How much scraps is too much?

I have an on-going argument with my dad about our dog, Cleo, a four year old cockapoo. I think he gives her way to many scraps...anything that we've had for dinner. He gives her chicken fingers, spaghetti, anything. Yesterday it was some roast beef and potatoes and cream corn. I don't mind the occassional scraps or bits of beef or other meats but I think it is getting excessive. :( I think it's making Cleo overweight...is there any sure way to tell? She doesn't look fat, but I can't feel her ribs at all and she feels heavier when I pick her up. Whenever I bring it up, he always says I'm worrying too much. Also, the vet commented on how she's gained weight the last time she was in (about six months ago) but my dad blew it off and said they couldn't have gotten an accurate reading because she was really nervous and wasn't holding still when they were weighing her.

I'm at the end of my rope, does anyone have any ideas for settling this with my dad? A compromise of something that we could both agree on?

Here's what I would do. Do you have a scale in your house? If so, pick up Cleo and step on the scale. Then put her down and weigh yourself. Minus your weight from when the two of you were on it together and you get her weight. Jot down the weight - and do this every week. If you see an increase, do it more often and then in about 3 weeks or a month, show your father the paper and tell him what you've been doing. Tell him that the dog is constantly gaining weight and you would like him to cut back a little, unless he wants to go outside and play fetch or something with her for an hour everynight.

Your dogs calorie intake should be enough to fuel him throughout the day, it is only when the calorie or fat intake exceeds the amount of loss then the dog gains weight. Just like in humans.

If that doesn't work, just work with her more and make her play more and excersize more. ;) Hope I've helped.

Awwww, what a CUTIE pie!! :D

Mauisgirl gave some great advice. You may also want to look up some websites that talk about dog obesity and the consequences. Also maybe you could take your dad for the next vet visit and maybe the vet can explain it to him too.

What an ADORABLE dog you have! I can't stop looking at the picture :D

i agree with Mauisgirl also :D
-good luck-

mauisgirl & aly have great suggestions. Or have your dad weigh the dog himself so he can see. I really like the vet visit w/ your dad idea. Good luck as we all know that overweightness can cause many problems.

Aw what a cutie Cleo is. Believe it or not that's what Smudge was supposed to be. As the owner of a once fat dog, I know what it can do to them. Smudge was overweight a little while ago but thanks to a strict diet and all the excercise that he gets from agility and other stuff he's now a lean mean fighting machine :D Well okay he could probably still lose a couple of pounsd but that will come off in time.

Here's how you can tell if you dog is the right weight other then scales of course :D

Standing above your dog, look down and check for a "waist" - pets at the proper weight will have a visible indentation behind their ribs.
Place both hands, palms down, lightly on your dog's ribs. You should be able to feel the ribs, but they shouldn't be sticking out.
If you cannot feel the ribs, chances are your dog is overweight. Overweight dogs also commonly have pouches of fat in the groin area between the hind legs.
If you can see the ribs, chances are your dog is underweight.

Aww what a cutie! She really reminds me of Hannah! :)

I think everyone has given good advice. My aunt and uncle have an old fat dachshund. My uncle would always put some of the leftovers in her food after dinner, and she got so used to it that she refused to eat her dog food without them. She's pretty overweight, and I really think the table scraps caused most of it. I, personally, think its ok for some bits of human food every now and then. But the healthy kind, like just a taste of meat/cheese, some carrots, even cottage cheese or yogurt occasionally. Some people food can make them sick though.....we used to give our dogs too much also. They never got fat, but Smokey got really sick once because of it. Obviously the big no-no is chocolate, but I've also heard that onions, grapes/raisins, are bad too....ooh there was a few others on that thread but I can't remember....

Yesterday I gave the boys each a chunk of cucumber. Pork Chop ate it like it was the last piece on earth. Slowly 'shaving' of layers with his teeth and chewing delicately , repeat. It was the funniest thing to watch. At first I thought he didn't like it (which I thought odd because he'd eaten cucumber slices before) but then I realized he kept putting it back on the ground because he was just eating it in a special way. Just because it was cut differently than a slice. Crazy dog.

thank-you for all the advice...I'm not super worried about her but I just don't want it to get worse. I'll have to try keeping track of her weight. I'll tell you guys how it goes! refering to what Wolf_Q? said chocolate i think is the worse, then beer (who would give their dog beer??) and then onions.
Also I heard that apples and carrots are good low-fat treats for dogs, which I think we're going to start giving her instead of all the milkbones she gets....:rolleyes:

thanks again!
Lynsey

here's another pic of Cleo trying to lick my sis's face!!:D

Yes apples and carrots are good for dogs and most dogs seem to love them, Smudge goes nuts when he gets a carrot...but then again Smudge is a little weird. Actually there's a lot of fruits and vegtables that are good for dogs like pumpkin, there's actually a pumpkin diet that works fairly well. Both my dogs were on it for a while, Smudge 'cause he was fat and Winter would get a little bit because she wouldn't eat unless she had what Smudge did.

Cleo is *SO* cute!! I really commend you for being concerned...I hope I don't step on anybody's toes, but obese dogs tend to bother me. Growing up, we had a neighbor who's dog was so fat it could only waddle, running wasn't an option. It was so unfair to that poor thing, and certainly nobody's fault but the owner's who kept feeding him table scraps and things that were unhealthy.

Carrots are great snacks for dogs...Malone loves them. We will also give him popcorn occasionally (only a few kernals though), and the last bite of a banana.

Brocolli, green beans, celery, lettuce or any fresh or frozen vegetable they will eat will be good for them. Not a lot, or they get diarrhea.

They don't process these vegetables well on their own, so if you are trying to get nutrition into them, the vegetables need to be mushed up very well.

My dogs get a baby carrot every night. If they hear the lettuce wrapper rattle, they're at my feet begging.

Mary