Sense check: dogs weight

[Devilshands]

I think he's about perfect (maybe could do with losing a couple of lbs tbh). I can feel all his ribs, but there is a small layer of fat. However, several people have commented in recent days that he's 'a bit thin' - and when I say commented, someone today went out of their way to stop me as I was walking him to tell me he's too thin!

I always think peoples perception of dogs are wrong - everyone says their dogs are healthy when, to me, they're fat. So, before I continued to defend his weight (he's starting to get self conscious) set me straight - does he need to put on a few lbs?

If he has a waist from above, a tuck from the side and you can feel easily (but not see) ribs, then dog is spot on.

He looks perfect to me, but as the owner of a Lab cross (looks mostly like a black Lab and with a 100% Labrador appetite), people are always surprised how old she is and the only reason we can think is that she’s not fat like other black labs round here.

Have you weighed him/asked the vet to?

He looks fine to me,
The amount of overweight dogs I see when walking my cocker is unreal - especially labs.
However - it wouldn't hurt to get him weighed.

He's just over 43KG but 73cm at the withers. He's a Golden so he should be 35KG(ish) and about 60cm at the withers - so weight charts etc are difficult.

Last time he saw a vet (about 3 months ago) the vet said he needed to put on weight because he was a bit thin - hence my worry that I hadn't overdone it in my quest to fatten him up 😁

Edit: typo and edit because apparently I cannot type today!

Your dog looks fine if he's eating OK then he's probably at his ideal weight have you had him weighed?

I have a young adult spaniel he's quite slim and I did worry a little bit but his weight is fine.

He looks lovely.

He looks fine to me.

Randomers are constantly stopping me to comment on how skinny my staffie is. She gets weighed monthly at the vet when she gets her librela injection (dodgy hips) and she's the perfect size. There are a lot of fat dogs around and I think people just aren't used to seeing a slimmer one.

Looks good to me! So nice to see a retriever that isn't massively overweight! I think people are just used to seeing overweight labs and retrievers so don't realize what they should look like - i find it depressing as it must be so bad for their health, and joints in particular.

It's hard to tell from those photos, have you got one top down when he's standing? And a side on where he's stood more normally. Tbh, based on what the vet has said previously and the fact that he's a fluffy dog he could be very slightly underweight or he could be fine and I don't think you'll be able to tell one way or another from a photo.

Thanks!

I think this is the issue - fat dogs are the norm and so a 'thinner' or 'healthy' dog is seen as being unhealthy. I did think he was about right, but it's always useful to get the sense check - if only to stop me fattening him up until he resembles a whale.

He looks great for a golden!

If the vet said he looked a little underweight three months ago, could you just pop back there and see what the vet thinks now? It is hard to tell from photos, as GRs have quite a heavy fur covering. I thought that possibly in the second photo he looked a tiny bit underweight or under-muscled in the hip area, but that could just be the way he is standing.
His waist certainly looks lean, but not clearly too lean. In the photo from above I can't see any hint that he is underweight.

I have slim beagles (yes, really) and am constantly asked why they’re so thin. With varying degrees of concern or criticism. One asked me “is she a rescue?” and, when I said no, told me she was reporting me to the RSPCA. People have become normalised to dogs being fat.

he looks fine to me, but check with your vets if you’re worried.

It’s really hard to tell in photos, I don’t mean specifically yours just it always is.

randomers will always tell you your dog is too thin if it’s a lab, GR or Rottie - because most of them are fat and that’s what people think they’re supposed to be like.

go by what the vet says.

There are so many overweight dogs that people don't realise what a healthy weighted dog actually looks like.

@Unmute My staffy has just started on Librela, how do you find it? Has it made a significant improvement to yours?

@Cluckycluck Librela has been amazing for us. My girl couldn't climb the stairs or jump onto the couch, she wasn't enjoying walks and was very slow. She's now back to happily walking for hours every day, and springing about like a puppy. The change was pretty much instant and has continued for about a year so far.

He looks fine to me too.

Other things to consider are his age and whether he is intact or not. Young dogs can take a long time to fill out (one of mine took over three years) and intact dogs tend to run thinner than neutered ones.

As PP have said, overweight dogs are so normalised that people think that a close-coated showing ribs as she runs is 'far too thin'.

He looks fine to me, but check with the vets if you’re actually worried yourself. I’ve had similar comments from people from my just turned 1 cocker, because you can see his ribs; vets told us weight is normal but on the low side of normal. We’ve upped his food intake but it doesn’t make any difference, he doesn’t stop moving long enough to not burn it all off!

He looks great to me. As has been said, people (including vets) are used to seeing fat dogs so a dog at a healthy weight looks thin.

He looks in great shape! As PP have said, people are used to seeing fat dogs, ignore them.

Thanks all! I have told him this morning that he is not underweight and therefore second breakfast will not be served.

He’s now changed focus to a mid morning snack and is staring lovingly at the treat cupboard - I expect him to remain in this position for some time.

Mine is a young and intact dog i liken him to a skinny teenage boy with hollow legs 😀

He looks the same as my golden. If anything I think mine need to lose a couple pounds. She wasn’t impressed she got put on a diet.

I swear these dogs are part hobbit.

Ah, yes, I have one of those.
She convinced me the other day that I needed to follow her. And I did, and she raced ahead to stare at the cupboard where the pigs' ears are kept.

Keeping her lean involves hardening my heart on a daily basis, but I was so impressed by her capacity to plan that she got that pig's ear...

Have I got this right a vet who has spent years training has seen your dog in the flesh and has handled it told you your dog was thin.
But based on what people think who have never laid a hand on your dog and have only seen two photos of it you are going to ignore your vet.
Did you ask your vet for a body score. Maybe your vets are not the best but most vets see plenty of working dogs and know the difference between fit and lean and thin.
There is an old saying “if six people tell you you’re Ill lie down” how many people have told you your dog is thin.
get a second vets opinion.