Tuesday Topics #39 - Does This Puppy Make Me Look Fat?
No one would argue the fact that our foster pup Kira is on the skinny side. Being a stray, contracting parvo, and growing into her big paws have kept her lean, but we're doing our best to put some meat on those ribs.
Cabana can only dream of having as much food as Kira, who gets 2 cups of kibble in the morning and 2 more at night, plus lots of treats for training throughout the day. We didn't weigh Kira when we first brought her home 10 days ago, but yesterday, she weighed 45 lbs.
The parade of fosters going through our house means extra treats for Cabana, since she often gets to participate in training sessions. I've tried to be vigilant about Cabana's weight by cutting her meals back to 1 cup, twice a day. Maybe it's just that in COMPARISON to skinny bones Kira that Cabana seems heavy. Or does Cabana need to lose a pound or two? I weighed her at the pet store last weekend, and she weighs 56 pounds, which is what she normally weighs. But she SEEMS bigger to me than normal.
These photos were taken minutes apart. Cabana looks much heavier to me in the kitchen than out on the patio. Is it the optical illusion of her blending in with the wood floor?
According to this dog weight diagram I found online, Cabana is probably somewhere between ideal and heavy. I can BARELY feel Cabana's ribs and spine through her fur, but she does still have an abdominal tuck. She gets plenty of exercise, so I'm a bit mystified. I don't think Cabana needs to lose a LOT of weight, but maybe she needs to lose a pound or two?? I'm sort of going more by what she feels like than what she looks like because everything I've read online says you should be able to feel your dog's ribs.
It's so easy to let Labs get too heavy. I came across an article in Oprah Winfrey's magazine about Dr. Oz and his family. I'm not a big fan of either Oprah or Dr. Oz and have probably only watched their shows a couple times when browsing channels, but I do know that Dr. Oz is considered a health expert.
So I was aghast to see that Dr. Oz's black Lab, pictured at the bottom of this page, would probably be classified as "grossly obese"! In the article, which was about healthy vegetarian recipes, he's quoted saying, "Don't feed her (the dog)--she's a flabrador....She's flabby. She loves to eat everything. I told Lisa (his wife) we have to put her on a diet." No kidding! How could this doctor, famous for telling others how to lead healthy lifestyles, allow his own dog to be so uncomfortably unhealthy? I found it really sad--and I NEVER want to find myself at that point with Cabana. So even if it's just a pound or two, making sure Cabana is at an ideal weight is important to me.
she looks ideal to me!
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
A friend of mine got a Lab around the same time I got Rob, and already she is TWICE Rob's size. Now Rob isn't a little dog 7 mos @ 65lbs so you can imagine what that dog looks like! I cringe for real and pray I NEVER let any of my dogs get that big!
My best friend has three dogs and all of them are grossly overweight. I make light of it and say things like "Lexi, you're fat!" In a silly voice, but I really want to slap her in the face and say, "Cut down these poor dogs' food!" Cabana doesn't look fat at all. It looked like in the picture where you said she looked smaller she was wet. Maybe what you're seeing is a lot of fluff!
I think Cabana looks great! Bella was put on a diet after a vet finally told us that she was overweight, even though the past two vets before him told me that she was fine. She really was becoming a roly-poly though! And I feel like all of the German Shepherds I've seen are typically extraordinarily lean.
Cabana is fine. She and Ardella weight the same and I don't think Ardella looks overweight at all. I think she looks muscular and the vet at the blood donation clinic said the same thing. Cabana is more active than Ardella. She looks great!
Wow! That is one pudgy lab. Of course labradorks will eat until they explode. It's just the way they are, but Miss Cabana looks perfect to me.
Slobbers,
mango
Cabana, you are not fat. Don't go on a diet, because if you lost more than two pounds, you would be pushing up against underweight. I think you're right smack dab in the middle of perfection!
I couldn't believe how much weight Tommy gained at Starcrest Kennels. He's downright chunky now! I was so mad when I picked him up. They spoil him.
Cabana looks perfect.
How weird and sad about Dr. Oz's lab. Dr. Oz is clueless to refer to it in such a nonchalant way. Maybe you should email him and set him straight.
@Min I WISH my German Shepherd was lean.
I think Cabana looks nice as well, and I wish the rest of my household was a mindful of our dogs' weights as you and I are.
Addie is without a doubt heavy. She has NO beautiful arch. You can BARELY feel any ribs, and you have to dig a little to feel those. She is more lethargic than when she was a smidgen lighter, and I don't like it. (Okay, it's nice when you're tired from a long day at work, but disappointing when you want to jog for a portion of your walk and your dog gets tired before you.) She was perfect until we found out she had worms and was treated. Then she started gaining so much weight! If I could just help her lose 3 to 5 pounds she would be perfect again!