Please help settle an argument

[LabMum]

Hi everyone, I wonder would you all please help settle an argument between myself and my Fiance. We have two gorgeous golden labs, Alfie & Charlie, and this argument is about Alfie's weight. Ian (my fiance) says he is overwight and we need to cut back on his treats etc, but I think he is just right!

To give you a bit of his background, we have had him since he was just six weeks old. He was born with only one eye, as you can see from the pics, and I do find it hard to resist giving him treats, he just looks too cute to say no to! I suppose he is a little spoilt, but he is very well-behaved.

I have posted some pics below, please let me know what you think (Alfie is wearing the blue collar in the first pic).

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2497/alfiecharliesh0.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=alfiecharliesh0.jpg)

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/8823/alfie3yl9.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=alfie3yl9.jpg)

Thanks guys.

[Brandi's Mom]

The best way to tell if your dog is over weight is to gently run your fingers over his rib cage. If you can feel the ribs with a very gentle almost feather touch then he's fine. If you can't feel ribs then yes he's over weight......

[MrsRottie]

What looks 'thin' to us is ideal for the dog.

You should be able to feel the ribs as Brandi's Mom says, and also see the last 2 or 3 nearest the rear end. They should also have a well defined 'waist' so should definitely go in round the tummy.

LOL I only know coz I've got the fattest rottie in the UK and can't manage to slim him down :D Mine's blind and I can't resist giving him extra treats too - it's his fave pasttime, eating!!

[retriever crazy]

i can't tell if my golden is overweight because her fur is so thick:D i think she is a good wieght though... judging by your pics of alfie, he doesn look to over weight, he looks just built

[skunkstripe]

Hi Labmum,
I can't tell from those pics. Can you point the camera straight down on his back?

[munlitsky]

I think he looks fine and is very adorable. I could see me not being able to say no either, haha. :)

[Georgia]

Really hard to tell in those pictures. In our vet's office there is a chart that describes the various stages of dog weight in a series of 6 or so levels from way too skinny to way too fat. Each stage has a picture from the top and from the side along with a description of what you are looking for. I see the chart in almost all the rooms of the vet so I assume it's fairly common. Maybe your vet has one too or you can find the chart online? To be honest though, I found it nearly impossible to tell if our dog was OK by some of the descriptions. At any rate, visually the best way to tell appears to be from looking at a full profile and from above so you can see the outline of the dog. Personally I'd rather error on the side of slightly thin.

Good luck.

[skunkstripe]

I was looking for those pictures of the dog silhouettes on the internet but didn't find them. I did find this:
http://www.caninesports.com/fatdogs.html
(maybe I should try the pumpkin diet!). :D

Found it after all
http://www.petcaretips.net/overweight_dogs.html

[lassie]

Hi, how old is Alfie now?

im not fat im just well built LOL

[sheplovr]

He does not look too bad in the photo but laying down is hard to tell for it bunches up the tummy. Like said rub your hands over the ribs, if you can feel them without pushing he is fine. You should never see the ribs, just feel them. Too many treats can fastly put pounds on also. Do you walk him honey?

[Georgia]

I was looking for those pictures of the dog silhouettes on the internet but didn't find them. I did find this:
http://www.caninesports.com/fatdogs.html
(maybe I should try the pumpkin diet!). :D

Found it after all
http://www.petcaretips.net/overweight_dogs.html

That second link probably shows the far extreme and the ideal for the chart i saw, but my vet's chart had maybe 4 more levels in there with descriptions.

I found this link which isn't too bad:

http://www.caninecompanions.org/northeast/puppy_raising_pr/overweight_dogs.html

[golden&hovawart]

How tall is your dog?how much does he weigh and how many cups a day do you feed him?.if he is neutered,you should drop the normal amount of food by 10% .I'll give you,an ex,my golden is 24 in,weighs 68 pd and is fed 2 cups a day.A thin dog will gain 2 years of life compared to an overweight dog with wii have less bone problem.So,go and see yr vet,weigh him and then ask him if he is overweight and if yes,how much he is suppose to lose.Good-luck.L

[kalismom]

Have you asked his Vet? Our vet is always scolding me. Have you tried more low cal treats? The vet told me, that in moderation of course, raw veggies are a great treat. Not fruit as it seems to give them loose stools- with the exception of slices of apple. Also I make them a special cake. 1 can of pumpkin,3 cups of oats, 1 beaten egg, small jar apple sauce. In food processor, blend oats into a flour, add pumpkin and egg,and just enough applesauce to make a dough. Bake 350 for 20 mins. bake longer if you want it crispy. my dogs like it moist like a cake. You can also roll it and cut with cookie cutters. The vet told me pumpkin is very high in fiber, we had a problem with anal glands, and extra fiber helps. If you're dog will eat veggies, go for it. just not to much, they always seem to puke on my side of the bed!