Morbidly Obese Dog :(

EnzoLeya

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I was in the Vet's office last week and wanted to cry. A lady came out of one of the rooms with her dog. It was the fattest dog I had ever seen in person. It's LEGS had fat rolls. I just couldn't believe what that poor dog looked like. His belly touched the ground and he could hardly walk.

How does a person let their animal get SOOOOOOO fat?!!? It's not like it just happened overnight. I just don't understand. Of course the woman herself could stand to loose a few lbs so maybe she thought it was ok for her dog to look like that. Sorry if I offend anyone, I could stand a to loose a few lbs too, but why would she think that was ok for her dog to suffer!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

PS. the dog was at the vet for knee surgery, no doubt because of all the weight being put on them.
 

white cat lover

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Sometimes the person takes in the animal which is already that fat. I know a lady here who has a dog in similar condition. Shall I say had. The dog is gone as of Friday AM because of being mordibly obese.
 
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I often wonder about people, too.. I work at a dog groomer, and so I know most of these dogs have been with the same person quite awhile.. and I have to just watch some of them come in fatter and fatter every time. There's one Cocker Spaniel I could barely pick up to get into the tub this last visit. The poor guy can barely stand up anymore, I feel bad making him stand to wash his belly.
 

cococat

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It is really sad. You would think if they loved their pets so much, they would want them to live long healthy lives. Being so fat leads to dying at an earlier age, not to mention health problems. So sad
. WHY can't people see this? It is not good for the animal and the animal is the one to suffer. It is really mean.
 

lunasmom

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That's so sad


I really think its just the lack of education in people. When someone who doesn't understand obesity in animals sees that their dog wants more food, they just assume they're still hungry.

What they don't understand is that the dog isn't still hungry. People need to stop being so "nice" and just learn to say "no".
 

sharky

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YOU really dont know... it could be disease , that is my dogs case ... she has cushings and a pot belly but the rest of her is perfectly proportioned , it was one of the symptoms that got her tested... so just cause an animal is WHAT you see as overwt( which yeah the belly on the ground is ) may just be a dog with a thyroid or other adrenal gland disease not neglect or overfeeding
 
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EnzoLeya

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Originally Posted by sharky

YOU really dont know... it could be disease , that is my dogs case ... she has cushings and a pot belly but the rest of her is perfectly proportioned , it was one of the symptoms that got her tested... so just cause an animal is WHAT you see as overwt( which yeah the belly on the ground is ) may just be a dog with a thyroid or other adrenal gland disease not neglect or overfeeding
But what about the fat rolls on the LEGS, that's what really made me sad.
Also the bet techs didn't support the owner after she walked out the door. They just sheepishly looked around when the waiting room people started talking about how fat the dog was and how sad they were for the poor thing.
 

sharky

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I have seen that with thyroid issues..The fact the dog went to the vet means the owners cared and hopefully the vet would find out the cause
 

arlyn

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It always makes me so sad to see obese animals.
My dog is only chubby, but it is due to his lack of activity, not his food intake.
He has only ever gotten a measured ammount of high quality dry food a day, substituted with high quality canned food twice a week.

The problem though, is that his activity level dropped dramatically after he pulled a groin muscle a bit over a year ago.

So keep that in mind, a dog may be fat due to orthopedic issues or disease, not always from over feeding.
 

sweet72947

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I think most of the time fat animals ARE from overfeeding. I see a lot of fat animals all the time who do not have any conditions. There was even a show on Animal Planet about fat dogs. There was a rottweiler on there who was hugely obese from overfeeding and when people tried to tell the owner her dog was fat, she got all offended. There was also a lady on there with a terrier dog who fed it four peice of cake because she "couldn't say no".
 

arlyn

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Originally Posted by Sweet72947

I think most of the time fat animals ARE from overfeeding. I see a lot of fat animals all the time who do not have any conditions. There was even a show on Animal Planet about fat dogs. There was a rottweiler on there who was hugely obese from overfeeding and when people tried to tell the owner her dog was fat, she got all offended. There was also a lady on there with a terrier dog who fed it four peice of cake because she "couldn't say no".
Oh I agree with you, I think most are fat from over eating, my point though is that unless you actually know the whole story, you should not just assume that that is the case.
 

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With humans, it's hard to stay slim if you've got the wrong set of genetics for it... but a human can easily restrict an animal to a healthy size, given proper food and exercise. I understand an animal that's moderately overweight--maybe the equivalent of a 200 lb woman--because some animals have bad genetics, too; and some really love to eat and hate to exercise. But an animal that's so obese that its health is endangered and its bones and joints are suffering... that's a sign of an owner who doesn't understand that giving the animal what it wants is less important than giving the animal what it needs.

Maybe it's just a part of the bigger problem... a lot of people don't think past immediate pleasure, or don't have the self-control to put it into practice; so they don't think past it for their animals, either. It's a skill you can learn, I'm sure of it--but if you don't learn it in childhood, and nothing happens to open your eyes, then it's likely you won't even know the importance.
 

kittyl0ve4

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i have seen a mobidly obese doberman when i was younger... the poor thing couldnt even climb into its owners car and it was very very sad. My boyfriends dog is overweight for his breed, he weighs 110 lbs which doesnt really sound over weight, but when comparing him to healthy Labradors, you can definately tell that something isnt right with his weight. his problem is over eating. he gets 2-3 big cans of food a day, plus whatever he can beg from people while theyre eating. its so annoying that you can even eat in my house with out him drooling all over you and barking for your food. the problem is no one can say no to him, he was never taught not to beg. most people in my home try not to give him anything, but wind up giving him what he wants so he will leave them alone but what they dont understand is they are contributing to the problem and that he will only start up again once he has finished the scraps they had already given him. i however, dont usually eat around him and he learned years ago that its no use begging from me because i will not share with him. i refuse to contribute to his early demise. and i try to make my bfs parents understand what they are doing to him but they keep doing it because "he is old and trying to change him isnt going to work" but he may live a little longer if they would just say no.
 

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My sister has a morbidly obese dog and there is no medical reason behind his condition. I've done everything in my power to educate my sister on her behavior towards the dog (he gets treats all day long and multiple meals of bad food), but it doesn't sink in with her. There is a part of me that wants to slap her and the other part tells me to continue to educate her. She also rationalizes her behavior as "he's old and its too hard to change him now". I don't get it. My sister is a smart person.
 

zane's pal

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Originally Posted by Sweet72947

I think most of the time fat animals ARE from overfeeding. I see a lot of fat animals all the time who do not have any conditions. There was even a show on Animal Planet about fat dogs. There was a rottweiler on there who was hugely obese from overfeeding and when people tried to tell the owner her dog was fat, she got all offended.
What got me was that they said that the owner was a retired nurse. A nurse of all people should know better!
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

What got me was that they said that the owner was a retired nurse. A nurse of all people should know better!
lol... should and do are very different .. the most obese lady I have ever known ( no medical issues) was a DIETICIAN!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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EnzoLeya

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Originally Posted by sharky

lol... should and do are very different .. the most obese lady I have ever known ( no medical issues) was a DIETICIAN!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness! I hope you are kidding!
 

callista

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I think that's a good thing, actually. I mean, think about it--there are so many fat people out there who are scared to go to doctors because the doctors will just lecture them about losing weight; so they don't get the information they need to be healthy, whether they are fat or not. Many die because they won't go to doctors.

It's possible to be fat and healthy at the same time--and easier than slimming down. Sometimes losing weight isn't even smart if you don't better your health first; it puts a lot of strain on your body because it is essentially starvation. Your overweight dietician is probably in a better position to advise similarly overweight clients--she can teach them how to eat properly, and to be healthy even if it is very hard for them to lose weight. Remember that only 10% of diets are successful in weight loss; and only 1%, successful for 5 years or more. That means that focusing on healthy diets and increasing the activity level is a more sensible option for most obese people than trying to lose weight.
 

pami

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I have a fat dog. I acquired him fat. It took A LOT for me to get Jim on the program of helping me get him lean. He would also get offended if anyone said anything about his weight. I finally had to show him things in writing to convince him how unhealthy it was. We are now on our way to a healthy weight. I cant wait to see him skinny and healthy one day
 

callista

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Skinny AND healthy, remember
going too fast with weight loss is dangerous--though you sound like you're doing just fine!

I'm keeping my two cats on carefully regulated amounts of food--I don't want them to get fat, since it's literal torture to be on a diet. I should know; I tried a thousand diets before I just decided to focus on health. Ever since then, my blood pressure went down to normal, my resting heart rate is in the low 60s (which means I'm in good shape), and I can do anything a skinny person can at my physically active job... a 200 lb woman can be quite healthy and I'm living proof.
This would be a good suggestion for the fat cats who just can't seem to lose weight, too--if you can get them to play and you can feed them a good diet, then they're likely to be healthy despite the extra weight.
 
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