When someone's dog is overweight...

Gosh, Jackie, I didn't think you were implying that my dogs are overweight. LOL!  I'm often accused of starving the poor things.  Comments like "beautiful dog, but he's awfully skinny"!  I've got lean, well muscled dogs with a nice, visable nip at the waist.  No ribs or hipbones sticking out, just no extra fat, which is part of the reason I have had trouble in the past keeping weight on Thunder in the winter. He has a wicked fast metabolism and burns so many calories playing out in the snow that I had to change his food for the winter.  This year, he's stayed healthy looking and NOT anorexic.

And I agree with MP about the "diet" or weight loss foods.  Many of them lower the protein levels and skyrocket the carbs.  But, I don't agree that anyone has to pant and gasp to get exercise that burns calories.  I personally think that if the dog or person is FIT, they are able to do more without gasping or panting, or sweating (man, I HATE to sweat) and still get effective exercise.

JackieG

Guess I must be lucky because my Vet weighs the dogs on EVERY visit and the cat.

This is my point - they weigh the dogs and compare the number against a chart, or the weight recorded as "ideal" on the computer.  That, in my opinion, is a totally USELESS way to monitor a dog's condition.  You can SEE and FEEL if a dog is over or under weight.  Sticking it on the scales doesn't really tell you anything.

For what it's worth - it's the same for people too.  How much you weigh is fairly irrelevant.  How much FAT do you have on your body; how much muscle, how active are you, what is your skin tone like?  Hair, nails?  We, as a society, are too obsessed by weight, IMO.

JackieG

I'm not sure where MP comes into this because I was sort of commenting because of something Glenda posted

I realise that, I should have made it clearer that that part of my post was directed at someone else, but you can't reply to 2 posts in the same message.  I should have just not been so lazy and replied to them seperately.

 If they're someone I know, I will tell them.  I've brought it up to students in my agility classes and I hate to say it to them, but I'm not going to let them jump their overweight dog. 

My BF's uncle has a rat terrier and when we first met Max, he was an energetic, little thing, running all over and having a ball.  We saw him 2 years ago or so and he was a freakin' sausage!  We commented and I told them they should have his thyroid checked.  We must have told them that 3 or 4 times each visit over 2 years.  They said they gave hiim diet food and the vet didn't tell them anything was wrong.  Well, the poor dog ended up breaking his leg at some point and they took him in to the emergency vet who told them he was way overweight!  They said they tried limiting his food and that no one was feeding him table scraps, which is what they'd told us whenever we mentioned it, so the vet checked his thyroid.  You can now guess where this is going.  Turns out he had an overactive thyroid.    I don't know how many friggin' times we'd told them to have that checked and they ignored us.  Oi!  The wife actually said, "Good thing he broke his leg or we'd have never known he had a thyroid issue!".  My BF and I just looked at each other and were thankful that they finally got him checked.

People will just not listen....

Chuffy

JackieG

Guess I must be lucky because my Vet weighs the dogs on EVERY visit and the cat.

 

This is my point - they weigh the dogs and compare the number against a chart, or the weight recorded as "ideal" on the computer.  That, in my opinion, is a totally USELESS way to monitor a dog's condition.  You can SEE and FEEL if a dog is over or under weight.  Sticking it on the scales doesn't really tell you anything.

Well I have to agree that you can recognize overweight by not actually weighing a dogs.  But gosh, if my Vet couldn't tell by the chart and by looking at them then I would not have much confidence and change Vets.  My Vet always discusses weight.... especially with River.  He is large and he wants to keep him as lean as possible.  And he mentions when Hailie is getting to porky too.

I think my vets are pretty good with weight, as evident by them telling me my dogs are good and not too skinny.  Coke is like 26" tall and we keep him around 60lbs (he was 48 when surrendered back to the rescue).  I'm not sure that they can really tell pound-for-pound, breed-for-breed what is ideal, but I'm not sure I'd expect them too.  For example, right now Kenya is a few pounds OVER weight and slightly out of condition.  I'm guessing she's about 60lbs right now.  If I took her to the vet and asked about her weight/condition I sincerely doubt they'd say anything other than "she looks good."  Since Kenya has a smaller/finer frame and is an athletic agility dog she should be lean, usually when she's in her best condition I see the last few ribs.

Yesterday

vs. in condition during the summer

 Seriously I have changed vets SO many times!  Right now I don't worry about it.  I know *I* can tell if my dogs are out of condition, I have decided I don't need my vet to be my dogs dietician or nutrition specialist.  In an ideal world and all that.....