# Sick of ignorant overfeeding!!!



## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

So i had to share this because it blew my mind THAT much! I was at a petsmart the other day getting some toys for the lil guy and saw someone bringing their GSD out of the training pen. It was the biggest shepherd i've ever seen in my life, x2!!! HUGE, huge huge....the guy said SHE was 110 lbs...only 8 mos old. HOLY ****!

I was so shocked at first i couldnt even respond. I asked about their feeding schedule and the owner said he fed 3 times a day 3 cups each time. Now i guess there is a chance the mom and dad were just gigantic gsd's but 110 female at 8 mos, that's not healthy! Those poor bones cant handle that growth right?? 
Is it just me or are some people dying to overfeed just so they can have that _huge_ gsd?


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

MarleyGSD said:


> Those poor bones cant handle that growth right??
> Is it just me or are some people dying to overfeed just so they can have that _huge_ gsd?


Did she appear to be overweight? You can't judge that on what weight and how much they are feeding alone - it's possible that with a really crappy food the dog may need 9 cups. But if she didn't have a waist then 110lbs at 8 months is crazy big and yes, too much weight for growing bones and joints.

Sadly, yes, some people do overfeed their dog to have a huge GSD because they have the crazy notion that GSDs are supposed to be that big.


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

gsdraven said:


> Did she appear to be overweight?


I think she was overweight because there was no definition at all of a slim (or somewhat slim) waist. She did have a longer coat but it seemed her waist was at the same thickness as her chest when she was standing.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Some people also view it as competition. 

Guy #1 "My GSD is 95 pounds, she's huge."

Guy #2 "Oh ya? Well my GSD is 110 pounds, so she's bigger than yours."


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

My vet would whoop my butt if I let my GSD put on extra weight. No, really, I think she would.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

SAD!
I think every GSD(and almost every other dog) I saw as a child was overweight, except for my stepdads.


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> SAD!
> I think every GSD(and almost every other dog) I saw as a child was overweight, except for my stepdads.


 that's heartbreaking.....sometimes i wonder which is worse, obese or extreme underfed dogs.....both bring tears to my eyes.


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## crisp (Jun 23, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> Some people also view it as competition.
> 
> Guy #1 "My GSD is 95 pounds, she's huge."
> 
> Guy #2 "Oh ya? Well my GSD is 110 pounds, so she's bigger than yours."


So true. When my friends come over they all say my GSD is so small compared to their other friends. She's pretty tall for a female but very lean and still weighs in around 79 pounds. I think people look at how fat a dog is and confuse it with strength.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

MarleyGSD said:


> I was so shocked at first i couldnt even respond. I asked about their feeding schedule and the owner said he fed 3 times a day 3 cups each time. Now i guess there is a chance the mom and dad were just gigantic gsd's but 110 female at 8 mos, that's not healthy! Those poor bones cant handle that growth right??
> Is it just me or are some people dying to overfeed just so they can have that _huge_ gsd?


So when they told you how much the dog was fed did you explain to this person that it's not healthy? I always think it's better to give some well meaning advice in this situation. Maybe they are clueless and a little education would help.
Of course not everyone will be open to advice, but if they are, you might have helped the dog in the long run.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> SAD!
> I think every GSD(and almost every other dog) I saw as a child was overweight, except for my stepdads.


    that is one HUGE dog!!! :teary:. that dog really makes me want to pay for lyposuction and the lap-band for it.  why do people think that this is ok?!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

That poor dog in the picture -- that is life shortening abuse , not love .
I see it all the time. I visit pet shops where I am asked to meet and speak to customers about health and supplements. While I am there people will bring in dogs , lots of labs and golden retrievers that have blubber like walrus. You look at the animal and you can feel that it does not feel well. Yet the owner will buy "cookies" and treats and big soft cushy beds for it to rest on in comfort. Want to do something really good for your dog -- take it for a walk . Please. 
Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Working at a vet, I see and talk to people all the time who overfeed their dogs. Even when the vets try to explain that they need to lose weight for health reasons, they ignore them because "princess fluffly toes" needs her nightly ice cream and morning eggs and bacon.
That being said, its funny how some people THINK their dog is so huge, then when they hit the scales, they find they are not that big. Had I lady come in wanting worm meds for her 40lb cat. We would not dispense them until the cat was weighed at the clinic since that amount of wormer for a normal size "fat" cat would kill or make it deathly ill.Cat came in, weighed it and it weighed 18 lbs. People just want big and make up weights to go along with it the majority of the time


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

carmspack said:


> That poor dog in the picture -- that is life shortening abuse , not love .
> I see it all the time. I visit pet shops where I am asked to meet and speak to customers about health and supplements. While I am there people will bring in dogs , lots of labs and golden retrievers that have blubber like walrus. You look at the animal and you can feel that it does not feel well. Yet the owner will buy "cookies" and treats and big soft cushy beds for it to rest on in comfort. Want to do something really good for your dog -- take it for a walk . Please.
> Carmen
> Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


and put it on a diet


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I saw that dog on FB and it was photoshopped. Catu found the real dog, and the pic posted is the real one. If you have FB look at the photoshopped one, it sends a message, regardless:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-Dog-Nutrition/202970943054594


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

When I first started my mobile grooming business, I wasn't as strict about weight limits as I am now....if I could get it into the tub, I'd groom it. THAT came to a stop very quickly, after grooming the Mega-Golden. Guy from around the corner called to get his 2 year old golden groomed. Sure no problem!

Well the big fat man brought out a big fat dog.....I said OMG how much does that dog WEIGH?! He answered (proudly) 145 pounds.....YIKES!! It wasn't an exaggeration either. You could have served dinner for 2 on his back! I did groom him (stupid me)....there was a huge tub in the van and when that dog laid down he filled the tub. Had a heck of a time getting him OUT of the tub. Had a chat with the owner about the dog's weight and he laughed it off...and I told him I couldn't give him another appointment. I learned that day to ALWAYS ask the weight of the dog, no matter what the breed. Should have taken a pic of that one, he was so overweight he had to stand with his feet way far apart.

I've groomed several 40 pound bichons. The people always either laugh about the weight, or insist the dog is just "big boned." Sure Cartman.....


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

back when Molly was 90-100 lbs we'd all tell my grandma that she's going to give that dog a early death because she was so big, my grandma was the type of person you don't tell what to do so she'd just glare at us and say she's not fat she's just big boned!!! now this dog has a slew of beahvioral issues that inclueds begging constantly for table scraps which she doesn't get at all in my house and extreme anxiety to the point nothings working, I just ordered her a thundershirt to see if that helps. her joints are just starting to go bad at 12 1/2 years of age. I took me three years of a strict diet and exercise plan to get her down to 40#, in fact she's gaining weight again so she's going down to a once a day feeding and if that doesn't help I'm going to get her thyroid checked. her begging is so bad I sometimes have to put her in the bathroom with the door shut because she just sits right next to you and stares and then when that doesn't work she cries then barks. breaking ten years of bad habits is not fun. i'm very shocked that she doesn't have diabetes. if my grandma were still alive and she still had Molly that dog would have been dead two years ago.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

DunRingill said:


> When I first started my mobile grooming business, I wasn't as strict about weight limits as I am now....if I could get it into the tub, I'd groom it. THAT came to a stop very quickly, after grooming the Mega-Golden. Guy from around the corner called to get his 2 year old golden groomed. Sure no problem!
> 
> Well the big fat man brought out a big fat dog.....I said OMG how much does that dog WEIGH?! He answered (proudly) 145 pounds.....YIKES!! It wasn't an exaggeration either. You could have served dinner for 2 on his back! I did groom him (stupid me)....there was a huge tub in the van and when that dog laid down he filled the tub. Had a heck of a time getting him OUT of the tub. Had a chat with the owner about the dog's weight and he laughed it off...and I told him I couldn't give him another appointment. I learned that day to ALWAYS ask the weight of the dog, no matter what the breed. Should have taken a pic of that one, he was so overweight he had to stand with his feet way far apart.
> 
> *I've groomed several 40 pound bichons. The people always either laugh about the weight, or insist the dog is just "big boned." Sure Cartman*.....


My aunt has a very fat Bichon, they always feed her people food and I told her that it's going to cause problems down the road. 

Well the dog is 8 years old now and my aunt told me last week that she is having trouble getting around. Well DUH.


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

GSDGunner said:


> So when they told you how much the dog was fed did you explain to this person that it's not healthy? I always think it's better to give some well meaning advice in this situation. Maybe they are clueless and a little education would help.
> Of course not everyone will be open to advice, but if they are, you might have helped the dog in the long run.


Yes, thats exactly what i did!! I went about it very gingerly though, because i could just see it going badly if i shouted "YOU'RE DOOMING YOUR DOGS FUTURE!!!"
Instead of telling him what he _should_ do, i told him what _I_ do with my dog and the reasons, and benefits....I said "when i first got Marley i didn't know these things, but with research (and stalking this forum) i learned i was doing the wrong things and quickly discovered a healthy lifestyle for him. 
Hopefully he's somewhere on this site now, reading, learning and bettering his pups life.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

MarleyGSD said:


> Yes, thats exactly what i did!! I went about it very gingerly though, because i could just see it going badly if i shouted "YOU'RE DOOMING YOUR DOGS FUTURE!!!"
> Instead of telling him what he _should_ do, i told him what _I_ do with my dog and the reasons, and benefits....I said "when i first got Marley i didn't know these things, but with research (and stalking this forum) i learned i was doing the wrong things and quickly discovered a healthy lifestyle for him.
> Hopefully he's somewhere on this site now, reading, learning and bettering his pups life.


:thumbup: Good for you for trying to help educate this man with a positive approach!


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

MarleyGSD said:


> Yes, thats exactly what i did!! I went about it very gingerly though, because i could just see it going badly if i shouted "YOU'RE DOOMING YOUR DOGS FUTURE!!!"
> Instead of telling him what he _should_ do, i told him what _I_ do with my dog and the reasons, and benefits....I said "when i first got Marley i didn't know these things, but with research (and stalking this forum) i learned i was doing the wrong things and quickly discovered a healthy lifestyle for him.
> Hopefully he's somewhere on this site now, reading, learning and bettering his pups life.


:thumbup:
Good job! It's all in the wording and when people understand you have a genuine concern they are more apt to listen.
If someone came at me and yelled "omg, your dog is fat" and belittled me, I'd tell them where to take a hike.
I'd much rather hear some good genuine advice.
Of course some people are going to tell you to mind your own business. And of course, it is none of our business, but those people are few and far between. Education goes a long way.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

It (the 110 pound puppy) seems that much sadder because, in my experience, young GSDs often have a hard time keeping weight on. I mean my two one year olds both show some rib, and I am feeding them 2.5 cups twice a day. Babsy was 58 pounds at two years old, and 73 now while mature. I had a heck of a time getting Milla over 50 pounds. (She is looking good now -- got to weigh her.)

It is true that sheps are taller, shorter, longer bodied, shorter bodied, barrel chested to slab sided, some are deeper in the chest, and some are lanky and leggy. And some definitely have heavier bones while others have a light frame. Even their tails vary. I weighed Heidi at the vet the other day and said 76 pounds with 2/3 of her tail -- they laughed. 

But 110 pounds at less than a year for a shepherd is criminal.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

I don't know how many times I was told that Indra is underfed and needs to put on weight. No, she's not! She has the perfect weight for her age and doesn't need more weight or any less. She's slowly maturing and has fine bones. She's tall but doesn't have the big bones Judge has, and she is not underweight. 

Especially that age they shouldn't even be near a 100 pounds.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

I recall information that I shared on another list which drew attention to an ad in DOGS USA 2002 where you had someone advertising 160 pound GSD.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I just have to speak up for some of the overweight dogs in the world. My Rosa gains a pound just looking at food it seems like. I am supposed to get her down to 35 pounds. We've been working on it for almost a year, and have not been able to get her there. She's around 42-43 pounds. She eats LESS than 1 cup of kibble a day, and we can't walk her all day long because of her hips.

So if you see a dog that's a little bit fat, just know that sometimes no matter how hard the owner is trying, that dog just can't lose the weight.


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