Does your vet say your BC is too skinny?

[Miztiki]

Do any of you have a problem with your vet insisting that your dog is too skinny? Is this common?

 

I took Fynne in for her annual exam today. My vet is adamant that Fynne is too skinny and I don't like the way she said it either. Several times even. When Boy was pudgy at 65 pounds she said no, he's just right. Bull. He had a layer of fat, which is gone now, and he's back at 60 lbs where he belongs (57.7 to be precise).

 

Fynne is at a perfect weight, and so is Boy. She's got *really* bony hips, even with 5 lbs of excess fat on her, but that's just the way she is. The vet said she shouldn't be able to feel her back bone. You can only feel it if you press down, but if you just run your hand along her back then you can't feel it.

 

You can feel her ribs but you're SUPPOSED to be able to feel their ribs! I can grab a handful of skin where her ribcage is at and feel a thin layer of fat. It's supposed to be like that.

 

My vet and I don't see eye to eye on certain things and I've considered finding someone else.

 

Oh, the vet tech today asked if she could call me about raw diets, and could I keep it a secret.

 

One more thing... Fynne was very good, not hardly scared at all, and I'm real proud of her.

[Lunar]

I'd be looking for a new vet. Though I've heard a lot of people (not just here on this site) mention that their vet said their dog is at a healthy weight when it's overweight... I don't think it's too uncommon, unfortunately. I know Oreo's vet - who I really loved for many different reasons - never really brought up Oreo's weight at any point during her life, and she almost always has been overweight. I wish the vet had SAID something. They also sell some Science Diet-type crud food. (The ingredients list looked just as bad to me as supermarket brands, but it was twice as expensive!)

[Keegan's Mom]

My vet said that Tess was at a perfect weight when I thought she was too skinny...so no my vet hasn't mentioned that...although I don't agree with my vet on other things and would have switched if we were staying in Charlotte longer.

[Kyrasmom]

No, mine is great..even when I thought my dog was too thin as he was not eating..she thought he was perfect. I've got a female who only has to steal a piece of kibble and she gains 5 lbs regardless of the miles she moves every day...and my vet reads me the riot act..gently..but she does.

 

But I looked for a long time before choosing a vet who I liked and now, even though she's an hour away (we moved), I still use her. I have a back up for emergencies.

 

Maria

[smileyzookie]

My vet says Riven is just fine, but I think she's too skinny... just the opposite problem lol

[Tiga's_mom]

My vet didn't say anything about Tiga's weight until he was about 10lbs overweight. Then they kept telling me every time that we went that he was still overweight. Now he's at a good weight they finally told me last time he was weighed, now 42lbs down from 52lbs. I thought it was just cause he was a growing puppy. Now we're very aware of his weight and he's lost the extra 10lbs.

 

But I can see how you're annoyed. If you've had other problems with them as well I think I'd find a new vet if I were you.

[Deneen]

I'm actually kind of annoyed that my vet doesn't think Sydney needs to lose any weight. I asked him if either of the girls needs to lose any weight, and he said they both have tucked tummies, and they're at perfect weights. I think Sarah is; she has a pretty wide ribcage and very long fur, so she looks bigger. I think we've let Sydney gain a bit too much though. She was a very skinny rescue at 37 lbs when we adopted her. The vet did say she was too skinny then (spine, hips, and ribs stuck out - I cried when I gave her a shower). Now she's 55 lbs, and I think it's too much. I'm working on getting her weight down a bit.

 

Anyway, I guess if you continue to have concerns, voice them. I'd also look into finding a new vet if you're really uncomfortable about it.

 

~Kelly

[Dixie_Girl]

In Jan when I was SURE Jackson had some tropical wasting away disease, I took him to the vet. and he said, if Jackson was any other breed, he would say he was too skinny. But he said, his eyes are bright, his coat is good, his attitude is good, and he had excellent muscle tone. He said if I wanted I could increase his protein/fat with a different dog food. We took him in once a month for a weighing and he gained 2lbs each month. Note: Jackson was still growing then. So, I would say, find a vet more versed in BCs. My vet takes care of several BCs.

[stangs13]

Miztiki,What vet do you see?Yes I get that Tex is skinny ,he loves playing more than eating,I see paws and claws. Its time for Tex's check up and shots to.

[RaisingRiver]

The vets around here are used to the 'farm dogs' so I haven't been told my dogs are too skinny. But I have had vets say that my slightly overweight, Jaida is fine - which she clearly (to me) is still overweight (can't feel ribs unless you press really really hard).

 

Fynne sounds perfect to me! I'd seek a new vet. When it's really important, you'll want to trust them.

[Shetlander]

Originally posted by Miztiki:

Do any of you have a problem with your vet insisting that your dog is too skinny? Is this common?

I don't have a problem with it, but one of my vets said that if he didn't know how active Quinn must be (and I think he has an exagerated picture based on sterotype) he'd say he was underweight. He added that because Quinn was a BC, it was ok. But he frowned when he said it. I just said for a growing puppy, underweight was better than overweight, less stress on the joints, and he agreed.

 

I think some vets are so used to obese pets that a truly athletic dog may look too thin to them. I've mentioned wanting a dog to lose a pound or two and after an initial blank stare, they say "Oh, because you do agility. Ok, but otherwise, he's fine."

 

I think Quinn is thin, but not too thin. He's still a gangly teen at this point and will probably put on a few lbs as he matures.

[MaggieDog]

According to my vet, Maggie is in good condition. Given my knowledge of body condition scoring, I'd say she's about a 4 on a 10 scale (1 is on the verge of starvation, 10 is morbidly obese) - you can't see bones or anything, even when wet, but her hips, spine, and ribs are easily felt when you run your hands down her body.

 

Normal is considered a 5 and the safe range is 4 to 6; the more athletic activity the dog does, the better the light side is for their bodies. Performance dogs and horses are generally kept a bit light, like 4 to 4.5, to reduce stress on joints and such.

[stangs13]

Tex is exactly how you described Maggie! Cant see bones but they can be easily felt.Hes healthy and SUPER ACTIVE! So no problem there,lol.

[Tammy525]

My vet has a picture in her office that shows dogs from a top view. The middle dog has a significant indent after the ribcage, that is supposed to be the dog that is just right. The overweight one is straight across. The underweight dog has prominent shoulders and hips that you can see from the top. Did that make sense at all?

 

I would think a vet should understand that some dogs are supposed to be skinnier than others (whippets vs. labs for example)

 

You need to be comfortable with your vet. You need to trust that a vet is right if you have a disagreement. If you can't do that, the vet might be right and you are not doing what's best for your dog just because you don't trust them (as a general thing, not talking about Flynne)

 

Is Flynne happy, active, healthy, eating well? If so, I don't think what the vet thinks matters much. Been through this with breast-fed babies, the charts are for formula babies and not appropriate for breast babies. What is a good size/weight for another breed, might be way heavy for Flynne.

[Shetlander]

Originally posted by Tammy525:

Been through this with breast-fed babies, the charts are for formula babies and not appropriate for breast babies. What is a good size/weight for another breed, might be way heavy for Flynne.

Years ago, I worked with teen moms. I remember one of them being in tears as we left the well baby check up because the doctor hassled her about how small her baby was. And it was true that this baby was in the very low percentile. It was also true that this baby's parents were both petite, especially the mother. And the baby was thriving under very good care, making steady weight gains. It was so frustrating to see a girl who was doing a great job taking care of her baby feel that she was a bad mom because her happy, healthy, well bonded infant was petite

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

I was to the point of being freaked over Kirby he never weighed more than 34 lbs despite being almost 22 inches high. I finally switched vets and this one told me there are skinny people and skinny dogs. I didnt feed him the new meat based diets till the end of his years but, he still stayed thin.

[Allie Oop]

Nope. Allie IS skinny. But the vet says that is "normal" for most BCs (and some BC mixes). She also said most people feed their dogs too many table scraps and things that make them pudgy. Allie is only 29 lbs. and is 1 yr. old. She says that the sheen of the coat, health of the eyes and a very thin layer of fat on the ribs is the way a BC should look.

 

I wouldn't worry about it as long as YOU know that Fynne is getting enough nutritious food.

 

P.S. I can certainly feel all of Allie's hipbones, but she is healthy.

[Kat's Dogs]

ALL the vets I know will say that a dog that is too fat, is just right. I mean dogs that you can't even find rips, hips, or backbone no matter how hard you try. I read something (written by a vet) that said a lot of times vets will say a dog is fine just to keep the business - people don't like to be told that their dog is f-a-t.

 

I am pretty sure that my vet would say that Dazzle is a bit skinny, however, my trainer, and her breeder (who we saw this weekend) keep telling me "she is in GREAT shape, don't put another pound on her". With Dazzle you can feel rips and spine, and small (but not sharp) bumps on her rump that are her hips.

 

Some people just don't get it that feeling rips is great and even seeing them when the dog is moving is fine. And on a lot of dogs (not all breeds though), seeing the spine (on slick coated dogs) poke out at the top of the dogs back is fine too. I think that those people watch to much of the "animal cops" shows and get freaked when they feel a bit of rib on their dog.

 

Pretty sad though.

[mado]

Yes quite frankly when we went for the spaying she (the vet ) said she was skinny ...she said that it was good in terms of operation , but then during the week in between before she took off the stiches , I prepared meals like her usual kibble ameliorated with soup and tasty stuff and yogurt , and she had taken on a little bit a weight the next week ...but the vet said she would always be skinny because she's not food obsessed but exercise obsessed

[Nik]

Both of mine are right at 45 lbs each. Pache is very lanky and I think he is on the skinny side, but isn't that better for them anyway?!?!

 

My vet actually takes into consideration that *I* know my dogs better than she does. Which is very comforting to me. She doesn't specialize in BC's but she knows quite a bit about the issues that I've had to take Navi and Pache in for, and has asked me which options I'm more comfortable w/ after giving me information on the different types of treatments.

 

It's kind of like she educates me on things and gives me her opinion on which way to treat them but the final say is up to me. To me that's important in a vet.

 

If your not comfortable w/ your vet then I agree that its time to find another vet. Or maybe just sitting down and voicing your concerns w/ her may help her understand where you are coming from.

 

From the pics that you have posted, (especially looking back on some of the ones when you first got her) I would say she is very healthy. Lord knows you have come along way w/ a dog that most people wouldn't have even lasted a week w/. That says something in itself right there Michelle. If you are happy w/ your vet otherwise then try not to let those comments upset you too much and try to overlook them.

 

 

Side note: Funny how our society is obsessed w/ how obese a person is but just the opposite w/ an animal being too skinny!!!

[Zoe]

When Dylan got neutered a year ago my vet told me he was a little skinny and to increase his food by 10%. I had been worried about Dylan's weight and had asked the vet several times if he thought Dylan was ok prior to that. A lot of people said Dylan was skinny and I'd searched the boards and felt ok about it because of what I read. But I appreciated my vets advice and increased Dylan's food. He is still "skinny" and a lot of people comment on his lean look but he is very healthy - he eats a lot and gets a ton of exercise. I would get a second opinion, but it does sound like Fynne is at an ok weight from your description. From your other posts I thought you kind of had a good relationship with your vet.....

[Carson Crazies]

Do any of you have a problem with your vet insisting that your dog is too skinny? Is this common?

Not so much any more. When I first got June, she'd suggest that June still could "stand to gain a few pounds". I, of course, ignored it, and nothing else has been said about it.

 

To put this into perspective, I kept being told that Ginger was fine, not overweight... yet she was a GOOD 10 lbs overweight. I took her from 35 to just under 25.

 

*shrugs* In general people tend to think that if you can feel ribs on a dog AT ALL then they must be underweight and starving. My family talks all the time about how I starve my dogs. Then again, they have dogs that are 25-30 lbs overweight.

[Liz P]

I did get some comments from the vet office until one of the vets there got into show dogs. He finally realized that working dogs need to be skinny. It was funny though because he co owned some show Scotties and was always mad at the breeder for keeping them so fat. She would just insist they needed to be that weight to win in the breed ring (most show dogs I see are really fat).

 

I am a vet student right now. At first my classmates made comments about how thin my dogs are but they get it now. They are starting to realize just how fat the average pet dog is. They see how fit and healthy my "bony" BCs are and have made the connection that endurance athletes of ALL species need to be skinny.

[Meg's mum]

I don't think I could get Meg to eat more than she does. You can feel her spine from about mid point toward the tail, and you can feel her ribs, but not 'see' them. She is happy, shinny, bright eyed and bushy tailed. And she runs like wildfire.

 

I have found out however, that she has a passion for lightly cooked extra lean hamburger. Perhaps I should get her fries and a shake.....

[Tammy525]

Scout has some fluctuations in his weight. He is a little heavier in the winter than in the summer. You can feel all of his ribs easily and you can feel his spine if you palpate looking for it. His hips don't stick out. But he is 1/2 lab, which is a generally heftier dog. I think he looks too chubby in the winter, but vet thinks he is ok.

 

BTW, my "failure to thrive" child, he really did have weight gain problems the first three years, anyway, he is almost 6 and so far, knock on wood, my healthiest of the four. While the other four have had pneumonia, ear tubes, multiple multiple resp. infections and colds, GI bugs, etc, the FTT kid has been sick enough to stay home from something, maybe three times his whole life.

 

I am not sure what that says, but I think it means very skinny is AOK as long as you are healthy and eating a well-balanced diet, true for dogs, kids, grown-ups, and the elderly.