You say "Tubby" I say "Fat"

Bodhi's Blog: Life at the Dog Ranch

You say "Tubby" I say "Fat"

Hello fellow dog lovers! Coming to you from the lovely Heart of Texas Dog Ranch during this hot, humid day. We recently took in two black lab brothers that were incredibly overweight. I thought, "Boy, they must be stealing lots of their little girl's food!" But, then I was told, not every dog has a little girl! How is that possible??

Bodhi deciding she would rather eat like a dog and only use her mouth. She found herself very funny...ugh

Well, if they weren't stealing a toddler's cheese sticks like my dogs try to do ALL THE TIME, how in the world did they get so fat? Dogs and toddlers have a lot in common when it comes to eating. Both dogs and toddlers only eat what is given to them. Unless you have a sneaky dog that snatches items off the counter or that crazy one who can open the freezer door! He's smarter than I am. I can only open the cupboards right now. PS. Banging pots and pans is a ton of fun, but the dogs never want to participate.

Truthfully, sometimes I miss my mouth more than I hit it!

Back to our black boys, Wally (Walrus) and Manny (Manatee) needed a serious weight loss program and fast. Wally was nearly DOUBLE his ideal weight, needing to loose 50+ pounds, and Manny needed to loose 25+. Both dogs would suffer life long issues if they stayed so overweight. This is when one of my favorite people, Rachel, asked how a person can determine the ideal weight of a dog.

I decided this was an educational moment for my fans, too. Your dog's ideal weight will vary and the easiest way to tell if he/she is over/under weight is by looking at his/her body. You want to see the back rib and an indentation at the waist. If you can see more than one rib, your dog is most likely underweight and if you can't see any ribs your pup needs to loose a few pounds. Now, if your pup is like Wally and has fat bulging over his tail and is as wide as your coffee table (not kidding), then you need to lose more than just a few pounds!

 

Manny (on the left) has no waist line and Wally (on the right) has a bulging waist line and fat on his tail. Both need to lose a lot of weight.

Bonnie has the start of a waist line, but you can't see her last rib, she needs to lose a few pounds.

I often hear, "Well, my vet didn't tell me my pup was tubby!" In fact I am hearing that more and more so I went and spoke to my very favorite vet Dr. Kim. She told me that some vets are unwillingly to tell a client that the dog is overweight fearing the client will become offended and not come back. People, if a professional tells you your dog is fat it isn't to shame you, it is to let you know you need to cut back on the amount of food or treats you are placing in front of them every day.

Both of these dogs are too skinny as you can easily see several of their ribs.

Then, when talking to people about weight loss goals for dogs, I hear, "Well, I only give him 1 cup of food twice a day like I was told." Let's be honest, we can all look at the dog and see he is eating more than that. So, either you are giving him LOTS more food and treats or he could have a significant medical condition. This is when I ask them to show me their "cup" of food. This is often when I see the issue. Just because a drinking glass is called a cup, doesn't mean it holds only a cup. Even my sippy cups hold more than an actual cup (yep, no more bottles for me!). 

While this is a cup, it doesn't count as a cup of food! It actually holds 2 1/2 cups of dog food.

Also, a cup of food is when the food is level with the actual cup and not heaping over. I measured a heaping cup of food and it was actually 1 1/3 cups of food!

This is also not a cup of food.

Now, if you are all worried about your dog being too hungry to reduce the food there are a couple of ways to curb this guilt. You can add some canned green beans or raw carrots to the dog's food. These are super low calorie but very filling. Another option is to feed your dog during training exercises. Instead of giving them treats, use their dinner kibble (measured out) as the treats you give. This extends and slows the dog down, helping the pup "enjoy" the meal more.  If you need more ideas, let me know!

This is actually one cup of food.

And, remember, just because your dog keeps eating doesn't mean he is actually hungry. Instinctively he needs to eat as much as possible because his ancestors never knew when the next meal would come around. Never leave a full dish of food out for your dog. Feed him twice a day. Don't free feed. Beyond increasing the dog's likelihood of becoming overweight, it can lead to significant behavior issues. 

One last thing before I go to bed, don't worry about feeding weight loss food. This is just full of fillers like corn, which provides nothing good for the dog's nutrition. Just feed less of the good food you are already providing. This way you will save money and your dog won't be eating a bunch of junk. If your dog needs to loose weight, lower the amount of food you provide. It won't happen fast, but that is ok, just make sure it is happening.

PS. if you want to get ME a treat I LOVE bananas. I would eat ten a day if my moms let me, but they won't, they say that many aren't good for me. So, if you see me, slip me a banana and I will love you forever!

                                                 Enjoying a banana and peanut butter bread

PPS. Manny has lost the majority of his excess weight and has found his forever home. Wally is still working on losing his weight and finding his forever home, but we know it won't take long for either goal to become a reality.