"Your Dog's Too Skinny"...

Ignore those people. Do they have dogs? If they do, they are probably OVERweight. On any dog, you should see a difference in their abdominal area (the place where there ribs end and just in front of their hips) from the rest of them. If you can't SEE ribs, but you can feel them with your hands, then your dog is probably at the right weight.

In America, most family pets are overweight. So what people are accustomed to seeing is overweight dogs. If you think overweight is what is normal and good, then seeing an actual proper weight dog makes them look too skinny. And if you have a large breed, having them a slight bit underweight is better than a slight bit overweight. (per my vet).

Like humans, carrying around extra weight is hard on their bodies. Hips and hearts especially.

I was told to feed my dog 2 cups a day. She was half yellow lab and half something else. I did feed her more than that because she seemed still hungry.
Turns out the other half was greyhound and she was just skinny.

People thought I starved her. Whatever.

*** Dad wth??? Some people care about their dogs and ARE allowed to ask questions. Calm down.

If you know the breed and your vet is happy with his weight, then the dog's weight is fine.
I think people get too use to seeing over weight animals and start to think all animals should be chubby.
Being over weight is not healthy for anyone, animals or people.
Like people, dogs tend to gain more weight as they age, so he will put on a few pounds over the years.
When people comment, just say the vet says he's fine.

I have found the "your dog is too skinny" comment is always followed with table scraps under the table. My dogs were always fat rugs and people would say they were too skinny and then I would catch them handing them scraps.

I think it is meant to ease their guilt for doing what they know is wrong. :p

I always go with my vet on these things, that is why I have a crabby cat that swears he is dying of starvation! Swear to god he was reaching Garfield proportions. :(

Rule of thumb for dogs weight. If you can't see his spine, ribs, or hips he is a healthy weight. Even if you can see those things as long as when you run your fingers down their sides and back, if you feel a decent layer of fat over their bones, they are fine.

Ever seen a greyhound or a whippet? Those, to me, look like anorexic versions of real dogs. That is just what they look like though.

Next time someone says that to you, I agree with J. H. I would say, "I know he does, it's just the breed. The vet says he is perfect weight." That should stop the comments.

Next time someone says he's underweight, I would look at them and say "You think so? Our vet says he's perfect."

If the person pushes the issue, then I would ask where they got their degree in veterinary science.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if the professional says he's perfect and is doing great, then I wouldn't worry about what other people who don't have degrees say.

I had a dog once that was 1/2 Plott hound and 1/2 Lab, he was such a good looking dog and incredibly hyper with tons of energy. Anyways, he was always thin and weighed maybe 55 lbs, I think the lab in him made him a bit huskier. His mother was a pure bred Plott Hound and I remember her being very lean, she was a hunting dog and boy could she run fast. Your dog sounds healthy to me and I would trust the vet, people may mean well but just not know what they're talking about!

You seem to be taking very good care of your dog so relax there. As for people commenting on your dog being too skinny a simple answer of "It's his breed, they are naturally very lean animals" should suffice.

You've seen pictures of Grady - right? Some people have said 'he's skinny' - well - he's NOT. He weighs a whopping 57lbs and is pure muscle. We leave a bowl out for him and he eats when he is hungry.

Dogs SHOULD have a waist - almost like an hour glass figure. Seriously. If you CANNOT see his waist - he's over weight. If you CANNOT see his ribs - he is HEALTHY!!!

My FIL literally loved his dog to death. Not an exaggeration. She was a yellow lab that weighed 150lbs. The vet kept telling him "George - you are loving her to death" "George she needs to lose weight." But he would say "naaahhhh she's fine" - she died at the age of 8 - which is VERY young for a lab because she just couldn't move. Her heart could NOT handle the excess weight.

If the vet says River is fine - then River is fine. DO NOT let people tell you to fatten him up.

people say that about my dog (my ex kept) and the vet always said dogs are supposed to be lean where you can feel their ribs somewhat. Our dog loves being outside and loves hunting, running and tons more, he has food available at all times and looks like a little body builder. Dogs are supposed to look like that. What animals do you see that look "chubby" , theyre not supposed to get table food and theyre built for running and hunting so obviously they need to be in shape. Your dog is probably having the time of his life while other dogs are overfed and laying around. I'm not dog smart either though so thats J. my opinion

I had to laugh at this question. I get the same thing all the time and for a long time. Actually the questions are like this, " boy she is beautiful what mix/breed is she" after i tell the person she is a gordon setter i ALWAYS get the god she is to thin remark. I would say oh my vet says she is perfect or something like that. Now I just look at them and simply say "sir if you don't know what breed she is how can you tell me she is to thin" it usually shuts them up. Listen to your vet and keep up the good work!

I would tell the interested parties that you have consulted with two vets and google and they all say his weight is right for his breed.

Then I would repeat that as often as necessary. If they really persisted I would ask them if they followed their doctor's instructions when they went to him/her. Then tell them that you do and the dog's doctor says that he is in great shape and just the right weight for his breed.

Good luck to you and yours.

most pet dogs and cats are grossly overweight. our society has come to regard rotund housepets as 'cute'.
quit second-guessing yourself!
khairete
S.

Trust the vet. You have a breed that's naturally lean. Dogs aren't supposed to be pudgy.

My dog is part greyhound, park husky and is very thin, naturally. She has that narrow little greyhound waist and has very long legs. I get this from strangers all the time when I'm walking her. One person even told me, get your dog checked, she must have worms! She loves to run and she is super fast...and this is just how she looks. She eats 2 bowls of dogfood a day plus lots of treats - the same amount as our other dog who looks a bit "thick". Just tell people your vet says for her breed she is perfect...and ignore the comments. If you are worried just add a 1/2 cup of food more (we feed 2 measuring cups of food total a day) and see what happens over the next few months....probably nothing.

Okay - most people think that if you can see a dog's ribs they are underweight - but you should be able to make out their skelatol (sp) structure by looking at them.
Ohhhh She is PURRRDY! I would say this dog would be a wonderful standard to compare your dog to. She is a beautifully thin dog you can just see her rib cage in the picture - her coloring distortes it a touch and she has a SUPER skinny waist but that tends to be part of the breed due to their agility.
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1304&...

IF your dog looks much like her - then I say you are fine - if your dog is smaller than her then try a better food - we like Nutro for our dog's food and we find it helps keep their weight down. My small dog's habbit of puting EVERYTHING in his mouth has caused some issues with his weight and we are working on it - but in America, our dogs tend to be overwieght.

@R. D. Then, I say your dog is JUST fine in the weight department - It might help to have one of those stunning coffee table books about hunting dog breeds - this breed should be included in the photo book for "reference"

I looked up this breed , and they are supposed to be skinny but not really look like they need to eat more.
From what I've read their ideal weight is 45-60lbs He is the right weight range but on the low end. I would actually try to get him just 5lbs heavier.
With him being so energetic maybe he's burning more callories than your average Plott Hound.

I would trust the vet over everyone else. I think our perceptions as Americans of a "healthy" weight is distorted even when it comes to our pets. I bet he's perfectly healthy and if you fatten him up your vet will tell you to cut back.

People say that about my boxer, but I swear to you that dog eats constantly. Just ignore it.

my thoughts are if you cant see bones and dr says he's at a healthy weight then i'd leave it at that. my friends dog was too skinny because of a bacteria that they were trying to diagnose and he was SKINNY. you could see his ribs and hip bones. he's a golden and looked like a greyhound with hair. maybe show your family pictures of other dogs in his breed so they can compare. maybe they just mean he's skinny not too skinny.

Congrats on a healthy pet! Most pets are overweight and people come to expect that. I have an almost 60 pound, tall, lanky field lines lab and hardy anyone believes she is a lab because of her color and weight/ size. No she is not breed standard for confirmation, but she does look like a lot od field labs and we did not care if her wasn't blocky and she was an inch or two tall, we cared more about personality.

Enjoy your healthy dog, there has been a.huge purina study showing dogs at a healthy weight live longer and have problems like arthritis laterbin life than their overweight counterparts. Just tell thw naysayers that your vet says your dog is perfect.

I know I'm late in answering this, but for most animals, there is a body condition scoring diagram. Here is the one for dogs:
http://www.pet-health-care-gazette.com/2010/05/16/dog-bod.... This can help you keep track of his condition yourself, in addition to what the vet says.

And if your vet thinks he looks fine, just tell people that you just had him to the vet and vet says he's in perfect shape. Hopefully that will shut them down.