# Is My Boy Overweight?



## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

So I have some concerns on whether my 13 month old Golden, Sonny, is overweight. I had him groomed yesterday and had to take him to the vet to get a Bordetella shot and decided to weigh him. He had been to the vet about 6-8 weeks before and had weight a little over 75 pounds. He weighed 84 pounds yesterday! I look online and it seems that the normal male weight is between 65 and 75 pounds. As a puppy (8 weeks to 12 months) we fed him Purina Pro Plan Puppy Large Breed and for the past several months he has been getting 2 cups of food twice a day. I have just followed the instructions on the back of the bag in how I increased his feeding. Once he turned 12 months I switched him to Science Diet Large Breed Adults because I thought he might have been getting too many calories from the Puppy Food. I still give him the same amount (2 cups twice a day). 

He doesn't eat table food. He gets some treats throughout the day but if we do any big time training that day, I change his food so he doesnt get as much for dinner. I am an orthopedic surgeon and my schedule doesnt really allow me to give him structured walks throughout the day, but we do go outside in a big back yard and throw the ball a good bit. He goes to the beach on the weekends and loves to play in the water and gets a ton of exercise that way. 

He is a big boy. I can feel all his ribs, his belly doesn't sink down like he obese or anything. I have read that you don't need to be too concerned in their puppy years, but I just need to know if I should cut down on his food. I know, regardless, I need to make a better effort walking him everyday to get him some structured exercise. Probably wouldn't hurt with the leash training either. Any suggestions or information would be much appreciated!!!!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

It is possible the scale at your groomer was off. Best to re-weigh him at the vet to be sure. Usually, you can just pop in and they will happily weigh your dog.

That said, at 13 months, he can probably be reduced to one cup twice a day. But that also depends on his activity level. If you can feel his ribs easily, he is probably good. Upping his exercise would always be a good thing, as it will help keep him fit and healthy, too.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> for the past several months he has been getting 2 cups of food twice a day


My dogs would be el gordito if they had that much food... 

For a young dog close to 12 months - I think you want them to be between 60 and 72 pounds on average. The further over 70 lbs they are when they are that young, the more they seem to pad on the weight as their metabolisms start slowing down. 

My youngest guy is almost 4 - and his weight is 68# 

Between 68 and 72 pounds seems to be an ideal weight range for him now he's all grown up. He had been about 65# at 12 months.

My older boy - I wouldn't want him to be less than 76. He had been around 70-72 pounds at 12 months. And as he developed more bone and muscle - he looked best at between 76 and 78 pounds. You could feel his back bone and rib cage without pressing. Actually should add for fun. He's overweight by a tad bit right now at between 85 and 88 pounds. He actually needs to drop between 8 and 10 pounds, especially considering his age. You can feel his rib cage easily, he's not sticking out on the sides and he has a tuck still without too much flab on belly. For that matter he does not have any fatty tumors (which is a big deal considering his age). But he still needs to lose weight for his health and mobility as he's getting older. 

My guys eat only 2 cups a day. Sometimes they get more if I skipped one of their meals the day before, but with the rest of the food they get from training and treats - they don't need more than 2 cups.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Do you have any pictures? Sometimes that is helpful. Generally if you can feel their ribs with very scant fat underneath, and you can see a defined waist when you look from above, they are alright. Do you know what the dad's weight was (and if you saw him, was he an appropriate weight). He may be a bigger dog than the breed standard. 

Has Sonny been neutered? Its not uncommon for neutered dogs to have a slower metabolic rate than intact dogs, generally an intact dog needs 25% more, and you may start to notice this difference around this age. You may need to lower his food intake. Often I have noticed that dog food companies tend to overestimate the amount of cups per day needed (or maybe its just that golden's don't usually need as much food as the dog food companies recommend). 

I'm not sure where you are in Bama, but depending on where you live you might be able to arrange for a dog walker during the day to give him longer structured walks as well. I'm an MD as well, and this is what I do for my dog when I'm working longer hours.


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## Artbuc1 (Sep 4, 2016)

4 cups per day (and I bet they are heaping) plus "some" treats is a ton of food.


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## migs (Nov 8, 2013)

My boy who is 86lbs gets 1 cup for bfast & 1 cup for dinner. Measured (ACANA dry food).
Only treats he gets are apples, carrots, bananas. 
Sounds like 4 cups maybe too much.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

It is absolutely not true that weight isn't much of a concern in puppy years. Slow growth and a lean build is best for his long term joint and general health. 4 cups of food is too much unless he is getting regular aerobic exercise. 

Here is a link to read up on ideal body condition. Your puppy should have an easily seen waist line when viewed from above as well as a discernible tuck up. http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body condition score chart dogs.pdf

How tall at the shoulder is your dog? The ideal weight given for a male Golden is a generalization based on height. 65-75 pounds at about 24 inches at the shoulder. And it is supposed to be all muscle. Dogs are like people, it's better for them to be a little on the lean side rather than a little on the heavy side.

Here is some reading: Slow Grow

Add Years To Your Dog's Life | Prevention


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

I agree that 4 cups may be a bit too much. Bailey is 19 months old. He weighs 65 lbs and he is neutered. He gets 1 cup twice a day and also gets treats. Raw carrots and green beans and if I need high value treats I cut up little chunks of low fat string cheese and use that. He is crazy for string cheese. As others have said, it is better to keep them lean when they are still growing. I also agree with slow growth.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

nolefan said:


> How tall at the shoulder is your dog? The ideal weight given for a male Golden is a generalization based on height. 65-75 pounds at about 24 inches at the shoulder. And it is supposed to be all muscle. Dogs are like people, it's better for them to be a little on the lean side rather than a little on the heavy side.


Tiny thing to add... it's not so much height as build. 

My dogs are exactly the same height (wicketed by somebody who knows how to measure) @ 23.5" at the shoulder. But you see there's a fairly big difference in their ideal weights.


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## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

Dang, this is a lot of good information. Wish I would have had some of that earlier. Well looks like me and Sonny boy are going on some runs from now on. I'm not at home right now, but when I get home I will take some pictures of him and I will measure him out. I think he could definitely afford to lose some pounds. Any recommendations on how to bring back his eating? Obviously I don't want to cut him cold turkey down to 1 cup twice a day. 

I did speak with the breeder today and she said that his dad weighs about 80 pounds and is a food hog. I guess I expected Sonny to slow down on his eating and become a little disinterested in it when he got full, but thats not how he is. 

Pictures to come...


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

My boy weighs between 72-75 lbs., he's 7.5, eats two cups of food total per day. 

When you cut your boy's food back, if he still seems hungry, you can supplement him with green beans. You can use canned-make sure they don't contain salt, frozen or fresh. Green beans will fill him up-I've always been lucky that all my guys have loved fresh fruits and veggies, I give basically whatever is in season. They like a wide variety of fruits and veggies. 

You may want to cut his food down to 1.5 cups each feeding to begin with, give him a cup of food, 1/2 cup of green beans. As he starts to drop weight, you should be able to give him one cup of food each feeding-two cups total without having to supplement with green beans.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

A rule of thumb to determine how much to feed your dog is to feed 10 calories of food per day, per pound. Therefore, if your goal weight is 80 pounds, your Golden should be fed 800 calories per day. Science Diet is 363 k calories per cup. 800 divided by 363 equals 2.2 cups per day. At 13 months, he is still growing, so 3 cups per day would be a good place to start. Also depends on the dog's build. For example, our Max is very big and is a trim 140 pounds. He is fed 3 cups per day of Wild Prairie, which is about 1300 calories.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

jhmullens said:


> Dang, this is a lot of good information. Wish I would have had some of that earlier. Well looks like me and Sonny boy are going on some runs from now on. I'm not at home right now, but when I get home I will take some pictures of him and I will measure him out. I think he could definitely afford to lose some pounds. Any recommendations on how to bring back his eating? Obviously I don't want to cut him cold turkey down to 1 cup twice a day.
> 
> I did speak with the breeder today and she said that his dad weighs about 80 pounds and is a food hog. I guess I expected Sonny to slow down on his eating and become a little disinterested in it when he got full, but thats not how he is.
> 
> Pictures to come...


Many Goldens would eat themselves sick. Its like the eat their breakfast or supper and 10 seconds later they haven't been fed. I might start at 3 cups total a day and see what happens? If he kept gaining, then cut down more.


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## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

I just now took some pictures of Sonny. Sorry if they aren't the best of quality but my wife wasn't here to help me take some good shots of him. I took some from above to see how his back looks. He just got a haircut yesterday and he loves it because it's so hot down here. I still like the long hair on Goldens though. I will try the green beans and see if he likes them and maybe cut him down to a cup and a half for the first week or so.


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## migs (Nov 8, 2013)

I just re-read your post & you are still giving him puppy food. Maybe its time to switch him to regular adult food. That could be your problem too. He doesn't look overweight by your pics though IMO.


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## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

migs said:


> I just re-read your post & you are still giving him puppy food. Maybe its time to switch him to regular adult food. That could be your problem too. He doesn't look overweight by your pics though IMO.


I fed him Pro Plan Puppy Large Breed until he was 12 months old and then I switched him to Science Diet Large Breed Chicken and Barley for Adults 1-5. But I kept giving him two cups twice a day though (4 total).


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Science diet large breed adult k/cup = 363 x 4 = 1452 calories a day plus any extra treats = more calories. As our dogs grow and develop they may need some adjustments to the amount of food given. At 13 months he shouldn't change much more in height but he will broaden out over time. If he is taller than standard he might need to weigh closer to what he is but if he is at standard height or a little smaller you may want to get him down closer to the average male goldens weight. Leaner dogs on average live up to 2 years longer according to some papers on our goldens.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

I would cut the food back to 2 to 3 cups a day. I dont see a waistline in those pictures. I would say he could lose s few pounds. Goldens won't cut down on their food. You must regulate it. They live for food.


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## LittleRedDawg (Oct 5, 2011)

I had a nice reply typed out and lost it... here's the gist of it.

Determining your dog's body condition score:
https://oregonvma.org/files/Purina-Dog-Condition-Chart.pdf

Determining how much to feed your dog (yes, there is actually a formula!):
How Much to Feed a Dog to Meet His Energy Needs

(Ideal body weight in kg * 30) + 70 = RER in kcal/day. An RER * 1 or 1.6 is sufficient for a sedentary neutered young adult dog that's achieved his adult size. Then look at your bag of dog food, find the kcal/cup information, and do the math - how many cups of THAT food does he need to eat? I'd bet you're looking at 2 cups per day for most dog foods, regardless of what the "feeding directions" are on the bag (they are almost always too high).

He looks pretty decent in the pictures...I'd take off a few pounds but not the 15lbs I was imagining before I saw the photos. He has a good tuck up but not a good waist and I can't see a hint of ribs. I'd have to have my hands on him, but he's probably a 6/9 BCS.


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

FWIW- judging by those photos he doesn't look overweight at all to me. Can you easily feel his ribs when you rub him? If so, he should be fine. The best person to ask is your vet. 
We feed our 5-months old 4 cups a day, but we're going to start reducing her some, too. But, honestly, from those images he doesn't look overweight at all.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

One thing most people aren't aware of this that the food manufacturers feeding schedule on the bag tells you to feed them way more than they need per day. That's because the more you feed, the more often you buy their food. It's a marketing gimmick.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

To me, he looks a little overweight in those pictures, especially from an aerial view. He has a nice tummy tuck, but he looks fairly thick around the waist. 

My boy is 15 months and 68 pounds. He's a little too lean right now (you can see his ribs sometimes) so he gets a total intake of 3 cups of his food. Usually I feed him two cups a day. I increase by halves so I don't overload his system (once I jumped up in food too quickly and the next day he had this massive poop and he just could not deal with that much food that quickly). I decrease by halves as well.


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## Artbuc1 (Sep 4, 2016)

Pretty boy! I would say considerably overweight considering he is only 13 months.


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

Thanks for the photos of Sonny. He's a good looking boy If you are looking for low calorie treats I can recommend green beans, carrots, and dried sweet potatoes (you can dry them in a food dehydrator or in your oven), and I have discovered Bailey is very fond of cucumbers, apples and raw spinach. I use string cheese as a high value treat and will occasionally use broiled diced chicken breasts as well. I got into the habit of using non commercial treats when we rescued a coonhound who was about 20 lbs overweight. Like goldens coonhound are very food oriented and I needed treats which would not add a lot of calories to Jack's diet. Am happy to say that we have had Jack 3 years and he is now a very svelte boy with a waist (!) for maybe the first time in his life. Sonny may balk at the new treats initially but before too long he will be gobbling them up.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Do you belong to a dog training club? Where people participate in different dog sports like obedience, agility etc? If so, contact someone who is experienced with athletic dogs and ask for their guidance. If not, I highly recommend getting involved with one - it's a great way to network with knowledgeable dog people and get input from people who can actually put their hands on your dog. Someone who works their dogs daily and has them in good muscle is accustomed to seeing a very lean, fit dog will have a different opinion than the average pet person, even on this forum. 

Dogs are like people, I'm sure you know from your profession that overweight, under-muscled people are at higher risk of joint injury from weekend warrior activities. It's the same way for your dog. You definitely want to see definition of a waist line on him and since he is a bigger boned dog, it's going to make him look a on the thin side to achieve a waist line. Be sure to read up on all the links posted in the thread, I'm guessing with your educational background you will get your pup straightened out without too much trouble. Next time you're at your vet's office , discuss body condition with him or her and let them know how strongly you feel about maintaining your dog's health, the vet should really want to work with you on it. If the vet doesn't seem too interested, think about finding a new vet.


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## MoltenGirl (Aug 4, 2015)

jhmullens said:


> I just now took some pictures of Sonny. Sorry if they aren't the best of quality but my wife wasn't here to help me take some good shots of him. I took some from above to see how his back looks. He just got a haircut yesterday and he loves it because it's so hot down here. I still like the long hair on Goldens though. I will try the green beans and see if he likes them and maybe cut him down to a cup and a half for the first week or so.


Hi Jhmullens,

I think your Sonny looks a tad thin to be honest. 

4 cups may seem like a lot but your dog is the best source of info as to how much he needs. I would go by what other people do but rather, his your dog is thriving/growing. 

But bottom line, he does NOT look as though you need to cut back and I think you're doing great!


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