Some time back, in a post entitled Murder By Can Opener, I noted that:
Behind every fat adult dog is a weak human who cannot say "no," or who cannot control others in the household who insist on stepping in to give the dog a treat.
In the latter case the issue is simply making a big damn deal out of it if other people feed your dog without asking your permission. People in your house should fear crossing the line every bit as much as I feared touching my father's trombone as a child. Humans can be taught to leave well enough alone. I can assure you that no man goes into a woman's purse without permission more than once. Feeding a dog should never be a community responsibility -- one person has to have absolute ownership and and authority over what, and how much, the dog eats.
More often than not, however, the reason a dog is fat is not that other people are feeding it but that that the owner thinks that every time he or she eats a meal, the dog must also get a bite or two. Look at those eyes!
But that's not the end of it, is it? The dog also gets to lick the plates, and maybe the kitchen bowls. The dog also gets a little canned food mixed in with his dry food as "a little treat." Anything that falls on the kitchen floor the dog is allowed to have. Plus there's the biscuit the dog gets every night before it goes to bed ....
Add it all up, and you have a LOT of calories going into that dog.
And, more often then not, you also have a dog that will die many years sooner than it should, often after having spent the last half of its life lethargic, and more often than not with joint problems.
Unseen are the same kind of diseases that stalk overweight humans: heart disease and clogged arteries, fatty liver disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
As I noted in a later post on the same subject:
If you have a smooth-coated adult dog like a pointer or a smooth-coated Jack Russell, you should be able to see at least two or three ribs when the dog breathes deeply after running a short distance.
Rest assured that no one who reads dog-oriented web sites and books is ever going to have a dog that is too thin. People who sign up for canine list-servs, buy books on dogs, and read pet columns in the newspaper are much more likely to feed their dogs to death than they are to run their dogs even a pound or two too light.
How do you get the weight off a fat dog? Simple: stop feeding it so much.
Portion control IS weight control.
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7 comments:
Amen to this! I wrote a complaint about this on my own blog. Diet dog food is a ridiculous expense. Like people portion control is the real answer, along with good quality food.
You can also add the lack of exercise for the average dog. Every dog needs a walk at least 5 times a week and I don't mean to the mailbox and back. While I don't hunt my Jacks they go walking with me on a minimum of 3 miles a day and I'm pushing myself and them for 4. Walking really is a cure for what ails both your dog and your own chubby self.
The other day I passed a young man out walking with his English Bulldog. That dog looked darned impressive and was breathing pretty good too because he actually had a tucked waist and good muscles. I hope to see them again on the trail.
And if your dog is fat, it is YOUR fault.
Debi and the TX Jacks
Some folks have 2-3 dogs and one of these is a food hog. No matter what it remains heavier and why because "it's too much bother to ration his/her food".
Stupid isn't it, but that's how some people think.
I can't remember where I saw this (and apologize if someone already posted it here), but I saw this nice little quip in a comment box:
"Someone asked me what they could feed their dog to help it lose weight. My reply: 'Less!'"
According to my parents, a sadly significant amount of people comment on just how THIN Mal is when she's doing therapy work at the hospital. It doesn't help that a more than significant amount of the people themselves are obese!
At one of my internships, I saw a 212-lb mastiff, and it was NOT a healthy 212. I never got to see what he looked like when he started losing from 235 or so, but even the few pounds he lost while I was there didn't amount to much visual difference. And he was 6 years old already. :(
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Worked at a pet supply store for five years, and not a DAY went by when I wasn't asked for a supplement, food or magic pill that would make their fat dog thin.
To suggest simply feeding less was retail suicide. "As if it were that easy!" Umm.... yeah, it is.
Top it off with the fact that my dogs are present, trim as can be. The first reaction people have when they meet them? Why is that dog so skinny?
Ummm... that's how they're supposed to look. I notice you didn't ask ME the same question.
And of course, my favourite - after explaining that their dog was severely overweight and not likely to live long at such a size, they inevitably reply that at their recent vet visit the vet thought their dog was fine.
Nope - your vet ran in the room, injected your dog with whatever you've been duped into buying and runs out. That's what happens when medical appointments are scheduled every 10 minutes.
Can you tell this is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves?
While I didn't see so many fat pets in my stint as a pet retail worker, I can say that it's just that much more depressing in the vet's office. I interned at 2 places for 5 weeks each. A grand majority of patients seen were nothing short of plump. The vet at the second place was the only one who attacked the problem directly and, in a nice-but-serious way, called the owners out on it and TOLD them how to fix it, all without using the words "maybe," possibly," or "drug therapy."
I also saw an obese horse IRL for the first time evar. It was...gross.
An obese horse? Wow... I've seen a lot in my years, but an obese horse is a new one even to me.
Although in the area that I come from, horses are regularly sold for $50-100 a piece and referred to as "Hay Burners" more often than horses.
Don't get me wrong, these horses aren't starved or mistreated (for the most part) but no one would ever refer to one as "obese".
What have we come to? It's like those photos of the HUGE cats or rabbits, being held by GIANT versions of humans who seem proud of their cruelty.
As for the multi-dog household, it's my opinion that NO dog should be free fed, period. The feeding ritual is important between dog and owner, and it's amazing to me how many people "love their dog to death" with food and yet can't understand that the dog will bond with you better if the food comes from YOU, not the magic bottomless bowl.
A big part of the problem is that very few people even know what a fit/healthy weight dog (or cat, or horse) looks like! It's just so uncommon these day, especially within certain breeds.
Add to that the fact that a LOT of dog (and cat and horse) profesionals have, themselves, a plump pet and stroke the ego and calm the fears of customers who have the same. No wonder people's perception of healthy and normal is so warped!
I can't tell you how often I have seen vets give the "all clear" to overweight animals, even when asked specifically about the animal's weight. It doesn't matter what anyone says after than, once a vet has said your animal is an ok weight almost nothing is going to change that owner's mind about their pet's condition.
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