# Is Sibi fat?



## jang (May 1, 2011)

Sibi seems fat to me--go ahead I can take it--what do you think? She weighs 97lbs last time I checked..
Jan


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Yes. She should have a definite "tuck in" at the sides of her waistline. Compared to the chart below, I'd call her "heavy."


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

Can you post a picture of her from the side while she is standing? It is better to get the whole picture before deciding.


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## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

My male looks exactly like yours. Actually, they could almost be twins. Same exact weight too.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

The pic from above tells me YES she is overweight.
Cut back her food (at least) 1/2 c. per day until you see a difference, then adjust to keep her at a good weight.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

AW Sibi. You are a little chunky. I don't like the "F" word. Let's not even go there. Come and visit me. We can diet together. I had WAY too much Christmas.


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## GSKnight (Oct 18, 2011)

Emoore said:


> Yes. She should have a definite "tuck in" at the sides of her waistline. Compared to the chart below, I'd call her "heavy."


WOW this is good...

I place Viktor just shy of "ideal"... right where i thought he was. 

Thanks.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Best side pic I could get last night--does this help?
I don't want my Sib to be overweight--will follow your advice about the food
Jan


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Joey looks just shy of ideal as well. He has a defined waist, but his ribs are not as noticable as they were in August. He's about 78 pounds; don't know if that's "normal" or not.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Sibi will feel a lot better if she loses some weight; 97 pounds is far too heavy for a female GSD if she is a standard height. If she is a standard height, she should probably weigh about 75 lb. Just from looking at the top photo, she looks like she could lose at least 10 lb. Don't worry, it's easy to do, all you have to do is cut back her food. How much are you feeding her now?


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## SamanthaBrynn (Sep 2, 2011)

I dislike the "f" word too. Sibi is just a little fluffy, that's all.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Freestep said:


> Sibi will feel a lot better if she loses some weight; 97 pounds is far too heavy for a female GSD if she is a standard height. If she is a standard height, she should probably weigh about 75 lb. Just from looking at the top photo, she looks like she could lose at least 10 lb. Don't worry, it's easy to do, all you have to do is cut back her food. How much are you feeding her now?


I think she is taller than standard--around 27"--I feed her 2 cups of Precise two times a day--but have to admit the cups are a tad overfilled...
Jan


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

At the risk of sounding dumb, how do you determine the height?


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## GSKnight (Oct 18, 2011)

Cheerful1 said:


> At the risk of sounding dumb, how do you determine the height?


Don't feel bad... I asked not long ago myself.


How to measure your dog


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

jang said:


> I think she is taller than standard--around 27"--I feed her 2 cups of Precise two times a day--but have to admit the cups are a tad overfilled...
> Jan


I would reduce her food to three cups total per day. That is what my Luka eats, and she is a bit of a hard keeper, so if your girl is an easy keeper she may require even less than 3 cups of food per day. 

I admit I haven't measured Luka's height but she is at the upper end of the standard, and stays around 70-75 lb. on three cups a day.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

jang said:


> I think she is taller than standard--around 27"--I feed her 2 cups of Precise two times a day--but have to admit the cups are a tad overfilled...
> Jan


I agree with the 75lb range. My dog is also about 27" tall and weighs 70.5lbs. We keep him on the thin side for agility. During the off season he sometimes adds a few lbs and has hit 75 before and still looked good. Just cut back on the food a bit and she'll trim down nicely


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

jang said:


> I think she is taller than standard--around 27"--I feed her 2 cups of Precise two times a day--but have to admit the cups are a tad overfilled...
> Jan


If you're feeding 4 cups a day and they're all a tad overfilled, you might actually be feeding more like 5 or 5 1/2 cups a day. It's not at all hard to get an extra 1/4 cup on top of a level cup. If that's the case, the first thing I would do is just make sure each measuring cup is level with, or slightly below, the rim of the cup. This would be a fairly painless way to cut weight gradually. She doesn't have to go on a crash diet.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Well I didn't go through all that as suggested in your post but just held a yard stick up to the top of her shoulder..And to tell the truth though I just did it like 3 days ago- I can't remember if it was 27" or 28"--Not easy getting old!!
Jan


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

I measured Koda by placing a huge ruler (the type they use for measuring fabric) against a wall, then have him stand next to it. I took a picture but I can't find it.


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## GSKnight (Oct 18, 2011)

later... I will be breaking out my laser-level, and marking a spot on the wall. (tools ROCK!!!!)


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

I'll go old school and get out my yardstick!


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture11116-dscf1785.jpg
This is a pic of her when I got her at 75 lbs..I think she looks too thin??
Jan


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

jang said:


> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture11116-dscf1785.jpg
> This is a pic of her when I got her at 75 lbs..I think she looks too thin??
> Jan


She looks a lot younger in that photo?


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Emoore said:


> She looks a lot younger in that photo?


Yeah--one year--guess I didn't think about that!!! Duh...
Jan


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

jang said:


> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture11116-dscf1785.jpg
> This is a pic of her when I got her at 75 lbs..I think she looks too thin??
> Jan


She's gorgeous but a sitting pic isn't really a good reference. Do you have any side standing shots of her at that weight? Again, really beautiful shot


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

jang said:


> Yeah--one year--guess I didn't think about that!!! Duh...
> Jan


Oh, then she wouldn't be done growing yet. I would just start out with measuring how much you feed her instead of having heaping cups.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> AW Sibi. You are a little chunky. I don't like the "F" word. Let's not even go there. Come and visit me. We can diet together. I had WAY too much Christmas.


I like you.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

jang said:


> Yeah--one year--guess I didn't think about that!!! Duh...
> Jan


Yeah. . . she has that skinny lanky immature look. I don't think it was too thin for her _then_ but would probably be now. Kinda like how the ideal weight for a woman at 40 isn't necessarily the same as the ideal weight for the same woman at 16.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

OK so I will just be more mindful of her feedings for now....THANKS GUYS!!!!
jAN


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## df1960 (Nov 6, 2009)

Freestep said:


> I would reduce her food to three cups total per day. That is what my Luka eats, and she is a bit of a hard keeper, so if your girl is an easy keeper she may require even less than 3 cups of food per day.


 
But don't do it all at once....she'll be hungry, my first GSD needed to lose some weight and the vet said to cut back by about 1/4 cup at one meal for a week to two weeks, then 1/4 cup at the second meal for one to two weeks and to keep that up until she was eating about 3.5 cups per day (this was many years ago - I was feeding cheap/crap food and she was eating about 6 cups) (yes I know better now)! It will take a bit longer, but it's still better than if she feels she's starving. My shepherd ended up losing about 20 lbs in about 9 months which the vet had said was perfect (around 2lbs per month)


.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

jang said:


> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture11116-dscf1785.jpg
> This is a pic of her when I got her at 75 lbs..I think she looks too thin??
> Jan


I don't think she looks *thin* in that photo, just at the lanky and immature growth stage. She has surely filled out since then, so her ideal weight might be more like 80 lb.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Freestep said:


> I don't think she looks *thin* in that photo, just at the lanky and immature growth stage. She has surely filled out since then, so her ideal weight might be more like 80 lb.


Thanks Freestep--I was thinking 75lbs was going to be too thin--It will take awhile to get her down by 15lbs!! She's not gonna be happy with her momma for awhile!
Jan


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

df1960 said:


> But don't do it all at once....she'll be hungry, my first GSD needed to lose some weight and the vet said to cut back by about 1/4 cup at one meal for a week to two weeks, then 1/4 cup at the second meal for one to two weeks and to keep that up until she was eating about 3.5 cups per day.


You're a lot nicer than I am--when one of mine needs to go on a diet, I cut them back cold turkey! Granted, they never get that heavy so I'm only cutting back about 1/2 cup at a time if I need to. But if I was tasked with taking 10-15 lb. off a dog, I'd cut back the kibble all at once, and feed treats like green beans, baby carrots, etc. to fill up that big hungry tummy. 

Then again, my dogs are always starving to death no matter how much I feed them.  If you go by how hungry a dog is, you'd never be able to get any weight off! I think that if my dogs could eat all the food they wanted, they'd go after it like wolves at a kill--wolves can devour up to 20% of their body weight at a single meal. They don't know when their next meal is coming, so they have to tank up when they can--and most dogs retain that innate compulsion to eat, even when their tanks (and sometimes their spare tanks) are already full!


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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

Thought I'd pimp this shot again. Banjo is 90 pounds, stands 29-29.5 inches tall and is currently "fat" for winter. His summer weight is in the mid to low 80s.


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Going to cut back a little on Joey's morning kibble, and replace with carrots, celery.

He'll be a little more sedentary in the winter, so I don't want to see weight creep.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Freestep said:


> You're a lot nicer than I am--when one of mine needs to go on a diet, I cut them back cold turkey! Granted, they never get that heavy so I'm only cutting back about 1/2 cup at a time if I need to. But if I was tasked with taking 10-15 lb. off a dog, I'd cut back the kibble all at once, and feed treats like green beans, baby carrots, etc. to fill up that big hungry tummy.
> 
> Then again, my dogs are always starving to death no matter how much I feed them.  If you go by how hungry a dog is, you'd never be able to get any weight off! I think that if my dogs could eat all the food they wanted, they'd go after it like wolves at a kill--wolves can devour up to 20% of their body weight at a single meal. They don't know when their next meal is coming, so they have to tank up when they can--and most dogs retain that innate compulsion to eat, even when their tanks (and sometimes their spare tanks) are already full!


WEll I took her this last Sat and weighed her and now she is 104.2 #s--HOLY CRAP WHAT HAVE ID ONE TO MY POOR BABY? So< i cut her kibble by half (giving her 1 cup 2X a day) and lots of carrots-Like way too many carrots cuz she has the runs now like crazy--So back off the carrots or at least cut down and still with the total of 2 cups of kibble a day...But here's the problem--either she has only pooped 5 times this week (2 of them runny) or she is now eating her poop..Never did that before..I am ready to give up and start giving her more kibble--this poop eating is unacceptable (if that is what is happening)---Could she just be pooping less cuz she's eating less?--I made this poor dog sick when I think I should have just cut her kibble and skipped the carrots.. When will I learn? Jan


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## christinaekenn (Jan 10, 2011)

This might have been mentioned before and if so...I apologize. Yes, she does look to heavy. There is no noticeable waist on her. But...I have seen way worse! Cut her food or put her on a lower calorie/lower fat food so that she can have more to be "full" but not get fat. She will likely be hungry so you can also give her string beans (not the canned kind- frozen/thawed works well or fresh). I also like to use 100% canned pumpkin (no pie filling). This really helps them to feel full. The fiber actually helps loose stools OR constipation also! Carrots in excess can give diarrhea...at least with my guys.

Watch her go potty but if she is eating less, she will poop less. It is unlikely she is eating her stool if she has never done it before.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

jang said:


> WEll I took her this last Sat and weighed her and now she is 104.2


Holy cow!

I am sorry if you mentioned it before, how tall is Sibi?

My male is 28' at the shoulder and weighs about 85 pounds, I made a thread asking about his weight if you want to see it for comparrison (sp) the link is below.


http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/174687-how-do-their-bodies-look.html


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

LaRen616 said:


> Holy cow!
> 
> I am sorry if you mentioned it before, how tall is Sibi?
> 
> ...


She is 28" at the shoulders --but she just didn't look that big to me--I mean she is a big dog--obviously not standard--she is a rescue from a byb- but WOW!! i have begun walking her again cuz she is also a tad laid back--but probably cuz she is so over weight--I give her canned pumpkin every day but not much--I don't know what kibble to feed her if I change brands again--I have just started her on precise foundation--Is she too young for weight management food--She is 2 years old


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

SamanthaBrynn said:


> I dislike the "f" word too. Sibi is just a little fluffy, that's all.


My sister hates that word as well. So her 4 year old described her as "Fresh" because " Well, you aren't that word you hate"


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

jang said:


> But here's the problem--either she has only pooped 5 times this week (2 of them runny) or she is now eating her poop..Never did that before..I am ready to give up and start giving her more kibble--this poop eating is unacceptable (if that is what is happening)---Could she just be pooping less cuz she's eating less?--I made this poor dog sick when I think I should have just cut her kibble and skipped the carrots.. When will I learn? Jan


Yes, if a dog eats less, it will poop less. It's simple physics--the higher the volume of food consumed, the higher the volume of waste will be. So while most dogs poop every day, it's not that uncommon for a dog to skip a day if the intake is lowered. Don't give up! I highly doubt she is eating her poop if she's never done that before.


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## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

A little off topic but responding to some posts in this thread...

you know how a backyard breeder is a backyard breeder is a backyard breeder? We all emphasize that clearly.

I think it is ridiculous to call a dog fluffy or any other term to substitute fat.

A fat dog is a fat dog is a fat dog. When it wakes up, it is fat. When it goes to bed it is fat. The only time it is fluffy is after a bath...and it is still fat.

A fat dog needs exercise and a better diet. Pretending a dog is fluffy won't help it at all. It will just make your dog die faster. Dogs that are obese lose two months of life for every one month obese. Heavy dogs lose 1/2 a month to 1 month for every month heavy. Fat builds up around the internal organs and the dog gets fatter and fatter until when you poke it, the dog feels firm because the fat is so thick. Even when the dog loses weight, it will die earlier because of the fat around the heart, lungs, etc that never really goes away. Not fun for the dog or anyone except the person who finds joy in overfeeding their pet. (aka my future mother inlaw)

------------------------------

This is why so many humans are fat or obese. Because they pretend they are just fluffy...

It's crazy how many people I train at the gym that don't admit there is a problem with their body. "I'm just a little chubby"...No. You are obese and if you don't admit it and make a change, you will kill yourself slowly with food.


This is a very sensitive topic for me. I don't understand how anyone would willingly kill themselves or their pet with food. Sorry to be blunt, but this is the unfortunate truth and people can blast me all they want for saying it. Obesity should not be a secret no one says aloud. This is something that need to be talked about and have public service announcements about. And not sugary sweet ones. People need to know the hard facts.

--------------------------------

PS: None of the above has to do with the OP's dog...Just my viewpoint on people who pretend their isn't a problem.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Update on Sibi--She has lost 8 lbs is now 96.8lbs --still too heavy--But she might have lost that too quickly--She seems like she's starving all the time (my dad sez I 'm starving her) but now she doesn't seem to be very happy--Kinda lethargic and just not my Sib--Did I go too far, too fast? BTW still can't find her ribs!!!


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

jang said:


> Update on Sibi--She has lost 8 lbs is now 96.8lbs --still too heavy--But she might have lost that too quickly--She seems like she's starving all the time (my dad sez I 'm starving her) but now she doesn't seem to be very happy--Kinda lethargic and just not my Sib--Did I go too far, too fast? BTW still can't find her ribs!!!


Could you post an updated picture?


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

GatorDog said:


> Could you post an updated picture?


Yeah--I'll try to get that together tonite after work--She has a bit of a waist now..Anyhow,, too far..too fast?


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

jang said:


> Update on Sibi--She has lost *8 lbs is now 96.8lbs* --still too heavy--But she might have lost that too quickly--She seems like she's starving all the time (my dad sez I 'm starving her) but now she doesn't seem to be very happy--Kinda lethargic and just not my Sib--Did I go too far, too fast? BTW still can't find her ribs!!!


How can she have lost 8 pounds if she was 97 when this thread started?


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> How can she have lost 8 pounds if she was 97 when this thread started?


Please look at post #36--Sorry I wasn't clear..Jan
When I first started this thread I had not had her weighed--later in the post I did and was horrified to see what she then weighed--Give us old folks time to catch up!!


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

My Pom always acts like he's starving. He gets 1/2 cup of kibble with 1/4 cup of canned every day. When I'm eating, he'll (try) to beg. When I'm feeding the ferrets or the cat, he sits there and whines and drives me insane. When I'm getting his food ready, he almost falls up the stairs, resisting the urge to bark in excitement. He scarfs it down every night as if he'd never eaten before. LOL

That's great that she lost 8 lbs already. I wish I was a dog sometimes. Someone sets all of my meals for me, gives me exercise, etc. so I can lose weight. Haha.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Konotashi said:


> My Pom always acts like he's starving. He gets 1/2 cup of kibble with 1/4 cup of canned every day. When I'm eating, he'll (try) to beg. When I'm feeding the ferrets or the cat, he sits there and whines and drives me insane. When I'm getting his food ready, he almost falls up the stairs, resisting the urge to bark in excitement. He scarfs it down every night as if he'd never eaten before. LOL
> 
> That's great that she lost 8 lbs already. I wish I was a dog sometimes. Someone sets all of my meals for me, gives me exercise, etc. so I can lose weight. Haha.


Thats the same thing I told dad last nite--At least She doesn't have to be the one monitoring her food! Jan


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I haven't read the whole thread but did anyone recommend having her thyroid checked? Sometimes that can be responsible for weight gain.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

BowWowMeow said:


> I haven't read the whole thread but did anyone recommend having her thyroid checked? Sometimes that can be responsible for weight gain.


i doubt it is anything that sinister--I just plain fed her too much--way too much--like 5 cups a day! Thanks to this board I have learned a much better feeding schedule and have stuck to it--My only concern, as originally posted, is if she is losing the weight too fast? I don't want to hurt her--just help her..JanI read back aways in this thread that someone said 2 lbs a month is a good weight loss--Sib has lost almost 4 lbs a month--That seems like a lot.Don't quote me on that I would have to go back to original post to check the date I first posted...Jan


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Yeah, my first post was Jan 5th--That was when I noticed she looked fat to me--I believe I started her diet at that time--So from 104 to 96 is pretty fast loss..But I cut her food totally in half...I don't know...Jan


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I don't think she needs weight management kibble, just less kibble.

FWIW my tallest dog (about 27", 28" at the butt because he's a funny mix and butt-high) gets 2 or 2.5 cups of kibble a day total. My female GSD gets the same. She is 8 years old, 50-55lbs.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Liesje said:


> I don't think she needs weight management kibble, just less kibble.
> 
> FWIW my tallest dog (about 27", 28" at the butt because he's a funny mix and butt-high) gets 2 or 2.5 cups of kibble a day total. My female GSD gets the same. She is 8 years old, 50-55lbs.


 WEll that is all Sib is getting per day ..total 2 cups kibble and 1 cup cooked carrots--1 cp kibble and 1/2 cup carrots for breakfast and a small amount of pumpkin, a little chicken broth and a tbls of chicken with breakfast and only the kibble and carrots for dinner--Poor baby...


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture14260-dscf1910-640x480.jpg
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture14261-dscf1914-640x480.jpg
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture14259-dscf1909-640x480.jpg


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

*new pics of Sibi*



jang said:


> WEll that is all Sib is getting per day ..total 2 cups kibble and 1 cup cooked carrots--1 cp kibble and 1/2 cup carrots for breakfast and a small amount of pumpkin, a little chicken broth and a tbls of chicken with breakfast and only the kibble and carrots for dinner--Poor baby...


http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture14260-dscf1910-640x480.jpg
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/jang-albums1921-sibi-picture14261-dscf1914-640x480.jpg


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## jang (May 1, 2011)




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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Now why couldn't I have done that with the previous pics? I hate computers --


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

She definitely looks better than her first pics, but I think she definitely has a ways to go.

I think 4 lbs a month is ok, especially because she is getting the fillers. I don't think I would want to see any more than that though.

Also, if you can switch or rotate between carrots and green beans (no sodium), as the filler as carrots are really high in sugar.

Congrats on helping your girl!


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

jang said:


> My only concern, as originally posted, is if she is losing the weight too fast? I don't want to hurt her--just help her..JanI read back aways in this thread that someone said 2 lbs a month is a good weight loss--Sib has lost almost 4 lbs a month--That seems like a lot.


4 pounds a month actually seems quite moderate to me--you're a lot nicer than I am--if I see one of my dogs getting heavy, they're lean again in 2-3 weeks! Of course, my dogs never get too out of line, maybe 5-10 pounds. Don't worry, even fast weight loss is not going to "hurt" her, if anything I think it will help her more to get the weight off relatively quickly.

My dogs, whether lean or heavy, are S T A R V I N G all the time. You'd think I never feed them, the way they gobble up anything edible. It's just a dog thing. Their wild ancestors may go a week without food, and they never know where their next meal is coming from, so when they get a chance to eat they will gorge up to 20% of their body weight. Most domestic dogs retain this instinct, even though they are fed every day, their vestigial survival mechanism still kicks in. Be strong and don't cave in to that "I'm STARVING!!" look she gives you!


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

Wow. Ditto (female) is nearly 4 years old and is 27 3/4 at the shoulders. She is 78lbs and I think she looks a tad chunky. What kind of kibble does she get? Does she get other treats/human food? What kind of exercise does she get? May be a medical condition causing this or possibly just the simple matter of more calories in tan burned.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

vicky2200 said:


> Wow. Ditto (female) is nearly 4 years old and is 27 3/4 at the shoulders. She is 78lbs and I think she looks a tad chunky. What kind of kibble does she get? Does she get other treats/human food? What kind of exercise does she get? May be a medical condition causing this or possibly just the simple matter of more calories in tan burned.


She doesn't get much excercise at all as I cannot walk her anymore--I take her to the dog park once a week for some running but she mostly wants to stay by me--As far as treats she gets some but not many--But, I never thought about the sugar in the carrots...hmmmm...well thanks for your input ..I will continue on same course for a while but frankly I am not ever expecting 80lbs--I will be ok with 10 more though....Thanks again..Jan


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

So the latest weight update on Sib is 92lbs..I really don't think she's going to get down much more from that..remembering she is not within the standard for GSD's--But here is my question..Though I can feel her ribs now, not real pronounced but I know they are there, when she lies down I can feel like every bone in her back--It's creepy...Is this normal or has she lost too much weight? She does have a waste now and her tummy looks good..I would post pics but that is a royal pain for me..just too frustrating..So the question is, should I be able to feel her backbone like that? It is not as bad when she is standing..jan


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

jang said:


> So the latest weight update on Sib is 92lbs..I really don't think she's going to get down much more from that..remembering she is not within the standard for GSD's--But here is my question..Though I can feel her ribs now, not real pronounced but I know they are there, when she lies down I can feel like every bone in her back--It's creepy...Is this normal or has she lost too much weight? She does have a waste now and her tummy looks good..I would post pics but that is a royal pain for me..just too frustrating..So the question is, should I be able to feel her backbone like that? It is not as bad when she is standing..jan


When I run my hand down both my dogs' spines, I can feel each bump. They are healthy weight. My female is 25" and 67 pounds and my male is 27" and 80 pounds.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

OK, well that makes me feel better..It just kinda creeps me out the way she looks when she is lying down--but even creepier is how fat my chihuahua is..I don't want that to happen to Sib..I think she looks good now but will not increase or decrease her food..She is still loosing with what I am feeding her..Thanks Carolyn


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

I can feel Joey's bones, too. It felt creepy to me, but if it's normal then I'm not worrying. He weighs 80 pounds.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Last weigh in was mon july 9th--she was 88.6 lbs..That's 4lbs in a tad less than 4 weeks..My next question is--when I do get her down to 80lbs and don't want her to continue to loose..how do know what to feed her for maintenance? jan


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Sibi!! Such a pretty girl even if she is a little "well fed". :wub: 

88.6lb :happyboogie: That is still a REAL accomplishment! I KNOW you can do this! My girl Zoey used to be *32 pounds*!!!!!!!!!! That was when I took over her care. She is now down to a healthy *13 pounds*! YES! That is OVER HALF HER BODY WEIGHT -GONE-! If Zoey can do THAT, Sibi can do THIS! Keep at it because she's doing good! 

She IS starting to look better though! 



jang said:


> WEll that is all Sib is getting per day ..total 2 cups kibble and 1 cup cooked carrots--1 cp kibble and 1/2 cup carrots for breakfast and a small amount of pumpkin, a little chicken broth and a tbls of chicken with breakfast and only the kibble and carrots for dinner--Poor baby...


I'd personally be feeding her 1 cup of kibble twice a day and that is it. If you want to add a splash (Spoonful or so) of low sodium chicken broth for flavor then go for that. (A regular size can is 10 calories in most brands so it won't add much calories to add just a little broth. You just want to worry over the sodium in it!) If you MUST add the carrots, then switch to green beans and only 1/4th cup at each meal. Just make sure you get the salt free kind. There is 52 calories in 1 cup of chopped carrots (6.1g sugar, 3.6g fiber, 1.2g protein and 12.3g carbs) versus 1 cup of green beans at 40 calories. (4g sugar, 4g fiber, 2.2g protein and 8g carbs!) And if she stops losing and starts "maintaining" before she gets to her goal, cut back ONE of the meals by 1/4th cup again.

I'm sure you didn't pay much attention to the other factors but more fiber = fuller dog, dogs don't need carbs in their diet because that only turns to more sugar so green beans are better because they have less carbs, protein helps build muscle; which green beans also wins in, again less sugar in general in the green beans plus less from the added carbs from the carrots! And 12 calories may not seem like a big difference at first but that is an extra 84 calories a week. 252 extra calories in a month. 4380 extra calories in a YEAR!! All these extras DO add up, especially if she can't get the exercise she needs if you can't physically walk her. Do you have anywhere she can swim at? Does she like to fetch? Maybe you could get her a chuck-it or frisbee or something to play fetch with? Get her a weight pull harness and use a sled out of some old wood and find random things like large rocks or old bricks for weights. (Just start out slow!) May ways to get her exercising without much effort on YOUR part.  Heck, even make her worth for her food. Sits, downs and stands burn calories!

Once she gets down to her target weight, up it just a LITTLE. (Like no more than 1/4th cup, maybe add a spoonful or two of that chicken back for some REAL food instead of just kibble.) If she gains, back it back down. Once she hits 80lb it'll be figuring out how many calories it takes to maintain her weight. You'll want to weigh her as often as possible (It's also good socialization at the vet!) to keep an eye on her weight!


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Blah! Math is off. It's 336 calories saved in a WEEK! Lol! That is an extra cup of most foods!


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## Madjukes (Jul 1, 2012)

She's a beautiful shepherd! ...albeit a little chubby


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