If you look at the Labrador Retrievers in the average show ring, they're kept tubby on purpose. So I can understand in that case how a pet owner can look at their own flabby pooch and assume it's 'normal for the breed'.

Tubby show Labs not withstanding, Labs are not supposed to be fat! There's nothing in the standard to indicate that. In fact the standard for females is 55-70 pounds! Labs are working dogs and if they're too fat to do their job then what's the point? There are some breeders who breed for the "moderate" Lab, who can excel in the field as well as the ring. But if judges are going to keep putting up big fat Labs, it's hard to blame breeders for providing a dog they like. But that's no excuse for the pet owner to abuse their Lab with food...and it *is* abuse because they tend to have joint problems and arthritis, which overweight exacerbates. And by the way, a nice neoprene jacket will work a lot better in cold water than a layer of fat so let's not kid ourselves.

I have even been told by a Vet or or two and numerous techs that my lan they are seeing at the time is underweight... NOT they are in great shape, get plenty of good food. One new tech even went so far as to suggest "possible neglect" to my vet which I found out when my vet enetered the room after she weighed him and then counselled me on the "correct" amount of food. When my vet came in I came close to loosing it when I found out what she told him. I think they are so used to seeing overweight Labs that they don't know what they should look like anymore.

I am struggling to undo years of excess treats by my (now) ex-spouse. I could never convince him that Labs should not be fed to their capacity, which is pretty much endless; he always sneaked them extra food and treats when I wasn't around. One of "the girls" is of ideal weight, her metabolism seems to burn calories more efficiently; the other is just plain fat. I'm now trying to undo all that with measured feedings, increased exercise, and (very) limited treats. It's much easier to prevent obesity in the first place than to correct it!!

When we first got our dog (a Border collie/retriever mix) and were trying to figure out how much to feed her (and trying to put a bit more weight on and she was too skinny from worms), she ended up gaining too much weight. I thought she looked fat. When I brought her in for microchipping, I spoke to two vet techs and the vet himself about her weight. All three said she was fine, but that she shouldn't gain anymore weight. I still felt she was a bit too heavy.

A week later I went to training class and my trainer was the only one who had the nerve to tell me she was getting fat. I was glad someone else agreed and I adjusted the food. She lost 4.5 pounds over the next few months and is now at a very healthy weight.

What confused me is why the VET would tell me she was at a good weight, even when I was questioning it. My trainer said sometimes vets don't want to offend clients and so will avoid that topic. I'm glad to see that not all vets do that!

I'm one of the naysayers regarding weight issues in dogs. Let me be clear that I'm not talking about obese animals. If my cocker had been as skinny as everyone wants him to be, when his inital bout with IBD flared and he lost so much weight he'd probably be dead now. I think the pendulum has swung too far to one side and hopefully will come to rest in the middle. I know, Dr. Khuly, we've had this discussion before; and we agree to disagree. However, nothing I have read or seen has changed my mind. Sunny is doing well (knock on wood), and we are enjoying his remaining time together. Please know that my vet agrees with me on this issue.

I have a friend that has a Husky mix that was terribly overweight. She was so fat that she was round and her head looked too small for her body. She's 4 and now has hip dysplasia and bad knees. The surgeon told them that he wouldn't operate until she lost weight..which she never did..and the dog ended up blowing out her knees...and then because of that..had to have the ball cut off of her hip. Now she has to be helped around with a sling. Good vets tell people about their dog's health problems...bad people just don't want to know. I feel so sorry for the poor animals. It really should be considered animal abuse just as starving them is abuse. I read once "If your dog is fat then YOU'RE not getting enough exercise".

Let me out my profession on this one: I have heard from plenty of owners whose pets I consider overweight that their dogs have been deemed "perfect" or even "underweight" by their veterinarian.

In some cases I absolutely refuse to believe these owners are reporting the vet's statements accurately. In others, I know the owner (or the vet) well enough that I can honestly say my colleagues are NOT helping these patients any.

It's a big pet peeve of mine. Perhaps it's because a certain specialist in my area likes to tell my clients that it's OK to keep some extra weight on their pets so "just in case they ever get sick they have a few extra pounds to rely on." Seriously? Makes me crazy!

It also irks because it makes me look like a liar or an alarmist. Only *very* rarely have I seen a patient suffer from being too thin. And it's *daily* that I see damage from excess poundage.

I went to an agility trial this past weekend and it was SO nice to see labs, dachshunds, goldens and heelers who did not resemble sausages! It's really not surprising that we deny our dogs are fat when half of our children are overweight and their parents are in denial. As a culture, we hate to deny those we love anything, even when it's to the detriment of their health.

My huskies were lean - part of that is the breed, but I also made a conscious effort to keep them that way. Fortunately my vets were always complimentary of how fit they were, so I never had to question my instincts on this. Not that they never got treats - just that I was careful about what they were and I adjusted their diets as they got older and their metabolism and activity decreased.

Just take a radiograph and show them the nice thick layer of blubber. Can you say 'fatback?' (Yum, now I'm hungry).

By the way, Dr. K, I love all of the radiographs as decorations on the new site. See, it's all about the imaging!

PMF

I just have to repeat that when I took a LITTLE bit of weight off my Frenchie (a breed that tends towards fat), he became like a different dog. His energy level, his willingness to run and play and leap and jump - it was absolutely astonishing. And he had not lost that much weight, perhaps a pound and a half.

Now my Boston needs to drop some weight. This horrible winter kept him from his daily exercise and he has become distinctly sausage-y. Much harder with him because he is a very picky eater; switching him to a lower calorie food will result in a flat-out refusal to eat. (Do not underestimate his stubbornness. It could go on a long time.) I'm going to try increasing exercise first (I need it too!), and then gradually cutting back on the chow. He doesn't get that much food as it is.

Fat dogs are a huge pet peeve of mine. When I was doing training, I would let clients know about the body condition of their dogs. I also taught them how to look and feel the dog to keep track of how it was doing. We taught the dogs to go on a scale voluntarily, but I always stressed body condition over the number on the scale.

I would give people grief, in a friendly joking way, if they had "tubby" dogs. Most people then worked at taking weight off.

I hated seeing fat dogs come into the store. It is NOT cute when your pug is so fat it can't barely breathe.

I do understand the concerns over a fat pet. I have one cat that is very overweight. However, I have fed her controlled amounts of prescription diet food, over the counter diet foods, regular cat food and a food very high in protein and low in fat. (This food caused her to continue to gain weight and she was eating about half of what the package suggested). I have (as much as one can do so) increased her exercise and she still is fat. I honestly don't think she will ever lose weight. I am not attempting to make an excuse for her weight, just accepting what seems to be reality. I'd love for her to lose weight but have given up the attempt since nothing has worked. She is a case where I know she's overweight, I just don't know a way to fix it.

I have large dogs and it is always a battle of the bulge for me.

My boy “Rocky" is a bullmastiff but he looks more like a bull dog. He is short (22 inches tall) but has massive shoulders and neck. His chest is 52 inches and his neck is 32 inches so his butt and belly always look smaller because of his body proportions. He gets a wellness exam twice a year ( he is nine)so last year he was 150 lbs, then half a year later 161 pounds and then two months ago ( his last check up) 172 pounds.

When he was at 161 we cut down his food half a cup but he still gained weight.

We thought he was loosing until the last weigh-in at 172.

Our vet said his body may be used to the calories at around 1500 so she suggested we cut down to 1200 calories. To make up for the missing kibble I had one cup of chopped raw veggies just for filling at each feeding which is twice a day.

The problem is these big dogs add 10 or 15 pounds it is not easy for me to spot.

When we had him at 150 some vets said loose another 10 and some said the weight was good. So that even tells me some body types are hard to peg.

Overweight pets are a HUGE irritant of mine. Particularly the ones with the excusing owners.

We have three girls... and we have never had an issue keeping them slim. I'm in charge of the food (after all, I have the thumbs!) and I only dole out what they need. In fact, they get less than they need - they get lots of treats and chews and veggie snacks... all of these contain calories!

And how do you determine what they "need"?

Three girl Whats?

When I was preparing to put my Frenchie on a diet, I made many efforts to determine his caloric needs. My reasoning? Well, when humans diet, you calculate the approximate number of calories you need to maintain your weight, and then adjust your consumption so that you are taking in fewer calories, plus increase your activity so that you are also burning some number of calories.

In that manner, assuming you are in normal health and correctly calculating your intake, you should lose weight.

I could not for love or money get an accurate number for what my Frenchie's maintenance level would be. I found several calculators on the web; they varied by as much as 200 calories. The dog food bags were all over the place. My vet at the time gave me a blank look and said to just cut back his food until he started losing weight.

As I wrote above, that's close to what I did. I started feeding him about 2-2.5 oz of lean ground turkey plus 1/2c of rehydrated Preference twice per day, plus Nature's Logic All Food Fortifier to fill in the nutritional gaps. He lost weight, albeit slowly.

When we first got him we followed the guidelines on the dog food bag (I believe it was Orijen) and he was being overfed so badly, he moved his bowels about twice per hour.

If you read dog food bags, the calories per cup vary drastically, so a cup is not a cup is not a cup.

It is darn hard to make an intelligent determination what your dog "needs" based on the information publicly available. Yes, there are many owners who make excuses, but perhaps if veterinary schools made nutrition more of a core subject, and taught it without the help of the pet food companies, we'd have fewer fat cats and dogs.

...So I check.

It's not hard to tell if your dog is in a reasonable range of weight. The first step is to look at them from above. Are there complex curves, showing a swell over the ribs, and a narrowing between the ribs and hips? Or is there a straight line? Or (worse) a simple outward bulging curve from head to hip? Does their entire back shift from side-to-side when they walk, or can you see their muscles working?

The next step is to run your hands along the ribs. The ribs should be discernable without excess pressure. You shouldn't need to press in hard to find them, nor should they stand out starkly - You should be able to feel them without effort under a layer of muscle and fur.

Then run your hands down their front legs. Can you feel the bones in their lower legs and wrists? Again, they shouldn't stand sharply out, but there should be no mystery where they are, either.

It's not precisely scientific, but if you follow the above checks, your dog is unlikely to be too far out of line. Best of all, you can do the checks every time you see or pet your dog - They generally like the attention anyway, so it's no chore to keep aware.