs...

Mind you, she's not obese, just got a little extra post winter layer, but I'm feeling a bit sheepish about being sactimonious now.

However, it's interesting to note that we run together every day & in the last few months shes been lagging behind. I'd been thinking she was just getting older, but I'm wondering if she's just been struggling with the extra weight?

Bad mum here.

[Christina]

People already know when they have a fat dog. They can see it.

The same as when people are fat. Unless they are blind they know & don't want anyone telling them about it.

Sometimes they don't care, sometimes they care & don't know how to fix it. Its not always easy & simple.

Another reason why many dogs are overweight may not be due to tons of food & treats. Desexing is so common now & unfortunately it does make many dogs chunkier. Cutting down on their food is the only answer but how low can it be cut down.

Some dogs are not overly energetic either by breed or by nature & may have other issues when older that affect energy.

You are so likely to be told where to go making personal remarks to relative strangers & even by those you know. They don't want negative input.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Christina

[OSoSwift]

I disagree.

We had a goreous young very overweight lab come into the vet hospotal. She had hurt her back was in immense pain and could barely walk. After seeing her etc the vet told the man she was very over weight and went through what to look for ect, approximately how much weight she needed to lose - was a lot.

The guy was genuinely shocked. He said, I take her running at the beach every day, she is fit, I had no idea. The weight had creapt on after she had finished growing but kept getting fed a growing puppy amount. She did have good muscle but was not even a sausage, her sides were her widest part.

He put her on a diet, weighed her dutifully and got her down to a perfect weight. I remember him once again expressing the suprise that he just hadn't seen it and had thought she was a good weight and how it seems he eye was trained to see what was infront of him as acceptable. The little Lab stayed a great weight and didn't have any more back issues.

Many people were the same.

Edited October 15, 2013 by OSoSwift

[Nekhbet]

I've been battling with 2 of my dogs to lose weight. If I drop there food intake anymore I moswell not feed them. I get comments on how fat Rascal my chihuahua is all the time, till I tell them how much he is getting feed and exercise then they change there tune. Rascal is lucky to get a tablespoon of food a day and 40-60 minute walks most days depending on weather. Shelley my golden retriever is lucky get 1 1/4 cup of food a day, is runing on and off during the day in the yard plus 40-60 minute walk most days (...)

That can also be a dietary issue. I have 3 dogs here that are now eating more then before I got them and they're leaner, especially the pug. She eats like a pig and is trim, fit and active.

I find the first thing I do is chuck out all the dry foods and get them on higher protein raw, not chicken but something that kicks the metabolism into drive like fish, beef etc,and I used the VAN mix as well as hefty doses of probiotics like Vetafarm Probotic. Feed two small feeds a day, more in the morning.

The problem with feeding less and less is the body can start going into a starvation mode and you find there is no weight loss despite the minimal food. My grandparents had the same issue, they fed the dog almost nothing and he was a jrt x at 13kg until I changed him to fresh.

[Steph M]

Interesting about the chicken. So raw with chicken as a protein source < raw with beef or lamb?

My pups love chicken and often have it for a week or so at a time on the back of a bulk buy with VAN. I hope I'm not doing them a disservice, but both appear in good nick? Eek! Moment of worry there. Haha.

[Nekhbet]

I'm talking what I've found on average. When you feed chicken dog style mince there's really not that much muscle protein in there so when you're talking about a 'kick start' for a fat dog I dont use it off the cuff, I prefer an energy boost from the beef, plenty of protein and iron. I tried chicken they stayed fat, which is why I went with beef or fish. Worked a treat.

If your dogs are in good condition then there's nothing really to worry about :p

[Steph M]

Cool beans, one less thing in a myriad to worry over. Haha.

We tend to avoid most mince anyway, we have scoffers and it just goes too fast. Haha.

[Nekhbet]

It's like a pack of ferals at my place, the pug just plants her face into a bowl if it's something sloppy and I have to wipe her :laugh: I made her porridge once she even managed to get it in her ears

[Steph M]

Our flat coat frequently has a 'high tide' mark from anything remotely wet. The other one will just hover like a starved seagull sneaking nibbles from his bowl.

Feeding time at the zoo at ours too!

[minimax]

It's like a pack of ferals at my place, the pug just plants her face into a bowl if it's something sloppy and I have to wipe her :laugh: I made her porridge once she even managed to get it in her ears

My two pugs get yoghurt with their breakfast, quite often they come running back to me with it on their head or ears and I'm like, did you eat it, or roll in it

Edited October 16, 2013 by minimax

[Nekhbet]

My two pugs get yoghurt with their breakfast, quite often they come running back to me with it on their head or ears and I'm like, did you eat it, or roll in it

I actually watched her once, she stood there staring at her bowl then suddenly face planted into it fully. I reckon they do have the ability to breathe through their butts

[OSoSwift]

I feed my roo, it's lean and they love it - some dogs find it a little rich though. I also feed some beef and the odd bit of lamb. I have one that gets very sick if he is fed chicken so none of them get that. The cats are on Roo and VAN and so very healthy now, a far cry from when I got them.

[Maddy]

Beef and roo mince. Weigh it out into portions, roll portion into a ball, put in freezer bag and freeze. Slows down the food inhalers, forces them to chew (which helps their teeth) and because it takes them longer to eat, they tend to eat less. Only two of my dogs get their meat defrosted and that's because they both need a bit of weight on (one has visible hip bones and the other is a very fussy dog who can drop a lot of weight from just a week of being more picky than usual).