Overweight Pets.

dearlouise

What's next, are you going to go to the park & tell the social services about all of the overweight kids?

To be honest, the fact the dog is getting walked, has food (clearly) and shelter - what would you like the RSCPA to do? Take them away and put them in a cage?! Are you warped?!

Hilarious you've made the sweeping statement about fat pets/fat owners...!

One of my cats is fat, she broke her leg, then had a pin & the pin came out of the leg (through the skin, horrible ordeal), now she clearly feels pain some days, just sits about. But you know what, she's such a happy little girl. Think I'm going to force her to exercise when it's painful and reduce her meals to a ridiculously small amount so she's hungry when the others get more. Not a chance.

chris_n_tj

Babbawah wrote: »

The laws of physics dictate that an overweight animal is an overfed animal. WRONG

This is as true for humans as it is for cats & dogs. It is not possible to gain 1kg+ of weight for 1kg of food.

Food love is not real love.

A load of bunkum. An overweight animal isn't always an overfed one.
Please don't insult mine nor my Vets intelligence. It is quite possible and does happen for an animal to put on that amount of weight if that animal has an underlying health condition.


I think you enjoy winding up folk.

sheramber

My dog looks overweight but he ain't. He is thick set, looks like a cube but has a thick coat.

Even my vet was surprised that she could actually feel his ribs under his thick coat. His weight is ideal for him- also confirmed by the vet.

He has plenty of energy to run through the dunes looking for rabbits, goes swimming regularly and does agility although he is 10 years old.

Babbawah

sheramber wrote: »

My dog looks overweight but he ain't. He is thick set, looks like a cube but has a thick coat.

Even my vet was surprised that she could actually feel his ribs under his thick coat. His weight is ideal for him- also confirmed by the vet.

He has plenty of energy to run through the dunes looking for rabbits, goes swimming regularly and does agility although he is 10 years old.

If you're vet cannot distinguish between a breed with a thick coat & an overweight dog, then you really should consider an alternative health care provider on behalf of your dog.

Babbawah

chris_n_tj wrote: »

A load of bunkum. An overweight animal isn't always an overfed one.

So how do some dogs put on weight?

Is it possible to eat 1kg of food & put on 1kg+ of weight?

Whoop

CHRISSYG wrote: »

Some NOT all !

My dog has put on weight after a cruciate ligament repair earlier in the year.

I may be more inclined to listen to my vet if he didn't try to sell me large bags of expensive food .

Your dog has put on weight because he/she is exercising less but still being fed the same amount. You don't need to feed a prescribed diet food, just cut back the amount you are feeding.

I don't work in general practice anymore but when I did I ran weight clinics and it made me want to hit my head against a wall. Most people don't listen, feed their pet loads of treats on the side and then complain when their pet hasn't lost any weight. Arghh!

I wouldn't be surprised if insurance companies start refusing to pay out for cases where the pet being very overweight has caused the problem. Maybe then people will realise what problems they are causing.

krlyr

Whoop wrote: »

Your dog has put on weight because he/she is exercising less but still being fed the same amount. You don't need to feed a prescribed diet food, just cut back the amount you are feeding.

I don't work in general practice anymore but when I did I ran weight clinics and it made me want to hit my head against a wall. Most people don't listen, feed their pet loads of treats on the side and then complain when their pet hasn't lost any weight. Arghh!

I wouldn't be surprised if insurance companies start refusing to pay out for cases where the pet being very overweight has caused the problem. Maybe then people will realise what problems they are causing.

It can be difficult though, sometimes it's a double edged sword. We moved house and this triggered separation anxiety in one of my dogs. It wasn't diagnosed for a while, but she had hypothyroidism contributing to this anxiety. So we were trying to deal with the SA and using treats, stuffed Kongs, chews, etc. to tackle the behavioural issue, alongside a change in exercise (lack of safe off-lead places - I took up running as a replacement, but we ditched games like fetch as this high-adrenaline game was making her anxiety worse), on top of a medical condition which causes weight gain. Also, we had a family member who helped us out with dogsitting, but was sneaking them some naughty treats whilst they were there!

So my dog did gain weight, but that wasn't my priority at the time - having a dog who wasn't distressed every minute she was home alone was more important to me. Weight can be lost, and it was easier to shift once she was medicated for her thyroid condition, but I'd rather have some uneducated, short minded assumptions made about me being a bad owner, than to actually be a bad owner leaving my dog stressed for the sake of her waistline.

Dogs that are on crate-rest due to illness or injury are often going to be bored, and giving them chews, Kongs, interactive feeders, etc. will alleviate some of that boredom. The weight can be lost when the dog is recovered, it's not the end of the world (though obviously it's beneficial for leg injuries for a dog to not be excessively heavy)

It's not as black and white as fat dog = bad ownership.

Babbawah

krlyr wrote: »

gob!!!!! snipped

So what you're basically saying is . . . you were feeding your dog treats & your dog became overweight.

Also, I'd like the name, address & RCVS registration number of any vet who diagnosed "seperation anxiety".

krlyr

Babbawah wrote: »

So what you're basically saying is . . . you were feeding your dog treats & your dog became overweight.

Also, I'd like the name, address & RCVS registration number of any vet who diagnosed "seperation anxiety".

I was feeding my dog more food and she gained weight, yes, I have quite plainly said that. Well done for being able to read. Then I started feeding my dog less food and she still gained weight. Medical condition, remember Medication started, level of food remained the same, weight lost. She's fed the same amount of food, if her thyroid levels drop, her weight goes up. Medication adjusted, weight goes down.

I'm not going to give a total stranger personal details such as my vet's information, but yes, it was diagnosed with my vets, a local trainer and behaviourist. To be honest, I don't really give two hoots if you believe me or not. Infact, I don't know why I'm bothering with your posts - only really for the benefit of anyone else who reads it and mistakenly thinks you know what you're talking about. Ignore feature may be put in use for the first time on the forum from now on.

tbourner

Don't feed the troll. I'm giving up on this thread now.