Such a horrible skinny dog, don't you think.

My poor Honey is. Every now and again I always seem to have someone comment on my dogs weight, because obviously they are always underweight, even the other day I had some guy come up to talk to me, and in the convo he slipped 'I'm not trying to be funny, but I think you need to feed your dogs more', sometimes I have to admit it gets to me, but then my dogs are healthy and happy, and then sometimes I get a photo like this, where I think that she looks lovely and fit, anyone else think that she looks underweight and/or unhealthy in this one?

She looks in great shape to me ! i too have a skinny lurcher that loses weight very easily, i think its because of the exercise, both mine get an offlead run for an hour every day where they run like loons, and then i take them out in the evening for a 20 minute on lead walk.

Bella my lurcher varies so much with her weight but i have had people comment too, to be honest they are usually people that wouldn't have a clue anyway so i don't take any notice, you are supposed to be able to see the last two ribs, Bella pin bones are quite prominent too.

If anyone asks i just say its because of the amount of exercise they get, they lose weight quickly. I just adjust their food accordingly, if i think they are looking a bit too skinny i'll up the food or vice versa.

Don't worry what other people say, its usually people with fab labs that comment !

Must admit round here its rare to see someone that doesn't have a lab lol, and the other day I confused some old lady, she was lovely, and actually admired their wieght, her mum use to race Greys, and this woman loves Honey and Diesel, and whenever I see her she tells me that it makes her day seeing them (would be easier to let her see them if her own dog wasn't DA...) but she asked how I keep them in shape, and I told her that they do it themselves, all I provide is a field lol, they both get an hour to hour and a half a day off lead, either down by the river, in the castle meadows or down by the bridle way, and other then that at least twice around the park which takes about half an hour walk each time (I don't have a garden so sometimes its more then that too), the dogs are happy, but it does get annoying how many people feel the need to say something about their weight (well unless its a nice comment lol).

I get the same thing with Oscar sometimes and I do think he could do with a tiny bit more weight, but rather that than fat!

That said I've had one lady ask me if he'd been abused because he was so thin!

We've had that asked of Max before!!

I think Max could stand to put on a little more, but the vet says he is fine, and she'd rather see dogs a little lean, rather than overweight!

I think Honey looks fine!

I just think that if the dogs happy then, well their happy, whether other people think that they look how they think that they should is a different matter, poor you and Oscar though with people asking if he has been abused mind you I've been told that it looks like Honey's been beaten before , she's a sensitive dog, and because of a incident became shy of strange men and would hide behind me, which one man took to mean that I had done something to her .

Poor Max, why do people think that slim dogs are abused or charity cases, and not happy healthy dogs!! And thank you

Have to say though what surprises me, is that I use to walk my gramps dog a lot, and nothing was ever said about him, and well he is a little chubby to say the least (wont say anything that hasn't been said before, even by my gramp) but thats accepted, but people who wont comment on him, comment on Honey, is that wierd to anyone else?

Here is Max my Gramps dog, who I do love with my all my heart (he use to be my dog, we even ran away together at one point ) but with him its no secret to everyone that his weight is a issue, he is a old dog (11 March the 8th) but I don't think thats the problem, I also don't think that my gramps the problem, I know who I think is though .



Is Max's weight really more acceptable to society then Honeys?

Was having this conversation the other day - a bunch who reckon vets try to keep dogs too skinny and that mine needed some weight on his bones. Nah - he's actually got a waistline and he's one of the few around there who does have (despite his best bin-raiding efforts - thwarted last night with my duct tape and harness clasp "lock" muahahahahah) and when he was weighed he was bang on ideal weight last month. Compared to lots of the dogs he kicks about with though he looks like an escapee from an RSPCA give £5 a month advert!

Having said that I think there's too much of an obsession with numbers where weight is concerned and not enough about the frame of the dog - same as with people really. I know from feeling her when the cat's under/overweight - she would probably weigh slightly under average but she's a tiny-framed thing so the figures don't really compute for her (and they don't allow for a leg missing anyway!)... same with the dog.

And seriously what the heck is it with labs that are barrels of wobble on legs lately?!

I agree with you Dizzi, tbh I don't know what my dogs, or my rabbits or even my chins weigh right now, I know that the dogs weigh around 26kg, and the rabbits 8llbs or so, but they are only weighed at the vets, I use the pet-o-meter system, as I like it, its more on size rather then weight and tells you whats ideal, what you should see or feel, maybe you can print some off and show them to your friends even when I went in for rabbit awareness week the vets used the rabbit one and marked off both of mine as ideal.

http://www.burgesspetcare.co.uk/pet-care/supadog.html

ETA this link should take you straight to click on what pet you have to take you to the right pet-o-meter

Hate to say it but i think she is a bit to much on the thin side.
In the photo you posted the other day she looked very thin.
If she were mine I would have a bit more weight on her.

What photo was that one? Tbh even if I fed her more she would just poop more, no-one that I know whose seen her in real life who I respect, like vets, and even on Greyhound walks someone who runs a local branch of the RGT has said anything, and I'm not worried, she has lots of energy, is happy, has a nice soft coat with shiny eyes, so I'm happy with her aswell sometimes there are skinny days, but with leaner dogs I think that these can happen, its just one of them things.