Fat Or Not Fat?

[Guest Energy11]

She looks GREYT to me! All of mine look like her, except Goldie. She is a little thinner. Mine are all on lo-fat, high-quality food. I add pumpkin, yogurt, collard greens or green beans to their food as well. All get (2) cups a day total, and lo-fat treats. I walk them daily, and their weight is maintained. The might be a LITTLE big, but I cannot cut the food anymore.

 

I think Miss Italy looks FANTASTIC! Not to worry!

 

well you live in florida you have the option of being outdoors almost daily (lucky you) but here in the north we have lots of snow and no clean sidewalks where I live and even the streets are icy and snow filled MOST of the winter..so only place my dogs get exercise is in my fenced back yard...one loves it the other doesnt like the cold!! looking forward to spring..so i can walk them and get them to the park for proper walks...dont have the luxery here for a swim though

 

Greyts and other dogs get LESS exercise in Florida, Trust me! Once April hits, walking is at night only, and it is still ridiculously HOTT! I was there 16 years, and from about April till the end of October, the temps do not allow for much walking, ... even at night.

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

Thanks, everyone. Don't know if this helps or not, but here are some add'l points and/or questions...

 

1. She's 5 and will be 6 in August. Don't know if that helps or not.

 

2. I live in a condo in Chicago, so especially during the winter months, it's hard to get her out to run. She gets plenty of walks and I have a large back deck that when it's snowy she likes to do her zoomies for a bit. I do take her to our indoor playgroup once a month when they have it to socialize and get some exercise with other dogs, but it's not anywhere she can really run. When it's nice out, I like to take her up to the kennel in Wisconsin so she can run with the other dogs and get some really good exercise in.

 

3. She gets C.E.T. chews now. Do those have fat, calories, etc. that I need to worry about? There is nothing on the bag but they're supposed to be very good for her teeth so she gets at least one per day, sometimes two.

 

She just seems so hungry now. It's only 1 cup difference in food she gets a day and no more Carvers, so don't want to have her be hungry all day. She even licks her food bowl for a little while after it's all gone to get every last bit of food or pumpkin.

 

Any other tips to keep her in good shape during the winter?

[Jiffer]

She has the same body type as Echo. By most folks' standards, Echo has always been fat. Until recently I have never seen a rib, hip bone or vertebrae on her body. She's always had a moderate tuck, though. Yet, she has never been more than 5 lbs over her racing weight. She's almost 12 and is still in the 65lb range (she raced at 62lbs).

 

Go with what you feel is right. Can you feel her ribs? Sometimes it's hard to tell on brindles, particularly on photos, if they are heavier or if ribs are showing since the stripes are deceiving.

Does she have trouble getting up/down? Does it seem like a strain to lift her body? At 5 or 6, up and down should be quick and fluid motions. What is her racing weight? Is she within the normal (5 - 10lb) range of it?

I also concern myself less with food/treats and more about a balance between food/treats and exercise.

 

For comparison for you:

Echo from a few years ago (no bones poking anywhere there!):

Echo from last summer:

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

She has the same body type as Echo. By most folks' standards, Echo has always been fat. Until recently I have never seen a rib, hip bone or vertebrae on her body. She's always had a moderate tuck, though. Yet, she has never been more than 5 lbs over her racing weight. She's almost 12 and is still in the 65lb range (she raced at 62lbs).

 

Go with what you feel is right. Can you feel her ribs? Sometimes it's hard to tell on brindles, particularly on photos, if they are heavier or if ribs are showing since the stripes are deceiving.

Does she have trouble getting up/down? Does it seem like a strain to lift her body? At 5 or 6, up and down should be quick and fluid motions. What is her racing weight? Is she within the normal (5 - 10lb) range of it?

I also concern myself less with food/treats and more about a balance between food/treats and exercise.

 

For comparison for you:

Echo from a few years ago (no bones poking anywhere there!):

Echo from last summer:

 

 

Thank you. She doesn't have any trouble getting up or down. If she's been sleeping and gets up, it's not like she's really in any hurry to get up and kind of does it lazily. But if I ask her if she wants a treat or wants to go outside she pops up in warp speed and is sitting by the door or the cabinet before I can even get there.

 

The site says she raced at 60 lbs but I was told she raced at 65 lbs when I got her. She's currently at 64.4 and has not got any heavier since I've had her.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Yes, the only way my dogs get exercise from April until November is swimming and free running on the beach (they stay cool by going back into the water constantly, as do I, I have NO heat tolerance) or from late night walks. I make it happen.

[Guest Energy11]

Yes, the only way my dogs get exercise from April until November is swimming and free running on the beach (they stay cool by going back into the water constantly, as do I, I have NO heat tolerance) or from late night walks. I make it happen.

 

 

I know what you mean! I have NO heat tolerance, and that is why I HAD to get out of Florida. When I lived on the beach, I did the same thing, exercised in the water, but the last six LONG years were in Central Florida, aka Hell.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, I would die!!!!

[Guest Energy11]

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, I would die!!!!

 

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww is right, and I ALMOST DIED! I was a paramedic on the ambulance for a few of those years! God, it was nice to work in an air conditioned, COLD ER! Then, I worked at the vets, and when I became his kennel manager, I'd have to go in ULTRA early, so the dogs boarding, and I, wouldn't die! Florida is a wonderful place to visit, but to, me, living there was horrible!

 

RE: Italy, I don't ever run my dogs. Too many chances for injuries, especially with them getting up in age. If you can walk Italy at least once a day for a decent walk, that should be fine. She is not heavy to me. Good Luck!

[Guest twhitehouse]

It's hard to tell my looking. Sometimes you have to feel, especially on a brindle. Can you feel your ribs when you rub her side? Can you feel her hip bones if you rub her back?

 

My two girls, have a very different build. Lexi has always looked skinny and small. You can see her ribs and even spine. She also has a very obvious "tuck."

 

Tess on the other hand has a little more stockier build. She's not fat, she's just built a little different. You can still see her last 2 ribs. You can't see her hips and her tuck is a little less obvious then Lexi. Comparing the two, you would think Tess is heavier than Lexi, but she's not and both are healthy and at a good weight.

Edited February 24, 2010 by twhitehouse

[Batmom]

I might keep an eye out that she doesn't gain, but I think she looks fine. And healthy and beautiful .

[ahicks51]

Here in Phoenix the heat is miserable for 3-4 months out of the year; we just walk late at night. Walking in the morning would probably be better from a heat standpoint, but we're too lazy.

[kudzu]

As has been said, it is hard to tell from the photo especially with a brindle. Your girl looks similar to my brindle. My girl could stand to loose a couple pounds fat & replace it with muscle. It isn't that mine is overweight but she is out of shape after several toe injuries & then winter. So I guess I am saying, yeah maybe your girl could loose a little. However, she still looks good but maybe not perfect for a Greyhound, even a pet. Make sense?

 

I will add that when my girl was really fit, pet fit not racer fit, she was 4 lbs under her racing weight. Now she is 2 lbs over her racing weight. You really can't go by the racing weight to tell you what the pet weight should be. Going by my two dogs, if I had them at 5 lbs over their racing weight they would be fat. Just plain ol' fat.

[tbhounds]

She looks fine to me. I agree with Mary Pat--if your hound was ever hospitalized I think you would agree how fast they can drop weight. Nothing wrong with having a couple extra (and I mean a couple)pounds on them. They are retired and their muscle/fat ratio will be different. Yes, maybe a few of us will be more active then others but, honestly how many of our hounds are on the couch right now?? Having had a criticially ill dog recently I am so grateful he had an extra 5 lbs on him, he became "skin and bones" fast enough.