# Too Fat?



## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

This is Charlie, our 3.8 yr old black GSD. 

He is a big boy, I have to admit. He is 112 lbs. Got him tested for thyroid...came back negative. Does he look fat to you guys?

He eats 3 cups of Orijen daily mixed with some skinless chicken breast.

He is walked everyday for at least 40 minutes and we play in the yard with him daily. Lately, he has been lazier and lacks motivation to play with ball like he used to. That's why I had him tested for thyroid.

Mind you though...this is south TX and the heat is brutal.

Please, any thoughts? I am thinking of reducing his meals slowly...and even at 3 cups + chicken he wants to eat more now...:shocked:

Any help will be greatly appreciated. :help:


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Kind of hard to tell from these pictures. Could you post a picture from a "birds eye view" of the dog to get a better look at his waistline? Maybe another one of him standing from a side view?

Depending on the height of the dog, 112 pounds is pretty heavy for a shepherd, but it really depends on his height. Any idea how tall he is from his withers to the ground?


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## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

*Not sure....*



Lucy Dog said:


> Kind of hard to tell from these pictures. Could you post a picture from a "birds eye view" of the dog to get a better look at his waistline? Maybe another one of him standing from a side view?
> 
> Depending on the height of the dog, 112 pounds is pretty heavy for a shepherd, but it really depends on his height. Any idea how tall he is from his withers to the ground?


Here's two more pics....Not sure how tall he is but he is very TALL, he is afraid of a measuring tape, so it's hard to use it to figure this out. But he is way taller than all the GSDs in our neighborhood for sure. I will try to measure him with a ruler?

Please check back tonight...I will try to measure him right after work. One thing I can tell you right now...his dad is 85 lbs, and Charlie outgrew him before he was 1 1/2 yrs old.....if that helps...


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## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

*Another picture until I can measure him...*

This is a pic of Charlie and my hubby. Mind you, my hubby is 6' 3". Does this help in the meantime?:crazy:


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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

he does look a little big.. but he sure is a beauty


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Yes, he does look a little on the heavy side. I'd say he could lose 5, maybe 10 pounds. Of course, I like to keep my dogs on the lean side--extra weight is hard on their joints.


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

Handsome dog! A little overweight I think.


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## BR870 (May 15, 2011)

He definitely looks like he is carrying more weight than he should. A GSD should have an abdominal tuck and a waist when viewed from above. 

However, if he's happy and you're happy, thats what matters. Heats pretty brutal here in south Louisiana too, and my young lean athletic puppy is often having none of it too...


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## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

Ok guys, i measured him as promised...he is 33 .250 tall. And yes he is a very happy dog, and we love him sooooo much that if he needs to lose weight, I am wiiling to commit ti help 100%. Btw, that measurement is up to the top of his head (without ears of course). Told you he us tall. 

What do you all think???


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

he is beefy , and I am wondering if the laziness is due to the burden of the weight. 

Is he orthopedically sound. His hind leg does not seem to have a lot of muscle to it.

Carmen


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Looking at the pics, he's a lot overweight. He needs to lose weight until you can readily find those ribs without effort.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

question , why would you be adding extra chicken meat on top of Orijen , which has plenty of protein .

Carmen


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

If he is that heavy on 3 cups then you need to switch foods, too much fat for that boy. I wouldn't cut a dog back that is on 3 cups because he wont get the other nutrients he needs.

I would put him on a Large Breed food which usually have 10 -12% fat.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

Try to cut 300 calories a day from his diet


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## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

I am going to start decreasing his extra chicken in his food, meaning no extras, just the Orijen from now on.

Orthipedically, he is fine. my goal is to help him lose at least 10 lbs, to start.

It won't be easy, but it has to be done. Period.

It is just hard sometimes to resist that face when we are having something yummy and he stands next to us begging. It is our fault, I admit it. But we will have to stop and he will have to learn.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Measure from the top of his shoulder blades, I find it easier to use a yard stick because mine does not like a tape measure either. He is a handsome boy but he does look somewhat overweight.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

frenchie27 said:


> I am going to start decreasing his extra chicken in his food, meaning no extras, just the Orijen from now on.
> 
> Orthipedically, he is fine. my goal is to help him lose at least 10 lbs, to start.
> 
> ...


 hahahah well now we know. What exactly are these yummy things? See if he likes celery stalks. Many dogs enjoy celery. You still might find that a lower fat food is the way to go.


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## Fuse (Feb 25, 2010)

Yea I'm a little too fat. Thanks for asking!

Your dog is a little on the heavy side too.


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## TheNamesNelson (Apr 4, 2011)

Hes a nice looking boy but he could use some slimming. I am glad you came with questions and had an open mind to peoples responses. It sounds like you are a great owner and concerned about your dogs health. You will love him just as much when hes a few pounds lighter!

I am too used to some people on here with overweight dogs who make a post asking if their dogs are overweight but in reality they just want people to tell them their dog is perfect. When they hear that their dog is overweight they say "WELL I THINK HES PERFECT, HES JUST A BIG DOG" then make posts about how they love their above standard shepherds and wouldn't ever want their dog to be its healthy weight. Those type of people are hard to swallow at times.


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## M&J (Nov 16, 2002)

My boy ballooned up to 116.5 lbs on three cups of Orijen a day (with tripe mixed in). I've switched him to three cups of Wellness CORE Reduced Fat (again, with tripe mixed in) and he is down to 108. Trying to get him to 100.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

if the dog is happy and over weight and the owner
is happy and the dog is over weight how does that
make a healthy dog?? other things matter.



BR870 said:


> He definitely looks like he is carrying more weight than he should. A GSD should have an abdominal tuck and a waist when viewed from above.
> 
> >>>>However, if he's happy and you're happy, thats what matters.<<<<
> 
> Heats pretty brutal here in south Louisiana too, and my young lean athletic puppy is often having none of it too...


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i don't know if you have to switch foods. i think you
have to cut back on the intake. try feeding your
dog 1 cup in the am and 1 cup in the pm and add less
chicken.


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## Gmthrust (Mar 3, 2010)

Frenchie,

One year ago we adopted an older overweight female. She's lost 32 lbs., and accomplished this very slowly over a time-frame of about nine months while feeding Orijen. Although we now include feeding other fresh and raw foods at this point, she's been maintaining 70 lbs for three months.

I'm not saying your good boy needs a 30 pound weight reduction, but I mean to say weight loss can be achieved with Orijen, and without dorking up nutritional needs, or messing up on the emotional needs for bonding. Our girl Cris is a testimony.

Slow and steady are the basic requirements to eating a bit less while exercising a bit more. Nothing so drastic for your boy, as it was for our girl (necessarily drastic because EVERYTHING was just so drastically a whole new universe for her, lol).

Best wishes for the very best success:wub:


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> i don't know if you have to switch foods. i think you
> have to cut back on the intake. try feeding your
> dog 1 cup in the am and 1 cup in the pm and add less
> chicken.


It is not that simple. 2 cups for an animal that size and age is not enough food. It is not all about protein & fat. Cutting back too much can result in vitamin & mineral deficiencies. The recommended feeding you see on the bag factors in the proper amount of other nutrients.

Too little food is as bad as too much.


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## Gmthrust (Mar 3, 2010)

Minus-ing a whole cup at once is too drastic, in his case, in my opinion (not that I'm an expert). It's not as if he were a morbidly obese fella. So, and this is just a general idea of how it might best go, if he were mine---I'd shave off maybe an eighth of a cup, just for starts, while slowly increasing his exercise. Slow and steady progress is the very best way to go.


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## Gmthrust (Mar 3, 2010)

If you can, Frenchie, look into an obedience class, even if he's already been there! Google an indoor, air-conditioned place, for your area if possible (because I know it's way super hot and humid this time of year and it'll get only more intense as that's the nature of summer; we live in Florida, btw, lol).

Doing something as simple as that---taking and/or re-taking classes, is an excellent way to help slot-in a bit more exercise. That's one way we did for Cris, right away. Another very, very, very much fun way to increase exercise is to take a tracking class; low impact, stimulates mind, body, AND spirit to a very high degree for all involved! And if you happen to have any access to swimming, boy-howdy, does that make Cris' heart sing!!! lol.


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## Gmthrust (Mar 3, 2010)

Another super fun activity is Agility. You don't have to shoot for Nationals or anything so crazy....just go for the fun of it. Your boy will lose the weight, bit by bit, tiny increments, while having immense fun, and you'll see the truest joy come into his eyes, and an unstoppable love fill up his soul to overflowing.


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

Meika is almost 6 yrs old and she was pretty heavy at 105 lbs. She started showing signs of hip pain so I reduced her food slowly over several weeks (she gets exercise). She gets 1.5 c morning and 1.5 c in the afternoon. Only green beans for a snack.
She is now down to 84 lbs. No more limping occasionally and she is back to being young and active.
I agree, at 106 degrees most day, it is hard to get them a long walk. I have been taking them swimming or we jog around our own yard, if its to hot. ( I am in class all day right now)


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

sable123 said:


> It is not that simple. 2 cups for an animal that size and age is not enough food.


I have a 130 Akbash dog that eats one (1) cup of food per day to maintain weight and health. As do many dogs of this type, he has a very slow metabolism and doesn't require a lot of food. He is healthy, happy, jumps 5 foot fences, and now that he's been groomed, his coat is nice and shiny. Now that it's summer, he could actually lose a couple of pounds, if you ask me.

He does do some foraging, and I will say that he probably eats 3-4 raw eggs a day as well as sneaking goat and chicken feed... I try to keep him out of that feed as it's pretty much indigestable for him and I HATE cleaning up after it comes out the other end.:tongue:


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

frenchie27 said:


> It is just hard sometimes to resist that face when we are having something yummy and he stands next to us begging. It is our fault, I admit it. But we will have to stop and he will have to learn.


Your dog shouldn't be begging at the table. 

As for treats, many dogs like raw baby carrots or cooked green beans. They don't have any calories to speak of but can make both of you feel better.

My favorite training treat for dogs is freeze-dried liver. Full of nutrients, low in fat, and you only need give a teeny tiny piece. Try to avoid feeding hard biscuits or anything made with grain or sugars. You wouldn't believe how many dog treats contain sugar.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my dog is 24&1/2 inches tall and he weighs 96 lbs.
he gets a cup in the am and a cup in the pm. i add things
to his kibble. i'm cutting back on the kibble. i think 96 lbs
is to much weight for him. 



doggiedad said:


> i don't know if you have to switch foods. i think you
> have to cut back on the intake. try feeding your
> dog 1 cup in the am and 1 cup in the pm and add less
> chicken.





sable123 said:


> It is not that simple. 2 cups for an animal that size and age is not enough food. It is not all about protein & fat. Cutting back too much can result in vitamin & mineral deficiencies. The recommended feeding you see on the bag factors in the proper amount of other nutrients.
> 
> Too little food is as bad as too much.


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## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

You guys are AWESOME!! Thanks for all the good advice.

BTW, the treats I give Charlie, when I do, are grain free and very low in fat, I buy the "good stuff".....also he loves bully sticks and dried sweet potato which I buy online called "snooks". Those are his favorite. So I do NOT give him treats that they sell at the supermarket. NO!! everything is bought online and it is very high quality. I do have to admit I have cut down on those A LOT. 

Charlie started on a diet yesterday. I have cut the extra chicken out of his food. I will keep feeding him 3 cups a day for now. If I can, I will cut down.

Someone suggested agility classes....he's done that. He graduated Agility 101 when he was 1 yr old.

We live in a very small town. There's not one place here that provides doggy day care or anything of that sort. Trust me, if there were, I would make the extra sacrifice and send him at least a couple of days a week.... There is not even a doggy day park here, the closest would be about 2 hrs away, not kidding.

That is why it is so hard to give him the exercise he needs especially during these brutally hot months. I walk him at 5:30 am and also at 8 pm...when it is still about 92 with the heat index. He's got a thick coat....he feels that heat.

I will do whatever I have to in order to get him in shape. He is our baby and I want him around for a very looooooooong time. Therefore, I will succeed. Promised.


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