Weight gain
Submitted by Cynderella on June 12, 2012 - 12:09pmBrit went to the Vets yesterday for her yearly needles.
She weighed 64lbs in March at her last visit to the vet.Of course they weighed her first before seeing the vet. She weighed 65.7lbs! The vet tech. didn`t crack a smile when I said she could be retaining water because it was so hot out..
I was told the last visit that she should loose a few pounds. So I cut back a bit on her food & treats. I walk her everyday, & she loves to play with my other dog. I beginning to believe its a female thing. It doesn't matter if your human or a dog, if your a female it's near impossible to lose weight.... lol
Its hard for them in the summer with the heat
getting them exercise and walking. 65.7 lbs I would not be that concerned with. Unless she looks like a little tube steak with no definition in her hind leg area. LOL Some people add in green beans mixed with the kibble to fill them up and keep them trim. =) Onslow likes to have ice cubes as treats which also helps. ;)
Picture
do you have a picture you can post. I'm going to disagree with Lisa here in that 65 lbs for a bitch is very heavy, unless she is not a Bulldog but maybe an Olde English or American. I know she could be a big girl but if she is standard sized she is overweight. How old is she?
Does she have a waist? Can you easily feel her ribs and backbone? If not then she is overweight.
Just like a human being overweight can have long term health effects on the internal organs as well as limbs.
Do you measure her food? How much is she getting?
I can tell you I feel like I starve Ester. She is on raw and gets 7 oz. 2 x daily. It's like a large handful and she gets 1 cookie in the am. No tidbits at all and with that she is slightly overweight.
I had a judge tell me one time...and this was a breeder judge. You have a beautiful bitch and you are killing her. Get that weight off of her. I told her I'm working on it and her comment was. "You are in control of the food". At the time I was a little offended, but looking back at those pictures of her when she was around 9 months that judge was absolutely right. She was fat!
Be your dogs best advocate, look at them objectively and I think we will see that many of our dogs are overweight. Even mine :(
Deb, I've got a question....
I've gone to the bulldog show in St. Louis for the past four or five years. We see some recognizable breeders' names and kennels at the show. My question is, I've noticed that more than few of the show bulldogs seem heavier than average "civilian" bullies. I wondered if some of the bulldogs are kept heavier to exaggerate their characteristics or do we just get heavier bulldogs at our show for some reason? Thanks for your thoughts.
Monica, Maude and Gus
Fat and Overweight
should not be considered a well conditioned show dog. I too have seen way to many fat dogs at the shows. We have alot of them here. Show dogs will/should carry a little more weight then your stay at home pet, but not to the extent they are fat. Fat is really never pretty. In the past so many people told me to keep them fat, yet that makes no sense to me now. Fit and a nice healthy weight is so much better then fat. Fit means you have to get out and walk them.
There was a recent discussion brought up by our BCA President on FB about this very topic and I think in the future you will begin seeing more and more fit bulldogs showing. Especially with the big push to get health testing done. Our breed was an athletic breed originally and the standard supports a breed that can move.
From the Breed Standard:
Gait
The style and carriage are peculiar, his gait being a loose-jointed, shuffling, sidewise motion, giving the characteristic "roll." The action must, however, be unrestrained, free and vigorous.
Don't misjudge fat for substance. I think the average person might think a dog fat...when it looks bigger then another dog, but substance is not fat.
This year we have some lovely dogs in our top 5. One of the nicest top 20's in all the years I've been involved in showing this breed. I think that is a testament to our reputable breeders trying to do the right thing for the future of the breed...And IMO there are not enough breeders getting on that bandwagon yet. But they will at some point be drug along screaming and hollering. No one wants to change or be pushed into chage, but it is necessary.
Agree picture would be helpful
top and side view.
sorry, I thought everyone
sorry, I thought everyone could see the picture of her that I have beside my user name.
Here is a picture of Brit
Thanks for all the replies. I
Thanks for all the replies. I love Brit the "weigh" she is. She is just a heaIthy "big" girl.
She doesn't look terribly obese to me
can still see a "tucked up" area just before the hind legs. I would try the green bean trick to keep her from gaining any more.
She's a Big Girl
and NO does not look obese at all. Just give her a little exercise and play. If you do want her to lose a couple of lbs just adjust her food minimally and a little more exercise. I agree with Jacinda, depending on her age it's not a bad idea for a thyroid test.
Many vets think our breed is just fat. Thankfully I have not experienced that with my vets and they never comment on my dogs weight. I do work at making sure they are not too fat.
She does look a little tall and long
So she will naturally carry more weight than a standard size bulldog. But, I agree that she doesn't look obese.
If you have cut back on her food and increased exercise
And she is still gaining weight, have her thyroid checked.