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Too Skinny, Too Fat, or Just Right?
Sometimes when I work with my clients, I need to bring up the topic of their dog’s weight. Here are some common scenarios:
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Bogey had a moderately low interest in treats during our training sessions, but he was also very overweight. I recommended his pet parent speak with their vet about ways to bring Bogey down to an ideal weight. Not only is it healthier for him and easier on his joints, it also sparked a greater interest in training treats and helped to keep him eagerly engaged in some important training we had to do.
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Ollie was a very, very barky maltipoo with a dreadlock hairdo that hid an extremely underweight condition. The pet parent had switched him to a raw diet and was accidentally underfeeding him. (The amount of kibble you put into a bowl is waaay less than the amount of raw food due to its high water content.) No wonder he barked hysterically whenever food was in the picture!
The most common issue I run into is overweight dogs, and it can be a ticklish subject to broach. Some pet parents equate food with love, and overfeeding is just their way of showing their dog love. ???? Even some vets are reluctant to bring up this topic because pet parents may be offended! I try to take a humorous approach where I say that I’m pretty hypocritical mentioning that their dog is carrying extra pounds when I am too. But I then share the many benefits a dog can experience when at an ideal weight, and explain how we assess body condition. ???? Basically, if you run your fingertips along the side of a dog’s body, you should be able to find the last few ribs without having to press firmly. IOW, there’s a slight pad of fat. If the ribs stick out like the back of your knuckles, the dog is underweight. If it’s hard to feel any ribs, the dog is carrying extra weight.
Below is a body condition chart you may find helpful, courtesy of Hill’s, and a trio of photos: too plump, too skinny, and just right.
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11 Replies
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I think weight is a hard subject to discuss too. Most dog food recommendations on the back of bags are way too much and not to mention every dogs exercise regiments are different. When people are thinking they are doing the right thing because “thats what it says” on the bag they are actually over feeding. I can relate to people and say I did too at 17 got my first golden puppy and fed what they said and it was based on “love”. Fast forward he turned 10 and the vet was like ummm he needs to loose weight. He lost his weight and lived till 13. I share with people because I really think it helped him live to an old age! I also share the example how when my Berner ate a sock ( because he was so trim) it was easier for the vet to feel and diagnose. With my current dogs i really watch their weight and compare each year at the vet, luckily they managed the same weight for years. I understand its one thing we can actually control. Thank @virginiad for this post!
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What great examples you have to share with your clients, @krista!
It reminded me of a comment a vet made to me many years ago, about her having to be careful not to use too much anesthesia with my dogs because they were lean.-
@virginiad oh that’s another good reason! I wonder what other benefits there are to keeping them trim? I may have to investigate
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Yay – please report back!
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Yes, great post, @virginiad !
I also had trouble with each of own dogs being overweight. My first pup, a Beagle, was a garbage girl…even with it behind a cabinet or those flip-open top canisters, she STILL found a way. Plus, she LOVED food! She was, at one point, 32 pounds, which the vet said to trim her down to 25, at most. I think I got her down to 28… It is hard with a sneaky dog!
My Berner was also overweight at a couple points in his life, but relatively easy to trim down because he LOVED exercise!!!
There are some more sedentary dogs, like a service dog client, Willow, who I had known and walked for 3 years. Her owner has MS and was most of the time, sad about her own condition, so I think she plied Willow with treats and pizza crusts, etc, because she was so upset about her own disability. Through her sister, me and her caregiver walking Willow twice a day for 30 min each, plus following vet recommendations to only give carrots or green beans as a treat, Willow lost 30 pounds in 3 years, going from 108 pounds at her heaviest (during COVID times) and down to a very healthy 76 pounds when I was last walking her in May this year. She is 10-1/2 years old currently, and much more willing and able to fetch things and pick up her owners cane.
I had to reinforce the owner A LOT during those 3 years and tell her to give Willow lots of love and petting instead of food. Also, I tried to time my evening walks when the owner was having dinner, which didn’t always coincide. You know how puppy-dog eyes can implore you to give over the last of whatever you have for dinner!
Here’sa couple of pics of Willow before and after!
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Wow this is an incredible story! Of course it’s such a hard conversation to have to clients about their dogs weight. But I find one of the vets by us, where many of my clients go bc of the convenience, does not actually give them an accurate number on how much their dog needs to lose. It’s so frustrating because it’s clear they need to lose minimum 10lbs and they tell them 2-3lbs. But I do try to keep an open dialogue with my clients about their dogs health because I also struggled with my dog losing weight and the vet not telling me she was a good 5lbs over. She is a JrT mix, who went from 27.5lbs for like 4.5 years to 22.5lbs!
But my question to you is, how do you have these conversations with your clients or bring them up in the first place?
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Hi @nmarvin ! You may be directing your question to someone else, but just in case, I’m cutting and pasting this bit from my original post as my usual strategy to bring up the weight topic:
I try to take a humorous approach where I say that I’m pretty
hypocritical mentioning that their dog is carrying extra pounds when I
am too. But I then share the many benefits a dog can experience when at
an ideal weight, and explain how we assess body condition.The benefits could include: lower stress on their joints; ease of getting around and exercising; improved heat tolerance; better appetite and/or motivation for training treats, etc.
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Thank you for answering. I appreciate you sharing how bring it up. Such a hard topic!
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Sorry, that pic of Willow and me doesn’t really do justice to her transformation. Here’s a better one.
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What a fantastic thing you did for Willow, @bernerlabreclectus . I’m sure that has added quality time to her overall life.
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Thanks @virginiad ! She definitely enjoyed walks more and was not panting overly when temps got hotter last summer. I miss her a lot, because my job with her ended in May, but know she wouldn’t have been able to make it to 10 or effectively help her owner at her former weight.
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