A Weight Question

[KickReturn]

A recent trip to the vet meant Hester was on the scale for the first time since June. To my surprise he is now up 5 lbs to 95 lbs! He did much more hard running this summer/fall than last so perhaps the gain is muscle. Perhaps I have just lost perspect as to me he looks just great.

 

Of course my concern is not about how he looks but what is best for him in the long run. His racing weight was 83 lbs (which to my uneducated eye seems a bit light for a dog of his dimensions). For those in the know about weight, my question is whether 90 lbs or even lighter is a better number. He is such a big, tall dog I really don't want to burden his joints or feet any more than necessary. He is also extremely active - we cover a lot of miles every day and this heightens my concerns. Hester is 8 years old.

 

The photos below are his most recent side shots.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2013 by KickReturn

[Guest grey_dreams]

The recommendations that I have heard are that the last three ribs should be visible (visible, not sticking out), and there should be a good tuck, and some people also gauge the hipbones. That said, it's a bit difficult to tell from your photos, but it seems to me that Hester could afford to loose a couple/few pounds. If he is now 12 pounds over racing weight, it seems like he might have gained a bit too much (they always gain some after racing).

 

Zariel's weight sneaked up on me last year, so I know what it's like. He looked ok to me because I was used to seeing him everyday, but the vet used fresh eyes to coach me that he was starting to gain too much weight. I cut his food back just a very little bit everyday, and after about half a year, his weight was good again. No need to do drastic reductions, just a little bit plus or minus over a few months can make all the difference with weight gain and weight loss.

Edited December 7, 2013 by grey_dreams

[Remolacha]

He does look a little heavy to me, maybe 5 lbs or so. Fletcher was a big tall boy who weighed 90 lbs, you could clearly see his last three ribs. He obviously gets plenty of exercise, maybe cut back on the treats a bit?

[DesiRayMom]

Hester weighs 95 lb and you huffed him up the side of that steep-a$$ cliff?

 

Holy criminy, man, maybe we should see some pics of your own ripped self

[Acadianarose]

Hester weighs 95 lb and you huffed him up the side of that steep-a$$ cliff?

 

Holy criminy, man, maybe we should see some pics of your own ripped self

. Cracked me up!

[KickReturn]

Hester weighs 95 lb and you huffed him up the side of that steep-a$$ cliff?

 

Holy criminy, man, maybe we should see some pics of your own ripped self

 

Ha Ha - careful what you wish for - I promise it's not that pretty. Hester is officially on a diet (maybe his dad too).

 

The toughest thing I ever had to do with a dog was carry a 65 lb girly Grey, who cut her leg on a barnacle, about half a mile along a beach and up a massive rickety stairway - that did me in pretty good. (There is still one blood stain in the back of my vehicle that I leave as a reminder - love her so much - methinks I may be a bit mad)

Edited December 8, 2013 by KickReturn

[Acadianarose]

 

Ha Ha - careful what you wish for - I promise it's not that pretty. Hester is officially on a diet (maybe his dad too).

 

The toughest thing I ever had to do with a dog was carry a 65 lb girly Grey, who cut her leg on a barnacle, about half a mile along a beach and up a massive rickety stairway - that did me in pretty good. (There is still one blood stain in the back of my vehicle that I leave as a reminder - love her so much - methinks I may be a bit mad)

Who needs Jullian Michaels? Edited December 8, 2013 by Acadianarose

[Batmom]

Hard to tell when he's not standing straight up. He certainly isn't obese. Probably wouldn't hurt him to stay where he is now, and it wouldn't hurt him to lose 2-4 lbs.

[JJNg]

Hard to say without seeing him in person and putting my hands on him, but based on the photos, I'd probably agree with Batmom. Body condition is really a better indicator of whether a dog is at a healthy weight than focusing on the number. It also depends on how he actually looked at his racing weight of 83 lbs, and whether that was an old racing weight from when he was first starting at 16-18 months old, or if it was a weight from when he was a little older.

 

Racing weights can vary greatly, so basing 'pet weight' on that isn't always reliable. Some dogs are raced light, or their listed race weight is from when they were younger and hadn't fully filled out yet. So I've seen some greyhounds that look good at 10-15 lbs over race weight. On the other hand, some dogs (especially males) are very muscular at their race weight, and after they lose muscle mass from being neutered and less active, they may actually need to be lighter than race weight to be healthy. My boy Wiki is an example of this.

 

Here's when he first came to the group, 10 days after his last race, with a race weight of 71 lbs.

 

And a photo from this spring, at his current weight of about 64-65 lbs,

 

Hester weighs 95 lb and you huffed him up the side of that steep-a$$ cliff?

 

Holy criminy, man, maybe we should see some pics of your own ripped self

 

:rofl

[KickReturn]

Thanks JJNg, that was the guidence I was looking for.

 

My sense is that Hester was raced very light at 83 lbs. I have seen a photo of him shortly after his retirement and he had no more muscle mass than he does now. The only part of him that feels a bit "thick" to the touch is his neck area. Everything else just seems like skin on top of muscle. He definitely could not be under or at his racing weight. But my guess is that lighter then his current weight, maybe even close to racing weight might be healthier for the legs. He is raw fed FWIW. I have to get some better photos.

 

and your dog is stunning. No offense to that later photo but that first one - the body on him - perfection.

[krissn333]

I'd say maybe go down a few pounds, but, he's looking okay.

 

Mom's boy Sunny needs to lose about 5 lbs...he's just a TAD chunky (that tends to happen when you sneakily eat your sister's breakfast and dinner when Mom isn't looking).

[cometdust1]

What's that saying? Oh yea,"the camera adds 10lbs" Maybe lose just a couple of lbs.He is a handsome boy.

[GeorgeofNE]

Looks a wee heavy to me. I wish adoption groups would stop recommending dogs be allowed to gain weight when they retire. Some dogs race thing, some race heavy, and some race exactly right!

 

My dog weighs less than he did racing. I attribute that to muscle loss.

 

Your dog certainly isn't FAT, but if he were mine, I'd want him a little thinner.

[Feisty49]

I've always been told the last 2 ribs should be easily seen and the hip bones should be obvious, though not sticking out. Honestly, what a Grey should look like depends on who's doing the talking, but we can all agree that if no ribs can be seen and the tuck isn't there, the dog is too heavy. I can't tell from the pics of your handsome boy if any ribs are showing, but I get the feeling that if he were my boy, I'd want to see him weigh a few pounds less.

 

It's interesting that when I got Annie 2-1/2 years ago, she weighed 69 pounds and the vet said she looked great. Annie tends to put on weight easily -- probably because she never runs though I have a fenced yard -- plus I thought at 69 pounds she didn't look good so I got her down to 66.5 pounds and at the most recent vet visit last week, she was 64.2 pounds. Know what the vet said? "She looks great." My vet is in a GH savvy practice. She owns a couple of GHs herself, so it's not like she's looking through uneducated glasses.

[krissy]

I like my dogs leeeean. 3 ribs showing and hips easily felt/slightly visible (depending on the hound and its body type).

 

Summit has 3-4 ribs showing, the rest visible if he stretches otherwise just easily felt when petting. Hip bones don't show on him but are right there when you put your hands on him. Summit's condition has not changed in the 3 years I have had him, however he is a couple kg heavier on the scale. I don't really listen to the scale. It's a number. The look and feel is going to say a lot more than the number.

 

Kili is a little bit leaner, but she's still a bit of a baby and hasn't totally filled out. I've probably got 5 ribs easily visible on her. Hip bones slightly visible. Little leaner than even I tend to like but she's healthy and happy and just a young'n.

[Guest kkaiser104]

I agree with everyone else--maybe just a little leaner but certainly not obese. I keep my boys on the leaner side too, and Teddi is currently 10 pounds over racing weight. He retired before he was 2 and he certainly wasn't filled out when he retired. I go mostly by the tuck and hip bones--the tuck should be tight and I should, at the very least, feel some hip bones. He and his brother (littermates) technically raced at the same weight (71 pounds) but Winchester would look like a cow at 80 pounds. He's a head and probably 4 inches shorter then his brother.