Does this pup look overweight??

tk123

As the title says - a few nice people in the park have told me lately that my 10 month old puppy is overweight. Now he was weighed in the vets a few weeks ago and they said he was perfect at 31.6 kgs - he's lost some weight since then as he's gotten a little longer and taller and his coat is getting longer too (especially his 'fur collar' as we call it ) so i'm not sure if people are eg thinking he has a big belly on him when it's his fur hanging down? He looks skinnier everyday to me!? What do you guys think? Everyone who's said it to me has a small short haired dog...

helimachoptor

As soon as I saw the pics, i thought people are seeing his chest/fur collar and thinking he's fat. He looks fine too me OP.

morganafay

He looks fine to me. Look at him from above, and see if he has a waist that's easy to see. If he does then he's fine, and the vet said he's fine so he must be.

Those people probably don't know what they're talking about! My sister said my long haired cat is fat, just because it was the winter so he was extra fluffy, but he's actually almost a bit skinny. And people always call my dogs fat, but they're not at all, it's just fur too. It's really annoying :P

joyce2009

he looks perfect to me its just that he has extra hair around his neck..put your hands along the sides of his chest and if you can feel his ribs easily enough than he is ok...hes georgous by the way..:D

crotalus667

no he does not look over weight and a pup should not lose weight get longer and taller yes lose weight no

uberwolf

no. in summary.

Sigma Force

He looks fine, stocky shape but grand to me.
Very cute

Shazanne

He's gorgeous - and he certainly does not look over-weight to me at all. He has a lovely good quality coat and healthy bright eyes so I would not worry about him at all. And he's not female so he wont be asking if his bum looks big.....:D

tk123

Thanks everyone!! You've put my mind at ease He's just fuzzy is all like I thought!! We do treat him for training etc so I make sure to count for the treats in his daily food allowance. I can't wait until his real coat comes in - we think he'll be darker too

PS the pics aren't the best because he wanted to play a game - I was making him stay so I could take them!

theTinker

he's amazing looking! Hes feckin adorable

he really does look like hes thinking "Can i play with that?"

ghost_ie

He's gorgeous. Definitely not overweight as far as I can tell

fred funk }{

I agree with the others, he looks perfect, defo not over weight.

tk123

GAH! I had him in the vets this afternoon and they said he WAS overweight - he's 33kgs now. He's been lame for about a month and I was a bit worried because it didn't seem to be getting better so brought him over. But it's a bit annoying because the last time I was there I was told to keep him on the lead until he was one so obviously he's not been getting the same excercise so he's put on weight. He's on hills r/d to get him to drop his weight down now to see if it helps his lameness. I've only just switched him to Burns and have a 15kg bag on the way from zooplus! The vet also told me that Burns wasn't the best??

Shazanne

So waht exactly did the vet recommend - cause if he's over weight then my little lady will have to join the gym!

tk123

Shazanne wrote: »

So waht exactly did the vet recommend - cause if he's over weight then my little lady will have to join the gym!

They reckon he should be 28kgs

Sid_Justice

I'm not second guessing your vet by any means. But, in my experience, they have a little chart with breeds, genders and expected weights and if your dog's weight doesn't match it then he's underweight or over weight.

Is it a pure breed Golden Retriever?

bmw535d

i know a lab is a heavier breed, but my lab is 40kg and the vet said he was the ideal weight.

if you can see his ribs but you can feel them without applying pressure then he should be fine.

crotalus667

tk123 wrote: »

They reckon he should be 28kgs

the diff between 28 and 33 is neglagable and could be explained by a bigger excampel of the breed

Jules

5kg is actually significant amount of weight for a dog. But you have to gage it as it is done with people. 15 stone looks good on some and crap on others. Same with dogs. I have seen labs that are 40/45 kg and they look amazing, big male dogs, big heads etc and i have seen little 22kg labs, that are just small.

If he goes in at the "waist" and when you rub your hands over his chest you can feel his ribs a touch, not boney but you can feel them. To me he looks fine, but with the coat looks can be well ya know!

If he is lame you have to be careful. Labs, as you probably know, are notorious for having hip/knee problems. And having him as light as possible is best for him. Also have to take into account is he neutered? Neutered boys put on weight easier and it is more difficult to get weight off of!

Getting into a conversation about food on here is risky at the best of times. There are differing opinions on food all of the time. Also the same with vets, a lot of disagreement on food advice and again it comes down to the pet, and what suits them. IMPO Burns is a good food.

Is he insured? If so you can see if you vet will arrange a ref to UCD or one of the other hydrotherapy places, or you can bring him swimming! Low impact excerise and good fun too!

tk123

Jules wrote: »

Is he insured? If so you can see if you vet will arrange a ref to UCD or one of the other hydrotherapy places, or you can bring him swimming! Low impact excerise and good fun too!

I'm going to ask them about this at his follow up - we live beside the park but he won't go in the river!! It's a bit shallow so not sure it'd help him anyways.
The worst thing is randomers who don't even know him coming up in the park telling you there's something wrong with him - as if we weren't worried about him enough!

wolfpawnat

Sure tell them all it is puppy fat!!!!!! Only messing

OP, every dog is different, seriously my cocker was overweight as far as cockers recommended weight goes, but for his frame (he is big framed) the vet thinks he's perfect.

Just walk him, give him his proper portions of food whatever amount of times of day the vet tells you. And dont just get the Burns, that stuff is a rip off and vets tell you to buy it because they get a good percentage of the sale, (my Son's father is training to be one, dropped me the hint). Get a balanced big bag of it and dont give in to puppy dog eyes!!!! (pun intended:))

Blueprint

I wouldn't pay too much attention to what vets tell you about food to be honest. I was at a dog event the other day and got free samples of all the brands and just by reading the ingredient list, you can tell that Hills aren't the best food out there! Burns seems much better to me. (I actually feed Orijen, but if I couldn't get that, I would feed Burns.)

My guy was over weight for a bit, so I just cut back on his normal food until he'd lost it and watched his treat intake (which was the biggest problem, as he's a great beggar). He was at the vets for his boosters on Thursday and I was told he was in fantastic condition, so it definitely worked for me! He's fed around the recommended amount for a 10 Kg dog, in spite of being around 13 Kg, as this is what keeps him trim.

Personally, I'd rather feed less of a really good food than Hills diet stuff...

Shazanne

tk123 wrote: »

They reckon he should be 28kgs

And what about food brand? I feed Millie Royal Canin, 50grms twice a day (with a little wet food mixer or she wont eat it!). I always though Royal Canin was the best you you give them

bmw535d

what do yas think of red mills winner complete?

25 euro a bag so it must be good right?

goat2

he look perfect to me
if he is overweight then the pup i have need to to the priory

andreac

bmw535d wrote: »

what do yas think of red mills winner complete?

25 euro a bag so it must be good right?

Red mills isnt a bad food, but its the Leader or Leader Supreme range that is the best. Red Mills do a whole range of foods from cheap to better quality but the winner wouldnt be the best in their range, i would go for the Leader, or Leader Supreme, much better quality.

andreac

Shazanne wrote: »

And what about food brand? I feed Millie Royal Canin, 50grms twice a day (with a little wet food mixer or she wont eat it!). I always though Royal Canin was the best you you give them

Royal canin is def not the best. There are plenty of good foods. I personally think Royal Canin is def over priced, only paying for the name really.
There are loads of really good foods out there, Burns, Arden Grange, Orijen, Clinivet and so on. All really good complete foods.

bmw535d

andreac wrote: »

Red mills isnt a bad food, but its the Leader or Leader Supreme range that is the best. Red Mills do a whole range of foods from cheap to better quality but the winner wouldnt be the best in their range, i would go for the Leader, or Leader Supreme, much better quality.

ok ill have to look out for that..roughly how much more is it that winner complete? a 25kg bag lasts me about 2 months.when we go the dog he was very over weight and couldn't even keep up with me running.his previous owners fed him everything they ate along with that canned crap pedigree chump.

we weaned him on to dry feed and exercised him and now he looks great.there is one downside and that is all the extra loose skin he has now:(

seems like he is casting for the summer now..lab hair does seem to get everywhere

andreac

I think its around 35, but its def a higher quality food so well worth it.

Try doing some roadwork with him on hard ground to harden him up and build up muscle, as long as hes not a puppy though.

bmw535d

he gets a good 2 mile walk/run to the beach every Saturday.

he's about 5 now id say. i must start him breeding hes a very good pedigree his grandmother even won some lab of the year competition on england.

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/declan-mc/Image033.jpg?t=1273361612
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/declan-mc/charlie/DCP_1436.jpg?t=1273361870

Shazanne

This whole food thing is very confusing! Do any of the better brands of dry food do a variety of flavours to prevent the dog from becoming bored? I have terrible problems getting my terrier to eat just dried food all the time, she will eat it with a little wet food mixer tho, but I reckon if I could offer her a couple of different flavours it might be more tempting for her.

andreac

bmw535d wrote: »

he gets a good 2 mile walk/run to the beach every Saturday.

he's about 5 now id say. i must start him breeding hes a very good pedigree his grandmother even won some lab of the year competition on england.

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/declan-mc/Image033.jpg?t=1273361612

Unless hes been health tested and is an excellent example of his breed then theres no need to breed from him.Labs are so common and more than enough being bred from at the moment.
Breeding is best left to the experts and with dogs thats are 100% healthy and tested for conditions that the breed suffer from. So unless these are done please dont breed from him.

bmw535d

andreac wrote: »

Unless hes been health tested and is an excellent example of his breed then theres no need to breed from him.Labs are so common and more than enough being bred from at the moment.
Breeding is best left to the experts and with dogs thats are 100% healthy and tested for conditions that the breed suffer from. So unless these are done please dont breed from him.

well he gets the usual check up every year and nothing ever came up and if i am going to breed him i will be giving him to an expert to handle the whole thing.

i was offered 300 to breed him or a choice of a pup, i think ill take the pup

andreac

Shazanne wrote: »

This whole food thing is very confusing! Do any of the better brands of dry food do a variety of flavours to prevent the dog from becoming bored? I have terrible problems getting my terrier to eat just dried food all the time, she will eat it with a little wet food mixer tho, but I reckon if I could offer her a couple of different flavours it might be more tempting for her.

Its not good to keep changing foods as it upsets the stomach and can give them the runs. Just stick to one food as its better for the dog.

Your dog will only eat with the wet food because its clever and knows it will get it if it doesnt eat the dry food on its on. Trust me, a dog will not go hungry so if you offer the food for a few days without the wet food and font give in, it will eat the food. It could be fussy for a few days but when it realises thats all its getting it will eat.

I have a dog that got a bit fussy,(all my fault) so i fed him without the nice bits added, and for 3 days he turned his nose up at his dinner. After 3 days he realised he wasnt getting anything else and started to eat his dinner again, without the nice things added to it.

andreac

bmw535d wrote: »

well he gets the usual check up every year and nothing ever came up and if i am going to breed him i will be giving him to an expert to handle the whole thing.

i was offered 300 to breed him or a choice of a pup, i think ill take the pup

A yearly check up is not enough. Each breed would have to be tested for relevent conditions, with labs they need to be hip scored and im sure there are other things too to be tested for which arent done in a basic check up.

These include things like heart checks, hip and elbow scoring and so on. If you research the breed problems online and find out what they should be health checked for, you will see what needs to be done. A once over from the vet wouldnt cover any of these things.

Jules

bmw, he is definately a stunner! But i would get him hip scored before breeding. We are seeing far too many <12 month old lads with Hip Dysplasia. Is is very upsetting. And he might not be showing signs of it now but later and it will more than likely be passed onto any pups he sires!

bmw535d

what exactly is a hip score..sorry for sounding retarded but this is my first dog and i don't know very much about them.infact i didn't even buy him he was giving to me by to elderly woman who couldn't handle him when he grew to such a size,

he is five years old now(human year) and i haven't seen any problems yet.

he once got a cut on the tip of his tail we took him to the vet and she gave him antibiotics for a calf lol.

Jules

His scoring it to check for hip problems. Basically it's an xray to make sure there is no arthritis and see that the top of the femur sits nicely into the pelvis! Generally you will see it early on if it's bad. Lameness, wide stance on the back legs, difficulty in getting up, slow etc. But could have very slight HD and it wouldn't cause a problem, but would pass onto the pups!

bmw535d

Jules wrote: »

His scoring it to check for hip problems. Basically it's an xray to make sure there is no arthritis and see that the top of the femur sits nicely into the pelvis! Generally you will see it early on if it's bad. Lameness, wide stance on the back legs, difficulty in getting up, slow etc. But could have very slight HD and it wouldn't cause a problem, but would pass onto the pups!

a well there is def no problems like that yet anyway as it takes him 0.5 micro seconds to get up and he can run like the wind etc.ill get it done anyway just to be sure

there really is no better dog than a lab imo

andreac

bmw535d wrote: »

a well there is def no problems like that yet anyway as it takes him 0.5 micro seconds to get up and he can run like the wind etc.ill get it done anyway just to be sure

there really is no better dog than a lab imo

A dog could look and behave perfectly healthy but have a really bad hip score so its essential that his hips are scored before breeding as he could pass on his hip problems to his pups if he has a bad score.

Just because he seems ok now doesnt necessarily mean that he wont develop problems later in life so its an absol must to get him hip scored as the breed is prone to hip problems.

Ado86

There is no ideal weight for any breed of dog. It obviously depends on their breed and build but body condition scoring is a much better method of characterising if animal is over or under weight.
Should aim for a body condition score of 3.

tk123

Shazanne wrote: »

This whole food thing is very confusing! Do any of the better brands of dry food do a variety of flavours to prevent the dog from becoming bored? I have terrible problems getting my terrier to eat just dried food all the time, she will eat it with a little wet food mixer tho, but I reckon if I could offer her a couple of different flavours it might be more tempting for her.

I find it really confusing too because everyone has a different opinion and even different vets will tell you different things! I went for burns because it only has a few ingrediants and and he seemed to be doing well on it. It comes in a few different flavours too..

tk123

tk123 wrote: »

I'm going to ask them about this at his follow up - we live beside the park but he won't go in the river!! It's a bit shallow so not sure it'd help him anyways.
The worst thing is randomers who don't even know him coming up in the park telling you there's something wrong with him - as if we weren't worried about him enough!

Looks like I spoke to soon - he went for a paddle today after some coaxing and watching his friend swimming!

Blueprint

It can take a while, it took me nearly two years to persuade my guy that he would not drown if all 4 paws weren't touching bottom at all times. He's an unstoppable swimmer since last June!

mymo

tk123, people said my dog was fat even after the vet had advised me he was quite underweight, and to feed him up a bit. He was very hairy(shaved now) and looked big.(has put it on now he's stopped growing)
You'll know yourself by the feel of him(the guide posted by ado86 is great), I knew my fella was thin but wasn't too worried as he had all the food he could eat(just didn't want it) and was very lively.
Some dogs eat more in winter and will get a little heavier, but as it heats up they eat less and thin out a bit.
Hope he keeps up the splashing, my fella will be two the end of june and still won't even dip a toe in, while the little one walks into the river and lies down in it to cool off(but won't swim).:rolleyes:

Shazanne

Blueprint wrote: »

It can take a while, it took me nearly two years to persuade my guy that he would not drown if all 4 paws weren't touching bottom at all times. He's an unstoppable swimmer since last June!

Got a real smile out of that! Animal lovers have such a way with words!!:D