Correct weight?

[gazeintothesky]

Our dog has been on a diet for about 7/8 weeks now due to getting arthritis and being overweight.
The only trouble is that we don’t seem to know what weight he “should” be.
He’s a crossbreed, possibly collie, pointer, lab, staffy type dog!
He’s lost 3kg in 7 ish weeks (was 30kg) and I think he looks skinny. The vet said aim for 25kg and there should be a visible dip when you look down at his waist. He’s got a visible dip now at 27kg but I’m not sure if he just looks skinny to me as he’s been chunky before.
So should I aim for 25kg or should I aim for a skinny waist?!

[gazeintothesky]

Photo attached!

[BiteyShark]

There are various charts to show visually how a dog should look from the side and from above. Also you should not be able to see the ribs but you should be able to feel them.

Saying all that I think it is better to be slightly under than over especially with any joint problems.

I tend to use the visual clues for my dog whilst making a note of his weight. So I know he is visually skinny at 12kg and I can see his ribs but at 14kg I no longer see them but I can still feel them so I wouldn't want him to be heavier. Now I know his correct weight visually I just go by the scales.

[BiteyShark]

I am no vet but personally I don't think he looks skinny. I think he looks ok but probably could afford to be a bit leaner especially if it helps his arthritis.

Does your vet run any obesity clinics as they could help assess what is right for him.

[BrownOwlknowsbest]

I've always reckoned if you can feel a dog's ribs through a thin covering of flesh and hair, then the weight is about right.

[gazeintothesky]

I can feel his ribs easily with a light touch. Can’t see them though.
So I’m thinking maybe he’s an ideal weight now.
Perhaps I’ll make another vet app. But they’ll charge me £40 for the consultation annoyingly!

[BiteyShark]

Ask if they run any nurse clinics which tend to be a bit cheaper? Also do check if there are any obesity clinics as I know ours has one and it's free.

[gazeintothesky]

I’ve done a comparison and I think he looks normal weight now so a bit worried about them asking him to lose 2 more kg.
I’ll check if there’s a weight clinic. Thanks all.

[BiteyShark]

Yes I agree with him looking a normal weight. The only thing that makes me wonder if they would like him on the low end is the arthritis?

[gazeintothesky]

Maybe so re the weight and arthritis. Although at this weight he can now jump onto sofas and beds which he hadn’t done for months previously!
Will find a weight clinic and check!

[tabulahrasa]

With joint problems you want them as lean as possible while still being healthy... I go for you can see the first rib when standing.

[CMOTDibbler]

I think if he has pointer, he could def loose a bit more. My sighthounds have a visible rib when the correct weight and you can easily feel the top of their pelvis

[Whitney168]

What weight any breed should be is immaterial - a dog is at the correct weight if you can see some sort of waist definition (but varies by breed) and feel their ribs without digging, but they are not too prominent.

If the vet says he still needs more off, I would imagine he does.

(What size is he? 27kg is quite a heavy dog! My boys are about 22 inches at the shoulder and 26-27kg.)

[gazeintothesky]

He’s about 20 inches to his shoulder. He’s definitely got staffy in him as he’s got a very muscly chest and wide head.

[gazeintothesky]

Not home and don’t have any photos of him sat up on my phone... but this one here from google is pretty much his exact height, amount of muscle.
Male border collies are up to 30kg apparently and he’s the size of a collie, but with muscle.
He’s smaller than a lab though if that helps!

[Miloarmadillo2]

I'm a vet. I would go back and ask for vet nurse to weigh and body condition score him, most clinics offer this for free. His waist definition looks fine on the photo, but you also need to judge how much fat he has overlying his ribs and whether he has an abdominal tuck ( whether his abdomen tucks up behind his breastbone). The target weight given at the start will be a bit of a guesstimate - go back and get an assessment of how you are doing and whether it needs revising. I'm sure they will be thrilled with 3 kg off - well done!

[gazeintothesky]

@Miloarmadillo2 great thank you!
Will go back and check with them! He’s an odd shape being a cross breed so I find it hard to tell!

[Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten]

I would want my dog to be lighter than the photo. It is great that he is beginning to get definition but you can see that he is still carrying too much weight around his rib cage. A couple more kg and he will look and feel fantastic -well done on getting his weight down he will be so grateful and it will help his joints feel so much better .

There are better diagrams than the one you are using -the top three all look the same from above

[Whitney168]

Male Border Collies are definitely not up to 30kg - or not any healthy ones, anyway!

[Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten]

Good point Whitney My very large male border collie is 20kg -I think he may be half donkey

My "normal" male border collie is 16.5 kg

My biggest lab is 25kg

[gazeintothesky]

I was going from the pedigree website for weights of dogs!
Maybe not the most reliable.
He’s always looked bigger around his front end. Think it’s partly the wide staffy chest and he’s quite muscly.
Hard to know what he should weigh being a mix of a few things.
Will see how he looks in a couple of weeks.