All of the pet parents at my Vizsla mix’s playgroup talk constantly about weight and canine couture. My boy eats a lot, particularly carrots, but stays at an excellent weight because he’s so active. I worry that when he gets older this level of food might be unhealthy, but we’ll see. People stop us on the street to tell us how handsome he is, and I must say that I agree.
My Australian shepherd has a few built-in weight-maintenance mechanisms: eating most human foods other than cooked egg gives her digestive problems, and she doesn’t like to eat when I’m not at home. Oh, and she’s so energetic that she’s frequently mistaken for a puppy.
Maybe because the dogs in my family are mutts, but no one ever suggests they should be this or that weight. For that matter, they always tend to eat only when hungry, anyway, so it wasn’t an issue.
But, on judgmentalism–it has always been pervasive. I think actually, more people (at least the ones I know) understand that unwarranted weight questions or comments (or any appearance issues) are completely beyond the pale. I mean, I think it used to be common that people thought that letting someone know they were overweight (like they didn’t know), was okay, but now I find it shocking when I hear it.
So it’s too bad they they think it’s okay to comment on your pup. I like the gentle responses suggested here.
Maybe we need to start a diet thread for dogs!
Until we had our cav all but one were rescues. They were pure breeds…goldens…but rescues. Were they fat? No. Why? I don’t know. This pup is far more active…dog walks everyday. But we are on day one of a diet. I made a stew out of vegetables and apples. Both dogs (we puppy sit our grand puppy) loved it last night and this morning
Just curious: why kibble and the broth mix and chicken? Do the calories stay in target range?
Partly asking because of an article I read about how what we think is just a small add (eg, an extra treat every day or another bit of food) is really a disproportionately large add for a small dog.
And how active matters. (“Active” meaning in dog terms, lol, the running and chasing.)
Best to you.
low fat kibble/fresh vegies cooked in water with a a touch of chicken broth (like quarter of a cup) heaping tsp chicken breast. I am using small amt of kibble. one green per day…treats are uncooked baby carrots…one…real baby carrots, not the big carrots made smaller. veggie soup/stew makes 10 meals
This is the new diet…not the old…buffet
Ya know, cavaliers love to eat. And they look at you with those big brown eyes…and you are their slave.
I don’t know a way around it. I’ve tried broccoli, which they like, but if the oldest gets too skinny, and she is ravenous. Rocks, earplugs, dirt, paper. She can unzip suitcases with her teeth. She’s lived way beyond life expectancy and is going strong. Is it really so bad to be a little on the heavy side?
“It is always the humans’ fault if a dog is overweight. They can’t feed themselves.”
I guess you’ve never had a labrador or other highly food motivated dog. Some dogs are very resourceful at supplementing their official diet.
Our sheltie used to steal the cat’s food when we visited relatives.
H was just saying he thinks the puppy is losing her slim waist. I may cut back kibble 1/4 cup. But she’s going to be assessed later this week so I might just wait. It’s hard to judge with the stockier build.
I will say the GS we’re raising now is not nearly as food-driven as the lab we had previously. The GS eats twice as much and maintains a good weight…I think.
My brother’s late cockapoo was on a limited diet but was very adept at finding, unwrapping, and eating chocolate.
Uh, no, I’m on my third Golden Retriever. Admittedly the first one was an oddball who could be free-fed and never gained weight. The last two will eat anything that they can lay a tooth on. I’ve also fostered a pug who I once found head-down in the food bin with his hind legs in the air, eating until his stomach was distended. His food drive was off the charts.
Maggie, my avatar, is a dreadful counter surfer, and makes straight for the cat food and and other dog’s food that is out when she enters a house. But since I know she’s going to do it, I usually beat her to it and request that the food be put up where she can’t reach it. She has been known to eat an entire loaf of fresh bread left on the counter to cool, an entire stick of butter, grilled chicken left on the counter or the back of the stove while someone runs to the bathroom, and so forth.
Last week she slipped into the former chocolate room for the first time–the door is normally closed–and ate an unknown quantity of dark chocolate couverture discos. She threw up all night and into the next morning. Luckily, because it could have killed her.
It was my fault for leaving the door open. Since I know her proclivities, the occasions on which she can get something are increasingly rare.
She still weighs a lean 50 lbs.
@busdriver11 my suggestion would be to feed your starving girl something that adds bulk not calories, like vegetables. She needs to be comfortable. 
@bevhills, the delicious stew you are making is the kind of thing people use to try to get their low-appetite, usually ailing, dogs to eat. Clearly, that is not your problem. 
I would suggest that you try feeding a high-quality kibble in the quantity aimed at her target weight, period. If that was the amount she was getting before, then cut it back and see what happens. Not low fat. Fat satisfies appetite. She will no doubt devour it. Limit treats to vegetables and maybe frozen broth cubes.
What brand of kibble are you using? A non-chain specialty store will have lots of good ones. I would also not give her canned food. It’s bad for their teeth, and they don’t need it. Only to be used if the dog needs to be tempted to eat. (I know that for cats it is considered a good idea. Not for dogs.)
My Cav will jump on my island from the sofa if no one is around. Can’t leave anything out on it. But if I drop something on the floor and say “no” he won’t touch it.
Both my dogs also love coffee and orange juice. I’m forever forgetting and leaving glasses and cups on coffee table and night stand to come back and catch them in the act.
“Ya know, cavaliers love to eat. And they look at you with those big brown eyes…and you are their slave.”
I swear the tabby in my Avatar is a descendant of the cat from the movie Shrek. He can make the saddest eyes on the planet. Nope, the autofeeders are ruthless.
My chow/lab opens the fridge to graze when we forget to secure it (a system that has evolved over the years). When we had a bottom freezer he learned pretty quick he wasn’t interested.
Our golden were very adept at stealing food. One Thanksgiving our dog at the time jumped on the counter…quietly…and ate two full pies. Another (boy) saw a 3 rib of prime rib and started feasting. Mr. Ellebud heard something and a wrestling match occurred. He lost (the meat was “resting” and the dog lost…we threw it out. And he peed on the floor in the excitement (the dog). And this meat wasn’t on the counter…it was higher up. My cav starts with the pleading eyes…and then she starts to yell at us…when hungry.
All our big dogs had long life spans…the best was our prime rib stealer…at 15 plus.
Day 2…went well. Took an early morning short walk. Both pups (we babysit family dogs) enjoyed them selves.
Our dog once picked up a pork chop off the hot grill! I was worried that he burned his snout, but he did it skillfully, using his jaws like tongs. He learned to eat blueberries off the bushes: he would put his mouth around a clump of berries and strip it off the branch!
When I was a kid we had GSDs who would jump up and snatch apples off the apple trees. Then get diarrhea.