Would you consider your pet overweight?

[cali]

oh no if it is caused by a health problem I fully understand! but again I come from a sport dog background and I am very competive, I dont do it strictly for fun, I want to WIN, its just one of the things I am obbessive about, my dogs are not underweight, they are kept in sporting condition, I am slightly more leniant for dogs that are strictly pets, but I am obbessive about keeping dogs trim and muscular, I take my girls out to the bike path regularly and use the circles in the path to condition them, I ride super fast around the rings and have the girls run along side me(they are not leashed for this lol) they love it, it builds muscle, it tires them out, and it makes them faster. when my friends dogs stay with me or I am dog sitting them I give them a more apporiate amount of food, and walk them 3 times a day, plus take them for runs. I do nothing unhealthy the amount of food they receive is in direct relation to how much exersize they recieve. I would never ever feed a dog the same amount no mater how much exersize they get, that is exactly why so many dogs are overweight, you have to adjust it, not or how much exersize they are going to get but for much much they already had, if a dog did not get much much exerise you dont feed them as much as you would after a 4 hour run, that is how you keep weight in check. I dont lecture anyone about their dogs weight till I know more about them and their dogs, I lecture when people refuse to admit that their dog is fat or if they know their dogs is fat and really dont care.

as for fat people? I could not care less about people do it does not bother me a whole lot lol


**for informoretion my dogs are NOT strictly pets and never have been, Ripley is our one and only dog thtat we adopted as a pet, the rest were chosen specificly to be athletes, while we wont make the dogs do anything they dont enjoy , we did not get the dogs as pets then decide to try some sports for fun, we were already involved in dog sports and chose dogs based on this, the ONLY reason I got Misty was because Happy had retired from flyball and I needed a new flyball dog, I would never get ride of a dog for not being a good athlete, and my dogs are every bit as loved as dogs that are strictly pets, but you must remeber that this is the dog world that I grew up in, my mom has been invloved in dog sports since she was a teenager, I was raised in the world of canine athletes, and this is where my perspective comes from.

[CathyBogart]

Star could actually stand to gain a pound or two. Both of my dogs are trim, but not as fit as I would like them to be. Cupcake (the kitty) has started to gain a little weight since she's getting older and slowing down, but I asked the vet about it and he said she is still withing the healthy weight range, so we're keeping a close eye on her food intake to make sure she doesn't get pudgy.

[wolf_Q]

Although sometimes I'm paranoid and try to convince myself they are, I really don't think any of them are overweight. Nebo looks skinnier in the summer and bigger in the winter but it's just that his fur gets thicker. I think his ideal weight is 60 lbs (which he's at now) he's been a few pounds over and under that before. I make sure my dog eats the best dog food and the right amount (he only eats 2 cups per day) but I don't seem to care what I eat.

I'm not obsessive about it but it does bother me when people let their dogs become obese...if it's a medical condition, that's understandable but otherwise...but no that doesn't mean I'd dislike the dog or the owner...and no, it doesn't bother me with overweight people (I'm one of them) dogs don't have a choice what they eat, we do.

[crazy_caique]

Zippy is just a bigger cat she is not overweight she could maybe lose a pound or 2 but that's it.Pumpkin is the perfect weight.Emmy is also the perfect weight.

[carole]

Well it is a little harder to keep cats fit and active, you can play with them but that is about it, both my cats are not obese, but they need to loose a few pounds, i have not intentionally made them that way, as i pointed out my younger cat has a small cup of biscuits a day which is recommended the right amount for her, and she has put on far too much weight, I will be looking into changing her biscuits even though she loves them as they are obviously high in fat.

Cali i do not think it is good to be obsessive about anything myself, moderation is the best.

[Giselle]

She's looking a little pudgy, but people think she's UNDERweight...Honestly, folks, do your research before you blast me in public for my "underweight Greyhound". On the same note, please don't ever compare my Peke's weight to my Greyhound's weight Thanks.



They day I *can't* see her ribs is the day I'll gladly don a track suit and shoes and go jogging for hours on end!

Forgot to add: I checked "No" for both. Lucky lost a pound or two due to diligant exercise and vigilant feeding.

[sandragonfly]

not.

some people think he's fat because of his sidehairs growing and they 'fluff' way straight from his sides.. "oh he looks fat....."

"yes, he looks fat!"

[Shelteez2]

Emily is a tad pudgy.. she needs to lose 1.5 pounds. Clipse is just right though.

Obese dogs are a pet peeve of mine too. I see so many at work and it makes me sad. We always try to say something to the owners about it. Nicely though of course, and we always suggest they talk to their vets about a possible medical problem.