Norskgra Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 (edited) I am Secretary of our breed club and I have just received a disturbing email from a person in another state seeking advice. The sender adopted a 10 year old Elkhound from their local pound. The person is an angel for taking this elderly gentleman on. The ideal weight for male Norwegian Elkhounds is 23kgs. What was disturbing was that this dog weighed 46kgs which is twice what it should weigh. The person who emailed me has him on a very sensible diet and excise program. Apparently the pound was feeding him 4 to 5 cups of whatever dry food that they were donated. Mine get a maximum of 2 cups of Nutro a day. They have also spent 4 days to shed out all the excess hair as he is obviously blowing his coat, but this hair was all matted and obviously had not been brushed for ages, as he also had 5 abscesses due to grass seeds imbeded in the skin. It is not hard to keep an Elkhounds coat in good condition. How could someone let him get so obese and let his coat get so bad? This person wanted advice on his diet, exercise and how to get his coat back into condition. As I have said, this person is an angel and I cannot thank them enough for taking this gentleman on even though they have never owned an Elkhound before. Edited December 17, 2006 by Norskgra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntinHound Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 OMG 46kgs?? That's shocking - glad they contacted you for assistance and guidance here as that poor old man needs to loose some weight !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted December 17, 2006 Author Share Posted December 17, 2006 OMG 46kgs?? That's shocking - glad they contacted you for assistance and guidance here as that poor old man needs to loose some weight !!! I was so happy that they did contact me. He has lost 6kg in just over a week. She was doing everything almost right but just needed a little guidance on the breed and what will work with them. They also wanted to know the best 'tools' to use to groom his coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Holy crap, 46kg is a Rottweiler Good to hear he's in great hands now though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted December 17, 2006 Author Share Posted December 17, 2006 Holy crap, 46kg is a Rottweiler Good to hear he's in great hands now though I know. Just so you get a better idea of how overweight he is, the ideal height for a male Elkhound is 52cm. The person who adopted him seems really concerned that they are doing the correct thing with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arby Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Thank god for someone out there that has some common sense out in this world. So glad they seeked advice!!! Poor dog will have sooo many problems that could easily be avoided Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted December 17, 2006 Author Share Posted December 17, 2006 (edited) I agree Arby, that Elkie was being killed through being overloved. Elkhounds are very keen eaters which is why most of the owners I know watch and measure what their dogs eat. I spoke to the President of our club and she was horrified as well. I have asked the person who adopted him to send me a photo as I can't imagine an Elkie that overweight. Edited December 17, 2006 by Norskgra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arby Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I agree Arby, that Elkie was being killed through being overloved. Elkhounds are very keen eaters which is why most of the owners I know watch and measure what their dogs eat. I spoke to the President of our club and she was horrified as well. I have asked the person who adopted him to send me a photo as I can't imagine an Elkie that overweight. I cant imagine any dog that overweight. The age of the poor thing would mean weaker joints and stuff but with that much weight I'm surprised the poor thing can still walk. So sad. I bet the old owners thought it was "cute" how chubby the dog was when it was younger and just kept feeding it the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Holy crap, 46kg is a Rottweiler ;) Good to hear he's in great hands now though I know. Just so you get a better idea of how overweight he is, the ideal height for a male Elkhound is 52cm. and a Rottweiler over 60! Very lucky boy to have found this person! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wuhana Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 wow that is alot of extra kilos . Thank goodness his owner has had the sense to call the club and get good advice about weight etc, what a wonderful person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted December 17, 2006 Author Share Posted December 17, 2006 Very lucky boy to have found this person! I agree totally, Shek. She appears to be a very caring person and the poor dog is so lucky to have found her. Waschaf - She has only had him for just over a week and he has lost approximately 6kg all ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordelia Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 That's a hell of a lot of weight to lose in a week... too much in fact. You want gradual weight loss of actual fat, not a massive loss of fluid. I recently had a Labrador come in who weighed 65kg... good weight for his size is approx 36kg (he's a big fella for Lab anyway). He's losing weight slowly and steadily. With regards to the coat... good diet and basically, sometimes it's easier just to shave down and start over as the dead/matted coat will never return to the lovely coat it should be if just brushed out... Definitely a lucky pooch to have found such a caring home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttaburra Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 You want gradual weight loss of actual fat, not a massive loss of fluid. I recently had a Labrador come in who weighed 65kg... good weight for his size is approx 36kg (he's a big fella for Lab anyway). He's losing weight slowly and steadily. This is what I wanted to ask, just how do you go about formulating a good reduction diet that does not put stress on the dog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted December 17, 2006 Author Share Posted December 17, 2006 She takes him to the vets for regular weigh ins. The Vte put the dog on Science Diet RD. He is also being fed BARF. The initial amount of weight loss was also due to him now getting a little exercise and not being kept in his kennel at the shelter and not getting exercise. The Vet is not concerned at theamount of weight he has lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witheverythingiam Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I think the best kind of exercise for a dog that size/weight/age would be swimming - against a current perhaps - so as not to cause further damage to the joints/cartilage/bones in his big ol' body! Just my opinion though... -WithEverythingIAm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peigirl Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Sounds very similiar to a story my vet told me. This stupid woman had a Pei that weighed 44kg A Pei's ideal weight is 18-25kg. The pooch unfortunately passed away Stupid woman did not learn. I recently saw her two current Pei. Both also very overweight. She saw my boy Raf who is a little supermodel at 21kg (I actually can't keep weight on him) and said to her two "see that's how youre supposed to look", like it was her dog's fault!!! I mean WTF? Some people just shouldn't be allowed to have pets :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fit for a King Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) sometimes it's easier just to shave down and start over as the dead/matted coat will never return to the lovely coat it should be if just brushed out... Might be easier initially but in some breeds far from ideal - in some breeds shaving them down only encourages a rapid and permanent increase in undercoat making it even more difficult for the potential new owner. Brushing out the existing coat can be time consuming and a pain in the butt BUT better in the long run. Quicker does not always mean better. Edited December 18, 2006 by Fit for a King Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicko Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) Ignore my post. Edited December 18, 2006 by chicko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norskgra Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 is this from a perth guy? cause i know one looking for a home here that is VERY over weight...will find pic.im sure its the same breed If you are talking about the Elkhound, it came from s shelter in WA somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I bet the old owners thought it was "cute" how chubby the dog was when it was younger and just kept feeding it the same. Ugh, that kind of attitude disgusts me A fat animal is not cute or healthy and reflects pretty badly on the emotional state of the owner if they can't be disciplined enough to provide appropriate diet and exercise. Cats are the worst- I can't stand it when people go on about how fat their cat is but it's just soooooo hard to feed it less because the cat will be "unhappy". Bloody hell, I'd rather have my cats bitch at me for food 24/7 than watch them turn to lard and die young. Ah-hem. Rant over :D Norskgra, I'm so glad this poor boy has found such a dedicated and caring new owner. They're a saint and I hope he turns into the sleek and healthy boy he's got the potential to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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