Weight
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| That sounds pretty heavy, my dogs are all between 97-100 and are considered large. If you measure him at the withers how tall is he? |
| i'm sorry, I don't kow what "withers" are. At the shoulder blade he is about 27in at the back he is 26in. Now, that is trying to measure him, while he is trying to take the measuring tape away from me. |
| You're right, the withers are the shoulders. That does seem like a pretty exreme wieght for that height, is your vet concerned? Obesity can lead to problems for Milo, hips, etc. Can you post a picture of him? |
| I prefer the feel technique. Is he muscular? Feel the back legs especially in the back and just to the sides? Does he have muscle alone or is there some extra padding? MO is like a rock back there, Jack is a big squishy.
Does he have a "waist?" That is is he pulled up below the rib cage. I know its hard to tell unless he's in the bath. MO has a nice waist, Jack is a bit thicker. Ribs: can you feel them without undue pressure? They shouldn't stand out easily and the space between the ribs clearly defined. You should be able to feel with with some pressure. If it takes a squeeze to find them, the doggie might be a Lardo. I also use the tummy tap. When the dogs are on their back, I tap their tummies. MO's is firm, Jack's is a big wiggly. If you dog is well muscled and trim, not soft, then the weight might be right. Just as with humans, more muscle and less fat is preferred. |
| I think our dog is about 26-27 inches and he's probably about 85+ right now. He just turned 18 months old, so I think he's about done growing (hopefully!) |
| Wow, what a monster. Is he part elephant? He's definitely on the extreme side for an OES! |
Panda like 'em big  |
| It sounds too heavy to me... I've got a Schipperke-mix I'm trying to slim down (she's hypothyroid and on meds). The vet who examined your boy would have been able to make a good determination based on the hands-on exam... a good test is feeling the ribs as SheepieBoss said. If you visit the Purina website, you'll find a good self-test that you can do at home- http://purina.com/dogs/health/BodyCondition.aspx The thing with sheepies is, unless they're shaved short, they have so much hair the visual test isn't accurate... you've got to feel them.
Free feeding or simply over feeding can cause weights higher than normal as can low thyroid (a simple little pill 2x a day corrects it IF it's diagnosed). One of the postitives of keeping a dog at a good lean weight is it can give them an extra couple of years of life expectacy. It also can delay arthritis, joint problems and other diseases. One thing you can ask your vet about is reducing his food by a certain percentage (maybe 1/4) and substituting it with cooked green beans. It will provide for a gradual weight loss but still fill the tummy. Another thing is "wet feeding" or taking dry dog food, adding just enough water so it starts to float and letting the food absorb the water before feeding him. More exercise will help too. Before making changes, talk to your vet. He/she should be able to guide you best in how to help your sheepie get to a healthy weight based on your current approach to feeding. Good luck and hugs to your sheepie-boy! Please keep us posted on how things are going? |
| Jaclin,
Thanks for the purina link on body fat. I have seen it before but forgot how good it was. As for green bean diet, remember one of my Pyr bitches left us weighing 85 and returned five years later at 152! Green beans brought her back down to 90. She continues to get 1.5 cups dog food and one can no salt green beans a day....an no more than 2 cookies a day. When the weight came off, so got more frisky and goofier. Now she can catch her tail when she chases it. Not bad for an 8 year old. sheepieboss |
Anonymous wrote: Jaclin,
remember one of my Pyr bitches left us weighing 85 and returned five years later at 152! sheepieboss  |
Quote: left us weighing 85 and returned five years later at 152!
Bravo for getting her back to a great weight! 
Wow... I'm in awe. That was a very big accomplishment. I have never heard of such a dramatic gain/loss. How long did it take? I should have mentioned salt-free green beans.  We actually use the frozen ones and just cook up a batch for a couple of days. All of my girls love them. |
| Are any of your dogs sensitive tummy guys? I'm just wondering if the green beans would upset a sensitive sheepie's tummy...Not that Barney is sensitive to anything, so far as we can tell! |
| 2 of mine can have stomach upset... one usually ends up with vomiting and the other with diarrhea. We have not had any problems with green beans and we have been doing it for a couple of months. It's one reason I say talk to your vet... your vet will know if it's right for your dog and can recommend the amount of kibble/beans to feed in order to get a gradual loss. Some vets will instead put them on a lower calorie kibble. |
| Milo always gets diarrhea when he gets chicken. He can eat anything...but chicken. |
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