# Why Am I Noticing So Many Overweight Animals?



## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

The other day I was walking with a friend and her cavoodle at the river when I came across a lady I know who walks her daughter's black lab,, who is the most friendly gorgeous dog. Anyway I hadn't seen the dog for a while and unfortunately was quite shocked at how much weight it had put on. Seriously it looked like a barrel and I said, "oh my god 'L' has got so fat", well the lady was possibly a bit put out and said that when her daughter had last weighed the dog its weight was fine. Well poor dog, I know labs are walking garbage cans if they can get food, but he was very very chubby and it really isn't fair to the dog. I wish I could have him for a month and put him on raw.

Then within 5 mins we came across a black lab cross and it was the most lean muscular animal you could imagine, so I said to my friend who I was walking with, "now that is what 'L' should be like".
Actually now she has stopped feeding her dog raw (the cavoodle) it is also starting to look a bit chubby, which is sad, she said her boyfriend keeps feeding it tidbits and it's back on kibble.

Then last night went to dinner at a friend's house and her little foxy cross chi who is so sweet, also looks chubby and I commented on that too. Everywhere I look there are overweight dogs in this town. The dog also suffers from itchiness so I suggested she look at the dog food which is kibble and look to see if it contains wheat as that is a common allergen. I didn't have time to talk about raw as there were so many people there but will endeavour to talk to her about it some time.

Also yesterday before the party I popped in to a friend who has a very overweight cat and she is going to try her on raw and I will print off some info for her as I am not so knowledgeable on cats.

All seems to be happening at once for me at the mo.

Having a fat companion animal is not normal or fair!

Blimey - do you think my friends and acquaintances will soon worry when they see me coming in case I'm going to insult their pet's body shapes??


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I always call it how I see it and I call a lot of dogs fat! I don't care who I offend. They need to take proper care of their dog!


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Several of my dog came to me super obese so it has been a struggle to get their weight down. Lily was 8-1/2 when I got her out of animal control and was one of the fattest Chihuahuas I'd ever seen. She also has a lameness in one of her legs that no vet has yet to figure out so she can't exercise much without being in pain so the weight loss has been SLOW. She finally, after years of measuring and weighing her food, has a tiny bit of a waistline but is 13 now so I'm just gonna be happy with where she's at. 
Toby was also so fat when he was surrendered to me he didn't even look like he had a neck. And he's in congestive heart failure so has very little energy. He could stand to lose a tiny bit of weight now but I'm happy with where he's at too. 
Karma is a 4 yr old Dachshund mix that was abandoned at a boarding facility and she's been a tough one to get weight off of too. She was a chub when I got her and although I know since she's eating raw the weight will come off eventually she eats pecans in my backyard by the ton every time she goes outside. I had no idea until I looked it up a few months ago that pecans have 800 calories per chopped cup! This dog probably shells and eats that much every time I'm not watching! I know when all the pecans are gone I'll be able to get her weight off easier but with 10 trees in the backyard...
My Min Pin Briana is the same way. She isn't the active Min Pin that most are and she eats pecans non stop if she gets the chance. I find the shells all over their dog beds because even if they run out to potty and I get them right back in they'll have one in their mouth. It's crazy.
So I'm saying all that to say this; don't always jump to the conclusion that there's a not so great pet owner behind that chubby beast. It's been tough getting my guys down to a good weight and just like with people, once they've been overweight it comes back much easier and is hard to get rid of. There certainly are tons of folks that give their dogs crap and over indulge them but there are probably also a lot out there like me that inherited the fat dog and are trying their best to work it off of them. :smile:


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Pecans! That's so funny!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

its funny that you mention it because I ran into the same thing today. Met a woman at a dog park with a fat lab. She said he just picks up weight out of nowhere(year right). So we started talking about nutrition and she said that he was eating diet food, and she recently switched to TOTW lamb, which i think is like 24% protein. When I asked her how much she fed, she said 1/4 cup in the morning and 3/4 cup in the evening. My jaw just about dropped, the dog weighs 97 lbs and should weigh around 82. No wonder the dog is lethargic, he's trying to conserve energy! 
She said that she's been trying to find a lowest calorie food, but I told her that its far more important to feed high protein/low carb and adjust amount from there. I recommended that she'd try the higher protein TOTW foods and increase to 2-3 cups a day. But she seemed very skeptical. So I invited her to a class I'm having on nutrition this month, so hopefully she changes her mind.. 

But yeah, there are too many fat dogs, I think the statistics now are up to 62% of all dogs in U.S are overweight and 20% of owners do not think they have a problem. Which is sad.


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

Unosmom said:


> 20% of owners do not think they have a problem. Which is sad.


That right there is the problem, my sister for instance the lab they took in was FAT, he did drop weight but he's put a lot of it back on this winter, but he gets no exercise and they don't seem to grasp that feeding him 4 cups a day isn't going to help. Her cats are obese, the one they recently got was at a normal weight and now is a tub of lard like the other but she thinks they are "just a little chunky". Um no, that's obese. She thinks my cat is being starved to death. I see a lot of fat cats with people who have multiples or whatever, there's always an excuse, no time, we can't schedule feed, we can't change food. Some friends of my parents asked if their chi was fat and I told them yes, my mom said it's even fatter now but they feed the dogs more treats in a day than my dogs get all week. I always compliment people who have in shape dogs.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

When I worked at Petsmart (06-08), there was an older couple that would bring their pit mix in. This dog has zero definition, it was just a bloated blimp that waddled. 

I noticed that their cart was stocked with crap treats every time they came in. They came in at least once a month. Over time, I noticed that their treats got less disgusting and more "healthy" and less quantity. They were a nice old couple and never asked about the department I worked in so I never really spoke to them outside of a greeting. 

I hope their dog lost some weight and is still living.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

When I worked at Petco (as I do not go to dog parks or anything) I noticed that where there are overweight pets, there are overweight owners. No offense to anyone. And its not ALWAYS true. You can adopt a fatty too. 

I myself have an inch to pinch  as do two of my dogs. Its a work in progress of course. Overweight people (sometimes) eat their frustrations. And so, they see food as comforting. They then want to share the love in that way to their animals. There are two problems with this. The first is that there are other, healthier ways to show love to a dog or cat (and to quench frustrations for humans which I am trying to figure out, ha!). The second is the treats and foods we feed our animals can be quite hazardous. I know, preaching to the choir right? Well, eliminate these two problems, add in a healthy dose of exercise, and most problems are solved (unless we have a metabolic problem).

My husbands aunt is overweight. She has health issues. Her dogs are also overweight. And despite me trying to gently persuade her, she continues to feed them garbage. She inherited a chihuahua from a bad situation. He was looking ok is maybe a smidge thin. Fast forward a few months and he was a soccer ball!!!!!!! Sigh.

This is also why fat people should get a dog. I find it hard to say no to three pleading sets of eyes when its time to go for a hike (we don't 'walk'). I know if I didn't have these dogs, I would be at least twenty pounds heavier and would never walk at all.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Sprocket said:


> Pecans! That's so funny!


If I could only train them to shell them for ME....


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

Donna Little said:


> Several of my dog came to me super obese so it has been a struggle to get their weight down. Lily was 8-1/2 when I got her out of animal control and was one of the fattest Chihuahuas I'd ever seen. She also has a lameness in one of her legs that no vet has yet to figure out so she can't exercise much without being in pain so the weight loss has been SLOW. She finally, after years of measuring and weighing her food, has a tiny bit of a waistline but is 13 now so I'm just gonna be happy with where she's at.
> Toby was also so fat when he was surrendered to me he didn't even look like he had a neck. And he's in congestive heart failure so has very little energy. He could stand to lose a tiny bit of weight now but I'm happy with where he's at too.
> Karma is a 4 yr old Dachshund mix that was abandoned at a boarding facility and she's been a tough one to get weight off of too. She was a chub when I got her and although I know since she's eating raw the weight will come off eventually she eats pecans in my backyard by the ton every time she goes outside. I had no idea until I looked it up a few months ago that pecans have 800 calories per chopped cup! This dog probably shells and eats that much every time I'm not watching! I know when all the pecans are gone I'll be able to get her weight off easier but with 10 trees in the backyard...
> My Min Pin Briana is the same way. She isn't the active Min Pin that most are and she eats pecans non stop if she gets the chance. I find the shells all over their dog beds because even if they run out to potty and I get them right back in they'll have one in their mouth. It's crazy.
> So I'm saying all that to say this; don't always jump to the conclusion that there's a not so great pet owner behind that chubby beast. It's been tough getting my guys down to a good weight and just like with people, once they've been overweight it comes back much easier and is hard to get rid of. There certainly are tons of folks that give their dogs crap and over indulge them but there are probably also a lot out there like me that inherited the fat dog and are trying their best to work it off of them. :smile:


So true, I adopted an overweight cat and have been trying my damndest to get the weight off him. Finally I got smart and read a little more on cat diet. I am switching him to an all wet food diet instead of all kibble(grain-free). Someday I will go raw, but am not comfortable with it yet.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

Sadly my friend with the fat cat has just rung to say that her cat wouldn't eat the raw meat (that came in a tub) or the cooked meat in a roll which is common commercial way of feeding dogs and cats in NZ (dogroll) so she is going back to canned. I told her canned is better than kibble, but to watch the ingredients as some of them contain 'colours' and 'thickeners' which are totally unecessary in petfood. In fact I will go out and do some research about canned cat food as my friend isn't very knowledgeable and had never even heard about taurine!


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

sozzle said:


> Sadly my friend with the fat cat has just rung to say that her cat wouldn't eat the raw meat (that came in a tub) or the cooked meat in a roll which is common commercial way of feeding dogs and cats in NZ (dogroll) so she is going back to canned. I told her canned is better than kibble, but to watch the ingredients as some of them contain 'colours' and 'thickeners' which are totally unecessary in petfood. In fact I will go out and do some research about canned cat food as my friend isn't very knowledgeable and had never even heard about taurine!


That is very nice of you to help your friend.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Fat dogs are a reflection of our increasingly obese society as a whole, unfortunately. My MIL almost killed her 7 year old cockapoo with food. She had Milk Bones in bowls in every room of her house, and she cooked chicken for the dog every day - as much as Rosie wanted. I took the dog in when MIL went to live with one of the other children in the family who refused to take Rosie (I figured I could rehabilitate her, then rehome her, which I did). 

I got Rosie last Feb. at 28.2 lb. and the vet said she should weigh 14-15 pounds - yowser!! By the end of last July, I'd slimmed her down to her goal weight - yay! I fed her Wellness Core Low Fat - a high quality grain free kibble (feeding her the amount of food for her GOAL weight, not her current weight) and adding in no salt green beans and baby carrots for low calorie bulk and filler. This dog, who refused dog food and fresh veggies, broke down after 3 days and thought the kibble was the best thing since sliced bread! We found Rosie the PERFECT home a couple of months ago, and I showed the couple a picture of Rosie - pre weight loss. I begged them to not let her put this weight back on, no matter how pitiful she looked at them! They were horrified at her "before" picture (picture a swollen tick - really!), so I'm hoping they took my feeding advice to heart.

Today's dogs are at the mercy of their humans for their food. Fat dogs are the human's fault, not theirs.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Georgiapeach said:


> Today's dogs are at the mercy of their humans for their food. Fat dogs are the human's fault, not theirs.


It is just as much cruelty to feed a dog into obesity as it is to starve them, in my opinion. And if a dog is very fat, odds are it's getting little to no exercise AND not getting the right kind of food.

I have a friend with a cat who does alot like your mother in law. She has food in EVERY room in the house, including the garage. And it's canned food so she switches it out alot so it doesn't dry out. What she has created is a very fat cat who never has to walk more than five feet to be at a food bowl.


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