# Is Moses FAT or FLUFFY?



## IDKaren1 (Jun 2, 2009)

Dunno what to do. Moses is 113/4 months old--weighs 73 pounds- 24" at the shoulder and 32" from head to butt. Had him to Vet recently and she said he is FAT! Gosh I have cut back on all "people" food- I feed him Chicken Soup for the Dog-LESS than says for his weight. He runs every day. He does not even feel or look fat to me but I don't want to go against vet. Does this seem TOO fat to you?








d


----------



## acritzer (Aug 23, 2009)

I don't have a ton of experience, but the pictures don't make it seem like he's that overweight. I know you should be able to feel the ribs fairly easily when holding their sides.


----------



## Adriennelane (Feb 13, 2008)

Can you feel his ribs through the fur?


----------



## hh2420 (Dec 28, 2008)

He looks fine to me.


----------



## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

He doesn't look overweight to me. Can you easily feel his ribs (without pressing hard)?


----------



## IDKaren1 (Jun 2, 2009)

Yes I can feel his ribs--not pronounced but I can feel them through his hair! I dont know what to do- I can't cut his food back anymore but the Vet warned me that Goldens can get overweight really quick- leading to medical problems! (Sorry about the HUGE pics=have not figured it out YET!)


----------



## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

From the pics he does not appear overweight but it is hard from a phooto to tell sometimes. From his height and weight he does not appear heavy either. Below is a chart fro Purina to use when assessing a dog's weight.













*







*

chart and information courtesy of Ralston Purina​ ​ 
*Evaluating your dog's weight*

How skinny is "pretty skinny"? How heavy is "not as thin as he should be"? The Purina body condition system provides a uniform way to describe a pet's weight, from "emaciated" to "grossly obese"


EMACIATED
Ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all bony prominences evident form a distance. No discernable body fat. Obvious loss of muscle mass.
VERY THIN 
Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones easily visible. No palpable fat. Some evidence of other bony prominence. Minimal loss of muscle mass
THIN 
Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones becoming prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck
UNDERWEIGHT 
Ribs easily palpable, with minimal fat covering. Waist easily noted, viewed form above. Abdominal tuck evident.
IDEAL 
Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above. Abdomen tucked when viewed from the side.
OVERWEIGHT 
Ribs palpable with slight excess fat covering. Waist is discernable viewed from above but is not prominent. Abdominal tuck apparent.
HEAVY 
Ribs palpable with difficulty, heavy fat cover. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail. Waist absent or barely visible. Abdominal tuck may be absent.
OBESE 
Ribs not palpable under heavy fat cover, or palpable only with significant pressure. Heavy fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail. Waist absent. No abdominal tuck. Obvious abdominal distension may be present.
GROSSLY OBESE


----------



## IDKaren1 (Jun 2, 2009)

[That is the print out they gave me and they said he is a SIX. Don't want to starve my dog to death but want to get him to a five I guess.

OTE=AmbikaGR;1001156]From the pics he does not appear overweight but it is hard from a phooto to tell sometimes. From his height and weight he does not appear heavy either. Below is a chart fro Purina to use when assessing a dog's weight.











That is the print out they gave me and they said he is a SIX. Don't want to starve my dog to death but want to get him to a five I guess.

*







*


chart and information courtesy of Ralston Purina​


*Evaluating your dog's weight*

How skinny is "pretty skinny"? How heavy is "not as thin as he should be"? The Purina body condition system provides a uniform way to describe a pet's weight, from "emaciated" to "grossly obese"


EMACIATED
Ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all bony prominences evident form a distance. No discernable body fat. Obvious loss of muscle mass.
VERY THIN 
Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones easily visible. No palpable fat. Some evidence of other bony prominence. Minimal loss of muscle mass
THIN 
Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones becoming prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck
UNDERWEIGHT 
Ribs easily palpable, with minimal fat covering. Waist easily noted, viewed form above. Abdominal tuck evident.
IDEAL 
Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above. Abdomen tucked when viewed from the side.
OVERWEIGHT 
Ribs palpable with slight excess fat covering. Waist is discernable viewed from above but is not prominent. Abdominal tuck apparent.
HEAVY 
Ribs palpable with difficulty, heavy fat cover. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail. Waist absent or barely visible. Abdominal tuck may be absent.
OBESE 
Ribs not palpable under heavy fat cover, or palpable only with significant pressure. Heavy fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail. Waist absent. No abdominal tuck. Obvious abdominal distension may be present.
GROSSLY OBESE
[/QUOTE]


----------



## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Well a "six" is really not "bad". I would just keep an eye on him and watch any "extra" treats as they are what normally lead to weight problems. And if you use treats for training then on days you train cut back his food slightly to accommodate for them. 
I think your vet is being very conscientious and that is a GOOD thing. You would be horrified if you knew how many pets are grossly overweight.


----------



## annef (Feb 23, 2008)

I have recently had a email about the same thing. I sold a puppy to California last year and I had a picture of the puppy looking well and weighing about the same as your puppy. The owner had been told he was too heavy! My advice was to ignore the advice and continue to keep him at a reasonable weight Young dogs will often lose weight about 1 year as they drop their coat and it can be very difficult to then put enough weight on them. Annef


----------



## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

As everyone has already said, if you can feel the ribs then at least you are still headed on the right path. Also, does he have a bit of a tuck as you look down the ribs to the hips? If he is solid all the way down, then perhaps losing a pound or so might be in order. Is Moses fixed yet? That will make a difference as well. It is nice the Vet is concerned. In a blink of an eye they can go from slightly overweight to outright porkers in no time. I speak from experience on this one! If possible, stand on a chair and try to take an overhead shot of his body. That would help you to be able to compare it to the chart. As a good friend of mine always says (and she is a Vet as well), keep them lean! The benefits far outweigh those of being overweight. Another thing that plays a part in their weight is different times of year. Right now, as happens everytime this year, I am trying to keep the weight on my male. I use to get concerned when I would see him loosing weight thinking he might be ill and we would go to the Vet. Then I realizedthe last few years it is a pattern and starts to happen when the weather starts to turn cold. Good luck.


----------



## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

He doesn't look overweight in the pics and 73 lbs. for his size doesn't seem excessive. I'd probably forget about it until the next visit and see what/if anything is said.


----------



## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

In the pictures, he looks like he is right about where he needs to be and doesn't look overweight at all. He should have a nice lift at the waistline and you should be able to easily feel his ribs, but not see them. Some dogs, just like humans, tend to put on a bit of weight during the winter months, so just make sure that he is still getting a decent amount of exercise and cut back a bit on his food/treats when you're not able to exercise him as much as you would during the warmer months and you should be fine.


----------



## vixen (Jul 26, 2008)

He looks fine in the pics to me, some people think that even a a couple of pounds over weight is anothe to kill them, I had some woman in a pub give me a right talking to because Max was 4lbs over weight, telling me I was killing him. Supied woman.


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Boy, I sure do hope your vet never gets a good look at me :


----------

