Adult Feeding - Weight Concern
Submitted by jayvee21 on June 24, 2010 - 4:31pmHi. I have a male English Bulldog, Vito, who is a year-and-a-half old. I've noticed Vito's weight hasn't really leveled off since we got him as a puppy. Last month, he was right at 70 lbs; last night, he was at 74.5 lbs. His weight is getting to the point where I'm beginning to grow a bit concerned, considering the breed standard and a lot of the comments I've seen regarding the weight of other people's bullies.
We're getting into the summer weather here, so his walks and outside time have been limited over the last several weeks (we were getting about 1.5 miles in with him every day in the spring). I'm wondering if the dropoff in exercise has anything to do with the increase in weight.
The other thing I'm wondering is if I might be overfeeding him. He's currently on Purina One's Sensitive Systems food, and we give him 1.5 cups twice a day, which is within the feeding guidelines on the bag.
A couple things to know about Vito: 1.) he's a little long-legged and slightly tall for the breed; 2.) he really shows no signs of being obese and is actually a very muscular dog.
I have a vet appointment set for next week and intend to discuss my concern with the doctor, but I also wanted to try and get some input from fellow bully owners. I'm curious how much/how often you guys feed your adult bullies and whether you think I have a legitimate cause for concern here.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
It's so much harder in the summer
with the heat restraint for exercise. Mine usually puts on a few lbs in summer because we can't run him as much.
All bullies differ in their frames and sizes. Mine is an olde english and very leggy, I personally do not worry about the exact weight by the scale - does he have a nice upsweep from his belly to his hind leg area? If he's starting to look tubulur it's time for a diet. LOL As far as feeding Onslow gets about 2 cups a day plus a few treats here and there.
Have you got a picture you could post?
Thanks for the feedback. I do
Thanks for the feedback. I do have pictures, although I'm at work and don't have them here, so I will try to post when I am home later this evening. He's not tubular at all. In fact, what I would call his "waist area" is very trim, but then his body shape just expands drastically into the upper chest. At his last vet appointment (probably six months ago), the vet referred to him as a "bodybuilder," and I would say that's still an accurate description. The weight just continues to go up, though, and has shown no signs of leveling off, so I just can't help but start to be a little concerned.
Pics
Here are a few semi-recent pics of Vito. I've included a shot from the side, back, and top, so that you can get an idea of his shape/build. Like I said, I don't feel like he's obese, and when he's active, his muscle tone is hard to miss. At 74 lbs. and climbing, though, I just get a little worried, regardless of where the weight is coming from (fat, muscle, height, etc.).
Pics 2
Trying again...sorry, I'm new to this...
He looks very healthy to me
handsome fellow! =)
Doesn't look overweight to me!
Reminds me a lot of Tuffy's build and the vet says he's the perfect weight. I would just monitor what he eats, give him sufficient exercise and try not to worry!