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For Christmas, I bought the dogs a ton of toys, some chews, and a scale. One thing I learned in 2017 is that people think my dogs are horribly overweight. I used to get so pissed off by this statement because my dogs aren't fat, well, Sydney and Zoey can stand to lose some weight, but Rodrigo and Scout are fit as a fiddle.
And then I started paying attention to discussions in my raw feeding group and realize that the reason people think my boys are overweight is that they can't see their ribs. While I thought dogs that had visible ribs were either sick, naturally underweight, or starved.
Huge Disconnect Here!
So for Healthy Pet Week, I thought I would write about my dogs' weight and why I get so offended when people call my dogs fat.
Body Condition Score for Dogs
There are several body condition score charts online and I've found the most useful one to be the above image created by Purina – go figure. I like it because it shows us the side of the dog as well as an image looking down at the dog. From this image, the “Ideal” weight doesn't show ribs. The two that show ribs are emaciated and thin – I've been shooting for “Ideal” and I thought I had achieved that weight with Rodrigo and Scout. And I was proud that Sydney and Zoey are “Heavy” instead of “Grossly Obese.”
All this time, I thought my dogs were healthy (according to Purina?) while others saw fat dogs.
Why I Hate When People Call My Dogs Fat
I hate when people call my dogs fat because (1) two of my dogs are in great shape and (2) because they rarely ask why my dogs are fat or offer suggestions on how to help them trim down to a healthier weight.
When Sydney suffered an injury a few years ago, I failed to adjust her diet to account for the decrease in her activity while she recuperated and she gained weight.
Zoey is heavy because I screwed up with her too. I used to walk the dogs regularly and after an accident where a man released his dog to come play with mine (I got hurt pretty badly) I began to stay home. While Rodrigo and Scout are active no matter where we are, Zoey is hesitant to play fetch with them and tends to just wander on her own and she was getting less exercise. I should have decreased her food.
And, to be honest, I get mad because I know my girls are heavy, I'm doing the work to help them lose weight, and when people remind me that they're fat, it's a reminder that I screwed up big time. So I'm really mad at myself.
I Purchased a Pet Scale
Keep on top of my dogs' weight is a nightmare. Taking all four dogs to the vet for a weigh-in was never easy and I never felt comfortable that the scales were accurate. And I tried weighing them at home on my scale (weigh myself, then pick a dog up and weigh us together) and it turns out that this is less than accurate.
So I purchased a scale for the dogs. Weighing them from a machine meant for dogs and being able to trust the results is heaven!
The scale isn't perfect. It doesn't freeze on a weight like the scales at the vet's office, so you're still picking a number; but instead of the results being off by 10 pounds, it's off by one pound. And Zoey is afraid of the scale, so I give her a small piece of jerky before and after she gets on the scale.
What My Dogs Weigh Today
I've been weighing the dogs for a few weeks and I'm excited to say that Sydney has dropped 2 pounds. My dogs weigh in as follows:
- Rodrigo – Mixed Breed* – 64 pounds
- Sydney – Mixed Breed* – 79 pounds
- Scout – Mixed Breed* – 82 pounds
- Zoey – Mixed Breed*- 72 pounds
*I tested the dogs using the Embark Vet DNA/Health tests: CLICK HERE to see their breed mixes.
Goal Weights:
- Rodrigo – 64 pounds **10/23/19 Update: 53 lbs
- Sydney – 74 pounds **10/23/19 Update: 70 lbs
- Scout – 80 pounds **10/23/19 Update: 72 lbs
- Zoey – 65 pounds **10/23/19 Update: 60 lbs
How Much My Dogs Eat
The subject of how much I feed my dogs is controversial because people don't always agree with the percentages. I like to remind people that every dog is different and my dogs are under the care of a holistic veterinarian who is experienced in raw feeding. I'm comfortable with my choices.
- Rodrigo – 3.5% of his body weight = 2.24 pounds per day or 1.12 pounds per meal
- Sydney – 2.0% of her body weight = 1.58 pounds per day or 12.6 ounces per meal
- Scout – 2.5% of his body weight = 2.05 pounds per day or 1.025 pounds per meal
- Zoey – 2.0% of her body weight = 1.44 pounds per day or 11.52 ounces per meal
I'm feeding my girls less than the number before and making up the difference with vegetables to help them feel full. I've also added coconut oil (grass-fed butter for Sydney) to their meals to boost their metabolism. I do not add the fat in addition to their meals, it's included in the totals above.
What Does a Fit Dog Look Like
All of this information does me no good unless I know what a fit dog looks like so I asked friends to share pictures of their dogs for comparison. Kathryn Li shared images of her dogs Gus and Douglas. Gus is 35 pounds and Douglas is 105 pounds.
To me, Gus is the perfect example of a raw fed dog and what I strive for with my dogs. I don't see ribs, but you can tell that you would feel them under the skin when petting the dog. There is a nice tuck in the tummy area and no hanging skin.
Douglas is also rocking that fit body that I'm striving for with my dogs. Again, you can't see pronounced ribs (which are easier to see in certain breeds, but not all), there is a nice tuck, and there is muscle definition.
With these examples and others, I have a goal for my girls and I feel more confident about my boys. I'm mean, really, do these guys look grossly overweight to you?
More Fit Raw Fed Dogs
*Sorry, I don't have a clear picture of Zoey so that you can see her current shape. She sits in all of the pictures I take of her.
I believe that a healthy dog can be switched to a raw food diet at any age. With regard to the walks, have you tried walking at times of the day that aren’t popular? I have reactive dogs and I have to walk them early in the morning or right at dusk if I want to avoid other dogs and cyclists. There is also a site called SniffSpot that helps you rent space for an hour (or more) to walk your dog without being bothered by others. It’s perfect for reactive dogs and I use them a lot.
I have a 6-year-old pitt mix who is overweight as she does not behave when out for walks. She’s protective and goes after other dogs, as a result, her only outdoor activities are limited to her leash. I have cut down the amount I feed her but would switching to raw be even better for her? Even at her age?
A few years ago my dog a male neutered papillon weighed 12.5 pounds so he was a tad over weight! My fault I was feeding him a commercial raw diet-venison- and failed to realize how much fat was in the food, even though I was following the feeding guidelines zipper was gaining or not loosing any weight, and Ill admit he wasn’t getting walked as much as he should! He has grade 2 luxating patellas so keeping him trim is really important! So I decided purely for financial reasons (commercial raw was costing me $60 cad a month) to make my own food for zip, and in less than a year he went from 12.5 to 10.3 lb and has maintained it for 3 years.
How do I send in pictures? I love showing him off!!!
I used to get so pissed off by this statement..” Yes, same to me. But the thing is, people on the net, or the netizen always associate ‘fat’ thing with American or Muricans for a joke. When i do a quick search on the net, the facts said “35 million American dogs are overweight”. But, i would say, there is a will, there is a way. Once my dog is a fat dog, i admit it, then with a good diet and proper low fat food. Everything seem normal now, beside need a good exercise almost every day.
Wow! That’s a lot. I spend that much on four big dogs and I make their dog myself. I’m unable to afford premade raw 100% for my dogs and I think it’s better to make most of their food because I can control sourcing and ingredients.
Help!
I started raw but went back to kibble. Dog is not wanting it. I was feeding Steve’s Real Food and he was eating 4 lbs per day! He is a 7 mo wirehaired griffon. That comes out to over $10/day! I bought Orijen Tundra because of the ingredients, but he only eats about a cup per day.
Jeff
It drives me bonkers because people rarely ask questions about our pets history or offer tips to help them lose weight; they just attack the pet owner and then say “just being honest.” LOL
That’s too bad that you have to remove the eggs. They’re so nutritious. I treat them as my dogs’ multi-vitamins 🙂
i started working this past week on thinning out my starting to look chubby st bernard. I had previously changed some of her dinner meals and added a half pound beef 3 meals a week. because I thought she needed more food for my growing girl at 10 months and then she got a foot infection and she would not eat any meat for 3 days and on rest for two weeks lack of activity has made it so i cant feel her ribs. so this week i cut back slowly removed the eggs she got everyday in her morning meal.. and feeding a bit less beef from 1 and half pounds of beef grind over 3 days and now to pound of beef grind over 3 days. plus i gave her some tripe and will try whole herring this week. so i am going a half pound of beef less a week but giving other hopefully healthy but lower fat foods and slowing increasing the time of our walks. and see how things go. by next week or so.
i am a new raw feeder since august
Ha, glad I’m not the only one who gets a little offended when someone calls their pets fat or makes some remark like “heh looks like somebody is well fed!” or whatever. I’ve never had it with my dog but I also have a cat who isn’t actually fat but just has a lot of skin on his stomach that hangs down (I guess it’s a thing that some cats have) and it makes him look fat, so I end up with lots of “fat cat” comments.