Overweight dogs

[draggar]

I was watching the doctors yesterday with my wife and someone asked about her 4 year old shepherd mix. She was very arthritic and had problems walking.

The vet they had on was going on and on about meds, this, that, and so on, even as a preventative.

My major issue? The dog was FAT, seriously overweight. I'm willing to be that's what's caused the issues. She was probably the equivalent of a 350+ pound person (and not muscle).

He only once and very briefly mentioned weight. He was more about the meds and so on.

I'm sure it was a BYB or puppy mill dog but still - they shouldn't be arthritic at 4 years old.

[Giggle Goose]

Awww, that poor thing!

This is funny; I was at the vet yesterday. My puggle is 6 months old and she's already 20 pounds, which is pretty much their max weight! So we're measuring out her food now. I didn't even think she looked chubby, but I don't want any of those problems on her!

My mom feeding her treats all the time doesn't help...

[jedimaster91]

I am uber paranoid about my Beagle's weight because I know the breed is susceptabe to weight problems. When we were training her, she mainly got healthy treats such as apple pieces and carrots as rewards. She is also crazy about pea pods. When we did use commercial treats as rewards I would only get two out of the bag and break them up into little pieces so they would last longer. We also feed her a fairly high quality kibble (since wet food tends to have more fat), and so far she's a slim, trim little hound. She also likes to chase the birds and rabbits in our yard, so she gets exercise even if we don't get home in time to play very much.

[draggar]

A dog at a healthy weight will look skinny - you should be able ot run your hands down their sides and feel ribs with little to no pressure (but the individual ribs should not be visible).

When you see pictures of dogs I post most of the time they're at a god weight.

[Parrothead]

While we're (kinda) on the subject, any advice on helping my dog loose ~15 pounds?