# Conditioned vs. Skinny vs. Emaciated vs. Overweight vs. Obese



## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

I felt the need to share this, because awhile back someone had commented on my thread saying they felt the dogs i am going to get a pup from were too skinny,i hope this will clear some things up 


> There has been so much talk lately on this type of thing which made me want to write a post on this specific subject to hopefully clear some things up. Many have a different perspective on how a dog should look. However, just because someone thinks that a dog's healthy weight is overweight or obese and thinks that the dog is in good shape is obviously very wrong because in my opinion the only real healthy weight for a dog is its conditioned weight. Then again, I have to say that a healthy and lean dog is also just fine. There's some pet owners out there who keep their dogs healthy and keep their dogs at a nice weight and their dogs are lean and in good shape, it may not be a conditioned weight, but their dogs definitely look better than most dogs and the dog's are at least healthy, at a good weight and aren't emaciated/skinny, overweight or obese.
> 
> Here are some fine examples of some conditioned dogs:
> 
> ...


http://therealapbt.blogspot.com/2013/01/conditioned-vs-skinny-vs-emaciated-vs.html


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

> Here are some examples of skinny and emaciated dogs:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Too many pictures soo....


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

The dogs in the top pics look good. But I have seen pictures of supposedly "conditioned" dogs who have all their ribs showing and hip bones jutting out so you could hang a coat on them. That's excessive. Like human "sports anorexics"---muscled but still too skinny.


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

Willowy said:


> The dogs in the top pics look good. But I have seen pictures of supposedly "conditioned" dogs who have all their ribs showing and hip bones jutting out so you could hang a coat on them. That's excessive. Like human "sports anorexics"---muscled but still too skinny.


Having rib showing is not bad even my non-conditioned dogs show rib, hip bone is entirely different, it should always be covered with muscle, I know some people "condition at the bowl" which is wrong and the looks completely different than the above dogs posted


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

I dont have pitties but i do have a question..i always hear hip bones = bad, but Happys hip bones have always stuck out, she could be obese and her hip bones and spine would still be prominant.. as a young dog i conditioned her well for sports, she was run several hours a day, alongside my bike, she was well muscled and lean, but you could still hang a coat off her hips, there is simply no way to get any amount of fat or muscle over her hips. Is that just her build? Shes not the only dog i have met thats like this, so i have never equated visable hip bones with anything negative...


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

"In my honest opinion, skinny and emaciated are basically the same thing."

No... they really aren't... people can be naturally thin without having all their bones showing... same for dogs.


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## Emmett (Feb 9, 2013)

Miss Bugs said:


> I dont have pitties but i do have a question..i always hear hip bones = bad, but Happys hip bones have always stuck out, she could be obese and her hip bones and spine would still be prominant.. as a young dog i conditioned her well for sports, she was run several hours a day, alongside my bike, she was well muscled and lean, but you could still hang a coat off her hips, there is simply no way to get any amount of fat or muscle over her hips. Is that just her build? Shes not the only dog i have met thats like this, so i have never equated visable hip bones with anything negative...


For accurate assessment of body condition, you really do have to take into consideration the dog's structure. Think of sighthounds, the vast majority of them, when at proper condition and/or weight, have very prominent hip bones...that's just the way they are built. So, for Happy that is probably just they way her structure dictates she carries muscle and weight.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

Ok thats what i thought, but i had just seen a generalized "hip bones = bad" so often lately that i was starting to doubt myself lol


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

faxon's spine and hip bones were always slightly prominent even though she was healthy overall, i wouldn't worry about it


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## Violet Dragon (Aug 20, 2013)

What's normal/average weight look like on a dog of that breed? Like not fit, fat, or skinny.


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## sizzledog (Nov 23, 2008)

Let's also remember that there are different "types" of muscle, and different breeds have different muscling. For example - you wouldn't want to see greyhound muscle on an ibizan hound, and vice versa.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

As people become more accustomed to seeing overweight dogs and people, we tend to label dogs and people who are a normal weight as too skinny. Both my dog and I are in great shape - both of us have ribs barely visible while exhaling. But it's not rare for someone to suggest or imply that one or both of us need to gain weight. Even vets have gotten complacent about the obesity epidemic in dogs.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

You can notice more ribs when the dog is breathing heavily,these photos where taken in the same 10 minute flirt pole session. Two of them he looks more skinny. I don't mind a little rib but desire a dog to have enough fat and muscle to cover the hip bones and spine.

I`m not in great shape but I try to keep my dog in one.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

Some Rotts of good working/sporting weight,the last two are at a decent pet/show weight by Rottweiler standards. Its a challenge finding good examples of this breed.


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

Yeah i have to agree with what others have said, others breed and individual body build/shape come into play as well! 
And as far as what the "Pet weight" would look like, that depends on the line, some dogs Pet weight may look like this :









While others closer to this:


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## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

This is my dogs pet weight


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

To me,this is conditioned versus typical pet weight versus emaciated versus obese.
Notice that the spine is not visible,the hip bones are padded with muscle keeping them from looking pointy and the ribs are only slightly visible,plus the obvious muscle compared to the emaciated one. Also notice the ridge(line) of muscle that goes over the more extreme conditioned dogs ribs,something that doesn't happen if the dog is under fed and under exercised.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

A emaciated versus a heavily conditioned dog.
The conditioned dog has no visible spinal protrusion,a ridge over the ribs,well defined muscles,waste not sunken in,and rounder looking neck and head.


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## Quilivi (Feb 14, 2013)

I deal with 'your dog is too skinny' a lot. He's a Saluki, he's growing like a weed. Yes, his last 3 ribs are visible, and his hips have a slight protrusion. He comes with me to work (vet clinic) 3 times a week to be weighed and have the Vet assess his growing (mostly because I'm a worry wart!) Poor boy is growing so fast you can't PUT weight on him.

Despite this, and the fact that every healthy Saluki I've seen has some level of hip protrusion, I'm still called out in public for 'how skinny that puppy is. did you just get him? Do you just not feed him?!"

Here he is curled up under the desk, you can see his hips poking a bit.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Kayota said:


> "In my honest opinion, skinny and emaciated are basically the same thing."
> 
> No... they really aren't... people can be naturally thin without having all their bones showing... same for dogs.


Truth. First of all, that photo of Lindsay Lohan is a photoshop of a famous photo: 










Anyway, I am naturally thin. If you would call me emaciated, I would roll my eyes. Like I have my entire life. It's the same thing when people call "conditioned" dogs the same. In order for the comparison to be correct, you would have to present photos of "obviously" emaciated dogs and say they are in bad shape, like you have for the photoshops of people. Otherwise, you have shown us what you consider "fit" dogs that are "emaciated" to others. See where I am going here?


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Also, the pictures to compare the conditioned dogs to are obviously terribly emaciated dogs who are practically half dead. What about some pics of some dogs who are just too skinny? There's a pretty big difference between nearly dead and a little too thin.


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## Emily1188 (Jun 21, 2011)

Here's Blossom before we got her EPI diagnosed and under control. 



















I'd call that a dog who's more than a "little too thin." She's definitely underweight in those pics but having rehabbed dogs who were truly emaciated and very close to death, I know she wasn't emaciated either. But not only were her ribs very visible, her spine and hips were obvious, and she had lost mass from her head and neck even. 

It's hard to call "a little too thin" because that gets pretty subjective. I don't mind the last few ribs showing, or a little hip or spine if the dog is well muscled and otherwise in great health. I have complemented people on their dog's condition only to have them say indignantly, "He needs to gain 15 lbs!" (Not. even. kidding. Oof.) I would guess that Blossom right now is what many people would call "a little too thin" to "WHY DON'T YOU FEED THAT DOG!" Her ribs show in motion but not really at rest, you can see the points of her hips, and her waist is prominent. But that doesn't worry me at all, she's a young Mal lol. They're always kinda boney, and she's otherwise a very healthy dog.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

I always wonder if Faolan is too skinny. You can clearly feel his hip bones and spine and some ribs through his thick fur but he eats like 3 cups of food a day which should be plenty. Pictures wouldn't really show it because of his fur. He is over 50 lbs and about 23 inches tall.


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## Robbi (Nov 19, 2013)

Can anyone post examples of fluffy dogs and their varying weight to body structure ratio? I have a pomeranian and I'd be interested to see the dimensions.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

It is hard with fluffy dogs. A lot does depend on the breed's body type and also coat. Summer is long haired but pretty obviously very thin in real life. However in pictures she doesn't really look thin (in fact I've had someone once tell me she was overweight, which is funny). 


w21 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


DSC_1483 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


last year by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr
(This was a year and a half ago and she's actually thinner now)

Mia on the other hand keeps more covering over her ribs. I'd like her to lose a bit.


DSC_1482 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

You can't really tell and she often looks like a lard in photos because she's so square and her coat is much thicker.


DSC_1438 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

When she's wet you can tell she's not obese.


bath4 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

According to my vet she is at the very lean side of a good weight. That's where I want her since she's an older dog and also does agility.

And this is a dog that was very underweight/emaciated for much of his life (health issues). You can't tell at all. I swear that was our saving grace with him- no one could tell he was underweight. 


Snow by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


DSC_0504 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


Trey by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

He was probably at least 2 or so lbs underweight in those shots.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Daenerys said:


> I always wonder if Faolan is too skinny. You can clearly feel his hip bones and spine and some ribs through his thick fur but he eats like 3 cups of food a day which should be plenty. Pictures wouldn't really show it because of his fur. He is over 50 lbs and about 23 inches tall.


I can clearly feel all of Watson's bones and he's not too skinny. I can't really see ribs most of the time (just the definition where the last rib is). When he curls up I can see his spine, but it doesn't stick out normally. Just based on your description Falon sounds fine to me.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I tried posting pictures of my dogs but it told me my post went to moderation... but the bottom line is you need to feel under the hair. Hair hides a lot. 

This dog is at an ok weight.


DSC_1342 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

This dog is at a great weight.


DSC_0154 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

This dog is pretty badly underweight (health issue)


Snow by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

Hair hides a lot.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Daenerys said:


> I always wonder if Faolan is too skinny. You can clearly feel his hip bones and spine and some ribs through his thick fur but he eats like 3 cups of food a day which should be plenty. Pictures wouldn't really show it because of his fur. He is over 50 lbs and about 23 inches tall.


Faxon was exactly like that and the vet said she was healthy.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

You can feel Summer and Nard's spine/hips. They're fine.

Trey on the other hand... you could tell his spine and hips were jutting out too much and he also did not have the muscle tone that Summer has. Nard isn't that muscular at all but he's an intact male papillon and they just don't keep weight well in my experience. Nard is probably bordering too thin but he's very healthy. It's hard to pinpoint the difference between Nard and Trey, who was chronically too thin but in my experience you know it when you feel it.


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## BlackHaus (Nov 11, 2013)

If I had a nickel for every time someone made a comment about how "skinny" my dogs were, or if I had just rescued them..

Odin tops out at around 77 pounds, well within the standard range for an adult male GSD, but people seem to think that the standard is more 100+ pounds. It gets tiring having to explain what is actually a healthy body condition.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

BlackHaus said:


> If I had a nickel for every time someone made a comment about how "skinny" my dogs were, or if I had just rescued them..
> 
> Odin tops out at around 77 pounds, well within the standard range for an adult male GSD, but people seem to think that the standard is more 100+ pounds. It gets tiring having to explain what is actually a healthy body condition.
> 
> ...


People used to giant dogs is part of the problem,one time a employee of Petco said my 75lb Rottie(which is a little small for a modern AKC standard dog),should weigh about 160lbs instead(which is way higher then the standard goes for). I really tried to explain that with his height and build that it was not possible,not healthy,and he was fine how he was. Also to people to all the people that freak out when they see one rib on a dog.
There's a lot of giant and heavy built Rotts and GSD's out there and I think their perspective gets ruined by it. People like to think he's a puppy instead,and always seem so shocked and confused when I say he's five years old.


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## BlackHaus (Nov 11, 2013)

Foresthund said:


> People used to giant dogs is part of the problem,one time a employee of Petco said my 75lb Rottie(which is a little small for a modern AKC standard dog),should weigh about 160lbs instead(which is way higher then the standard goes for). I really tried to explain that with his height and build that it was not possible,not healthy,and he was fine how he was. Also to people to all the people that freak out when they see one rib on a dog.
> There's a lot of giant and heavy built Rotts and GSD's out there and I think their perspective gets ruined by it. People like to think he's a puppy instead,and always seem so shocked and confused when I say he's five years old.


I get the puppy question often too. Oversized/overweight dogs definitely skew the perspective, and I think for the most part the average person is absolutely terrible at estimating the actual weight of a dog. I've had people assume Odin to be at least 90 pounds, and then go on about their childhood shepherd that was "130 pounds of muscle in his prime". 


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## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

Quilivi said:


> Despite this, and the fact that every healthy Saluki I've seen has some level of hip protrusion, I'm still called out in public for 'how skinny that puppy is. did you just get him? Do you just not feed him?!"


I was expecting to get the same thing when I got my afghan, but I don't really run into it that often. In fact I tend to get the opposite and people are surprised at how much muscle she has. With sighthounds once their muscle starts to fill in it really starts to stand out since they don't have much puppy fat to hide behind. By the way your puppy is adorable.


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## VickytheRobot (May 24, 2012)

With two pit bull types we get people calling them skinny all the time. They're not, they're in great shape. Almost all of the breed advocacy charity events we attend are full of overweight dogs. People seem to overfeed pit bulls like crazy. A lot of people want to say they have a 70 lb pit bull but obviously if that's the case the dog is pretty obese or else it's not just a pit bull. At some point everyone forgot that a pittie is actually a relatively small dog.

Every once in a while someone will compliment us on our weight at these events, I always beam when that happens. I also make it a point to compliment others when I see great looking dogs. With so many fatties out there I worry that the norm in pitties is starting to skew to the unhealthy. :/


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## Quilivi (Feb 14, 2013)

animalcraker said:


> I was expecting to get the same thing when I got my afghan, but I don't really run into it that often. In fact I tend to get the opposite and people are surprised at how much muscle she has. With sighthounds once their muscle starts to fill in it really starts to stand out since they don't have much puppy fat to hide behind. By the way your puppy is adorable.


 He's going through another growth spurt right now and is all kinds of awkward. One day he looks like he swallowed a balloon, the next his ankles are giant knobs, etc...

His parents are both gorgeous, and I can't wait to see how he fills out. If that's your Afghan in your sig She's quite gorgeous, I'm a bit biased to that coloration though~


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

BIG difference between skinny an emaciated, not the same thing at all. A dog can be at a good weight without a lot of muscle mass. i.e. skinny. 

Obi is a good weight, but he's not a muscly dog, and his fluff makes it harder to tell his weight:


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

I would consider Meeko skinny, but not emaciated. He WAS emaciated when I first got him. I know a lot of people told me it was a strong word, but he really was. Under the fur he was skin and bones. Not an ounce of fat, or even muscle, on him... The vet said to keep him on the skinnier side to avoid any excess weight on his luxating patella.

So this is what he looks like now. He's skinny, but not fat. I can feel his ribs (very thin layer of fat) and hip bones, but I can't feel his entire spine anymore:


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## Scottsmum (Jan 3, 2014)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> As people become more accustomed to seeing overweight dogs and people, we tend to label dogs and people who are a normal weight as too skinny. Both my dog and I are in great shape - both of us have ribs barely visible while exhaling. But it's not rare for someone to suggest or imply that one or both of us need to gain weight. Even vets have gotten complacent about the obesity epidemic in dogs.


So true. (Massive generalisation about to follow) - Here in Australia people are so used to seeing overweight Labradors that owners with ones in a healthy range are picked on.


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## Avery (Nov 22, 2011)

Kayota said:


> "In my honest opinion, skinny and emaciated are basically the same thing."
> 
> No... they really aren't... people can be naturally thin without having all their bones showing... same for dogs.


My entire life my ribs have shown, and my wrist and hip bones poke out and get banged on things. I am constantly told that I need to eat more and that is just. not. possible.

Mumble is the same way, I think. You can't see anything because of his fur, but his hips poke out and you can feel it when you pet him. When we first got him I asked the vet about it and she said he was fine, it's just the way he's built. He eats a high-quality food and plenty of it. I would like for him to be a little thicker, and he has gained about a pound since we've had him, but short of force-feeding him that's not going to happen. And since he's healthy, I'm okay with that.
He's skinny, but not emaciated for sure.


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## Foresthund (Jul 17, 2013)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> As people become more accustomed to seeing overweight dogs and people, we tend to label dogs and people who are a normal weight as too skinny. Both my dog and I are in great shape - both of us have ribs barely visible while exhaling. But it's not rare for someone to suggest or imply that one or both of us need to gain weight. Even vets have gotten complacent about the obesity epidemic in dogs.


Actually with humans it can be more of the opposite if the human lacks a thigh gap or has even a slight stomach their considered fat,but ribs are considered too skinny for humans. We even photo-shop models and celebrities constantly to make them skinnier. We photoshop them to almost anorexic standards but without the bone visibility. Its more that we want some ideal human that isn't even possible for most people. 

With dogs it can depend on the breed,people are used to more skinny sight hounds as well as dogs like Dobermans and Dalmatians,but with breeds that are not shown leaner as a breed example like labs,Rottweilers,Mastiffs,Pugs,English bulldogs.ect. then people don't even realize how they should look. No body cares if a dog looks attractive its all about cuteness and butchness,something overweight dogs tend to be thought of more.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

I just wanted to say that the person in the OP that is listed as "overweight" is most likely obese, not "overweight". People tend to forget that, just like in dogs, there is a specific and clinical definition for what overweight and obese actually refer to.


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

In defense of the vets. They do talk to owners but usually it falls on deaf ears. It is hard to talk to an owner about their overweight/obese dog when the owner themselves is obese. The vet will talk about weight to the owner, make a note in the file, next visit if pet is still large, will mention the weight again briefly. By the third visit, weight no longer is talked about until an illness caused by the weight of the pet is the issue. 

my dogs I keep them fit. I believe the biggest problem is that people go by numbers and not by the looks of a dog. One client brags about how big his pit is at 140 pounds, and how his dad was so much bigger at 160 pounds. I often wonder how the dog could even father a litter of pups. In this guy eyes all he saw a big dog and not the obese dog everyone else saw.

My friend GSD who weighs 90 pounds is told all the time he is too skinny. Yes you can see his ribs no hips or backbone are showing. She has had the TLI test on him, numerous BW, x-rays, ultrasound and they all come back normal. It does upset her and she has learned to say that she feeds him 16 cups of food a day.


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## momtolabs (May 27, 2012)

I say Bentley is fit. But honestly this winter he hasn't been working much so I have taken 1/2 a cup of food away. I wouldnt mind seeing him loose maybe 3-5 pounds. To some he looks really good(for a lab) others too skinny others too chubby. Depends on the person preference and what there USED to seeing. Last year Bentley was working every weekend,running a lot throughout the week,me and him were hiking every other day so he had nice muscle tone(right word?) And just very fit. 

It's a bad picture but Mia is really fit,in my opinion. She is still growing though so growing through some stages that make her look weird. 

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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

the dogs in the top pics of the first post are what I imagine Josefina would look like if you peeled away her hair. she would be all muscle with no extra fat on her. I have been told she is too thin ... of course everyone that says that has a dog that looks like one of the ones in the "overweight" or "obese" pics. 

 -this is her at what I would consider the 'right ' weight for her type. she is about 35 lbs.

Buddy looked like the dogs in the "overweight" category when I first adopted him.

 - this was taken about a week after he was adopted, notice he is quite a bit heavier then the pic below.

 - this is him after we had had him a while, he slimmed down a lot.

 - this was Izze, she was 10 years old in this pic, I think her body condition was pretty good. I know she looks a little thick but she was all hard muscle.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Photo taken one month after arrival Ginger is facing right.
Photo taken five months after arrival, facing left.

You needed to put your hands on her at the time of the before shot to know she was really heavy. I could just barely feel ribs despite the high tuck. That tuck is because she is fed raw so hasn't much in her gut plus all the extra weight on her ribs. Didn't even have flank folds at this point. 

On the 5 month photo she looks pretty good, right? Nope. Still quite a padding over shoulders and hips and extra Ginger between front legs and ribs. Her flank folds are present without fat and I can at least feel hips and shoulders. Tummy folds seem to be going away too.

Don't know about muscle development, she has been steadily losing weight and is down from 18.6 in the before and is now 16.2 pounds. She can easily jump on the 30" tall grooming table where she struggled a bit to get on the 24" tall bed at first. I don't want her to jump on the grooming table, never thought that would happen! Wish I had been able to accurately measure her height, all that fat on her withers could have been an inch even on a small dog.


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I will say also, take an x ray of a fat dog and you will see a good amount of fat above the skeleton of that dog. Sometimes it can be I swear 3 inches thick. x-rays do not lie and you can show this to the owners and they just respond the dog has fluffy hair and that is why the dog looks fat.


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## Losech (Apr 5, 2011)

Sasha used to be 20 pounds overweight. Here she is at 70lbs.
















Mom got a HUGE lecture from the vet, but it went in one ear and out the other.


Que me moving back in. I take over feeding the dogs, switch them to a better food, reduce Sasha's intake, and up her exercise. Here she is at a lean 50lbs. 
















Just 'cause she's got a barrel chest doesn't mean she needs to be shaped like a log. She is so much happier now, she can actually keep up with the other dogs when we play fetch and go on hikes. (But she's still uber lazy...) Last time I took her into the vet they asked how old she was (before they looked at the chart). They thought she was 3, she's 8. When the vet noticed her last recorded weight was 70lbs he about did a backflip and asked what happened. He was really glad I'd slimmed her down to the correct weight.

You can't see any ribs on Sasha, but you can see one or two on her sister Juneau. My Shiba Conker _is_ a bit thin, he kinda always has been, but he's got some mysterious digestive problem that prevents him from holding a good weight. He's uber fluff so you can't really tell, but if you put your hands on him you can. My Hokkaido pup is actually slightly fat right now. He's not happy about me cutting back his rations.
People often tell me I need to feed my dogs more, they must be starving, etc. They usually have overweight or obese dogs. Last time I was in the waiting room with Juneau this lady ripped into me about how such a bad owner I was, with my emaciated dog, how dare I even show my face in public. Vet came in and about chopped her head off. Her dog was so obese it could barely walk, he actually threatened to call animal control on her for abuse, and pointed to Juneau and remarked at how she was in such amazing condition that he'd mistaken her for a 2 year old at first glance.
I love my vet.

The rib talk, and how people freak out about it, amuses me. You can see a couple of my ribs, but I am far from underweight. I've actually got a bit too much extra bulk on my thighs, it drives me nuts (but that comes with being a lady). I know I'm fine, I work on a farm, hard work, and you don't last in that field if you are underweight. I am 5' 6" 145lbs, most people peg me at about 125 at the most. If I flex it'll scare you.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Losech said:


> Sasha used to be 20 pounds overweight. Here she is at 70lbs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes I get a lot of that too ... Which also goes in one ear and out the other ha ha


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## RabbleFox (Jan 23, 2013)

Losech said:


>


What a dramatic difference! It's practically a different dog! My mom always tells me to feed Merlin more because he doesn't get much in the bowl (he gets about 1/2 cup a day in the bowl and god knows how much in his kongs, buster cube, and training rewards). I like to see a rib on my dogs and be able to feel the rest of the ribs easily. The more hard muscle, the better.

I figure having a lean dog also cuts down on monthly dog food costs. Hahah 

Merlin:







It's kind of hard to tell because he is black and white right where you want to be looking but he has a nice tuck and I can feel those ribs! I want to slim him down a couple more ounces though.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

luv mi pets said:


> In defense of the vets. They do talk to owners but usually it falls on deaf ears. It is hard to talk to an owner about their overweight/obese dog when the owner themselves is obese.


I am considered obese by doctors... Here I am...










Here is my dog...










first: doctors' perception of what is an ok bodyweight is complete fat shaming bullcrap

second: just because i am overweight doesn't mean my dog will be


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

One thing I love about threads like this is getting to see pics of everyone's dogs


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## momtolabs (May 27, 2012)

Betterish picture of Bentley.I'm just proud of myself that I don't have a fat lab 

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