Healthy Weight?

[Guest janlove]

Just curious as to what is a healthy weight for my 4 (soon to be 5 in April) year old boy?

 

When we first adopted him (end of this Jan.) he was 83lbs.- when I brought him to my vet a week later, he was 75.2 lbs. I understand the weight loss is probably secondary to not being at the track, and loss of muscle tone.

 

Now he weighs 74.6 lbs- and I'm wondering if I should be concerned? I can see 4-5 of his ribs. His eating patterns are strange- sometimes he eats a lot, sometimes he barely picks at his food.

 

Thanks for your input!

[RobinM]

How do YOU think he looks? I like to see the last 2-3 ribs. Not sticking out, just visable. My Teddy's racing weight was 72 and he is now 83. he is still quite thin. Beau's racing weight was 63 and he is 64 pounds and looks filled out.

 

You can't set a definitive number of pounds for them to gain or lose. They usually need a few pounds after track but it really depends on your dog. How about some pictures?

Edited February 29, 2008 by RobinM

[MerlinsMum]

It can take time for greys to settle into their new homes and their weight will eventually adjust. When we adopted Merlin he was, at 68lbs, too skinny for his body size and frame, and although he put a couple of pounds on here and there, it wasn't until 7 months later that he finally started gaining some real weight. At 78lbs, he looked much better.

 

Be patient... you'll know when he looks like he's put on enough weight. If anything, it's knowing how to maintain the right weight that's difficult. Now that Merlin's muscle volume has diminished somewhat, I am worried about his weight again - this time, about him getting fat!

[turbotaina]

Just curious as to what is a healthy weight for my 4 (soon to be 5 in April) year old boy?

 

When we first adopted him (end of this Jan.) he was 83lbs.- when I brought him to my vet a week later, he was 75.2 lbs. I understand the weight loss is probably secondary to not being at the track, and loss of muscle tone.

 

Now he weighs 74.6 lbs- and I'm wondering if I should be concerned? I can see 4-5 of his ribs. His eating patterns are strange- sometimes he eats a lot, sometimes he barely picks at his food.

 

Thanks for your input!

 

A ten pound loss in 2 months is a bit alarming, but not all scales are created equal. My dog regularly weighed 5 pounds more at my old vet's office.

 

At any rate, do you know what his racing weight was? (Or, if you give me his racing name, I can probably figure it out). You want to stay close to that number (unless for some reason your dog was raced super skinny or was so young when he came off the track, he may not have been completely filled out yet). "Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound" recommends that you stay within 2 to 4 kilos (4 -8 pounds). Keep in mind that greyhounds come in different shapes - mine is very ribby - he can be twelve pounds over race weight (and yes, I'm ashamed to say, he did pork up that much) and look good. He's now at about 4 pounds over race weight and I think he looks great, but others may think he's skinny - just his build. What our group usually goes by is the tip of the hip bones. That's a good read - they should be visible without standing up like big inverted Vs. Some greyhounds have less prominant hipbones, but again, you should have the tips visible, even if the dog is built like a tank You should be able to see a good tuck and the dog should have a waist. Hope that helps.