# How Can You Tell If Your Shepherd Is Overweight?



## Brigrat (Aug 27, 2012)

I have a 3 year old White Shepherd, spayed last year, how can you tell if he's overweight? Thanks


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

post a few pics from different angles.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Bigrat, here's the quick way to assess:

With your dog standing up, stand behind her and run your open hands over her rib cage from the front toward you. With just a gliding stroke, no pressure, can you actually feel each one of the ribs, even if you can't see them? 

Now, from the same position glide your hands from the end of the rib cage toward the hips, on the side of the dog. Does the waist tuck inward, like an hour glass? (If the dog has "barrel shaped" waist, it's a good indicator it's overweight.)

Now from the same position, reach under and glide your hand from the chest along the tummy, with the dog standing. Does the tummy tuck in? (It normally should, unless there's a medical reason why it doesn't--females who have weaned a litter in the past few months are often "saggy," for example.)

This helps explain what you are looking for:
How to Tell If Your Dog is Fat | VirtuaVet


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Being spayed or neutered does not make a dog fat. Eating too much and no exercise makes a dog fat.

I have had many neutered and spayed dogs of all breeds. Have never had a fat one.


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## Brigrat (Aug 27, 2012)

Sorry for the wrong terminology, Cisco is a male and was Neutered, I do know better! My concerns are that he has been on raw meat, veggies, etc. for over a year now. Sometime (most of the time) I get lazy and "guess" at how much to feed him as far as pounds and ounces, he seems healthy but seems he has lots of extra neck fat for lack of a better way of explaining it. Believe he is around 100 lb's now, 27" at the shoulders. Will do the massaging as suggested. Thanks!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

He doesn't look too fat, but he looks very under-muscled with a lot of loose skin. He could still loose a few pounds. you should just feel his ribs when you rub your hands on his side. 

When you say he is on meat and veggies, can you give an example of his diet? Is he on a regular raw diet that is mostly muscle meat, raw bone, and organ meats with some veggies on the side?


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

To me he is overweight, but not morbidly. You can see his tuck. He looks healthy and his coat looks nice. I would take weight off him and like Lucia says, get more muscle rather than just loose skin and bulk. Since he's a BIG boy (27") you really don't want any excess weight on his joints as he ages.


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## Brigrat (Aug 27, 2012)

When you say he is on meat and veggies, can you give an example of his diet? Is he on a regular raw diet that is mostly muscle meat, raw bone, and organ meats with some veggies on the side? 
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Exactly as you described above, in the winter I throw in a little Beaver, Bobcat, Raccoon, deer, elk, Salmon, etc.. Always hole Chicken spread out over a week.
With the weather now in the 80's, 90's and soon 100 the raw meat feeding is a little more complicated you need a freezer and a frig dedicated to the meat to do it rite. The Fromm or Natures Domain is looking a little more user friendly.....................


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## Brigrat (Aug 27, 2012)

Yes loose skin, needs more muscle, more exercise I guess. He used to like to run behind the 4 wheeler BUT seems to not like it anymore, maybe need a quieter one, not so obnoxiously loud! That gives me a reason to buy a new 4 wheeler, thanks!


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## Muneraven (Sep 4, 2012)

Thanks for this info! Jaeger is a bit overweight, too, based on this rib-feeling criteria. He is very much shaped like Cisco: Big biy with plenty of loose skin in the neck area. He's getting a lot more exercise now that Spring is here in Minnesota AND we have a puppy who likes to run with him in the back yard. I think we'll cut back on his meals just a teeny bit and see how that goes.

A lady down the block used to have two GSDs that were so fat they looked like they each swallowed a keg.  They didn't look that old but they weren't around after a few years. I don't want to do that to my sweet boy!


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