Damn......my dog is fat!

Hello ats.

I'm pretty sure I'm putting this in the right forum, if not it doesn't belong on this site.
I do have a problem. My "small dog" must weigh at least 20 pounds but the thing is he should only weigh about 10 pounds.

Sometimes I do give him people food but not so often that he should be so fat!

I take him for walks but he doesn't even want to go out anymore. When I take him to the park he just sits on his ass and watches everybody else and if I throw a ball or a stick for him to retrieve he just looks at me like I'm a retard.

Maybe he's depressed.

Do you guys have any suggestions?

Yeah, let him be fat and enjoy his short time being alive.
Rub that fat belly!

reply to post by billy565


Are you drinking again? Just joking. I liked your earlier thread and couldn't resist.

Walking is fine but get him running some too if you can. He also may need a playful companion. My mother brings her dog by once in awhile and my dog loves it. They play and run like mad.

pics or it didn't happen

Have a vet look at him to see if he has a thyroid issue. If not, then put him on a diet and regular exercise (read up on how to start a fat dog on a diet) and then do that. It's one thing to be fat yourself (not saying you are, but that would be your choice), it's quite another to do it to an unsuspecting and ignorant animal who doesn't know that his health is at risk. \

It's the right thing to do.

reply to post by billy565


TAKE HIM TO THE VET FOR BLOODWORK AND AN EXAM.

reply to post by billy565


Maybe you can find a fat person with a skinny dog and trade dogs with them?

Seriously tho, why does it matter? It's just a dog.

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
reply to post by billy565

 

Seriously tho, why does it matter? It's just a dog.

They are not just dogs.. They have feelings too. Dogs are your best friend.

reply to post by Bleeeeep

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
Seriously tho, why does it matter? It's just a dog.

If that's how you feel, then own a fat dog. And frankly, if that's how the OP feels, then he can let his dog be fat, too. But he seems to wants to do something about it. I personally don't care if you think "it's just a dog", but some of us know better.

I don't know why but I felt compelled to post these here. Could it be your dog has an endocrine problem?

Cushings syndrome in dogs

Pictures of Cushings affected dogs

Hypothyroidism in dogs

I just acquired 2 dogs in my household, (taking care of an elder parent) and both those dogs are OBESE.

One a wiener dog looks like an over cooked sausage, the other a lab that has lost all shape and is just round.

Step one, get them walking, start slow at first.

Step two, Figure out the exact nutrition requirements for their desired weight and stick to them as best you can, no extra human food.

And if you can afford it get them to a vet.

reply to post by billy565


Feed him slightly less each week, until it's at a "weight loss" amount. Don't just cut his food in half, he'll be too hungry. You have to sneak a diet up on him.

When he's normal weight again, slowly normalize his portions of food.
No bread products. No store bought "dog treats"

Give him little pieces of carrots as treats, or other veggies he might like.
Don't give too many carrot pieces until you know how his stomach handles them. Too much fibre at once can be a nasty problem

See the vet for help, ideas, weight and health monitoring while he's dieting.

Worms, cancer or just overfed and under excercised perhaps?

See a vet.

People food makes people fat, thats his problem!

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


I don't keep animals for pets - I hate the idea of it.

If I'm keeping an animal, it's going to be for food or burden. You want to do what's right for an animal? Set it free if you're not going to use it for food or burden. Let it live naturally, and stop loving them so much that you would put an animal before another human. That is a sickness.

Taking a dog to the vet, if it's not for burden, is like throwing money away. You want to give money away, give it to a homeless shelter or something.

reply to post by billy565


He needs to lose weight Billy - take him to the vet and discuss a safe exercise and weight loss strategy with him.

Being fat causes, breathlessness and exhaustion and early death - you can fix this and the little one can lose weight and enjoy life again

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

 

I don't keep animals for pets - I hate the idea of it.

If I'm keeping an animal, it's going to be for food or burden. You want to do what's right for an animal? Set it free if you're not going to use it for food or burden. Let it live naturally, and stop loving them so much that you would put an animal before another human. That is a sickness.

Taking a dog to the vet, if it's not for burden, is like throwing money away. You want to give money away, give it to a homeless shelter or something.

bleeep you really really need to find your heart - you sound so unkind and uncaring here. It is sad that you are like this IMO.

reply to post by billy565


My golden retriever was the fat one of the litter. Not only was she fat she was the pushy one of the bunch.
She was always a little on the hefty side and she enjoyed being a homebody. She's 14yrs old now, lost her hearing, and her eyesight isn't the greatest. She has trouble getting up because her back legs have arthritis. We've been making her as comfortable as possible because we know she's not going to be with us much longer. She stopped eating her dog food and lost a lot of weight, so we now feed her people food. My wife makes her pancakes with syrup in the morning. She never ate so good, but we want her to leave this life peaceful and content. She's been a good dog, and is loved by everyone. We'll miss her when she's gone.

I would try to put your dog on lean dog food, but we tried that with our dog and after awhile she didn't care for the dog food. She still didn't lose the weight. I think dogs have personalities just like people. Your dog may just be content being fat. I would follow the advice of the one poster, just rub her belly and accept her for how she is.

reply to post by HelenConway


I'm one of the most caring people I know - especially around these forums. You all just don't understand what you're doing.

Keeping animals as emotional toys and then falling in love with them, as to choose an animal over a human.

Again, I say let them be free if you're not going to use them for food or burden. You guys are the ones keeping them as some weird emotional slave, or whatever you call a pet.