Why do people overfeed their dogs? Ever seen dogs this fat?

I was horrified.

I thought animals basically regulated their own weight. I know my cats only eat when they're hungry, no matter how much food is available. They've been known to get slightly chubby (ex: an adult male cat weighing in at 15 pounds), but no where near that fat. Good lord.

and we were draconian about it for a year and he never lost a pound. the vet decided it was genetic so we went back to feeding him normally. he's happier and so are we. he stablized at a certain weight and hasn't gained anymore for years now

but he's not OBESE like those dogs which makes me wonder what their owners look like?

The vet put him on a special diet but he still gets scraps as well- they really think they're spoiling him rather than killing him. Additionally he only gets walked when thier granddaughter is over, because they aren't capable of walking him due to thier own health issues. He growls a lot and is much meaner than he used to be, I think he's in pain. It's really really sad.

not spending enough time or attention on them. I suspect it's us single folks who are the worst offenders.

I have a Rottweiler that I adopted back in 2000. She was a sleek 75 pounds. But because of the overabundance of treats I give her, she is now 102. She was 107, but I have had her on a diet.

She is of the German strain and they are smaller. But she is now over the 100-pound weight, so maybe she is at the size that she should be.

they think dogs are children (you wouldn't deny food to a hubgry child, would you?)

Must be a new breed. ;-)

I thought it was a cat as well. Yikes!

I currently have 5 cats. My Jessica is the only one to ever be "overweight" that I can say. They all have free choice on dry food all day long, and while the largest is about 22 lbs., he is part (or full) Maine Coon, and is big in general. He gets nothing special, and the others (escept Jessica) are all healthy and just....big. Jean-Luc, the other older male is solid. But there isn't an ounce of fat on him. He looks like a mountain lion in shape and color, and weighs in at 16 lbs.

The new baby boy, Oliver, is fairly thin. He eats well, but is only about 3 years old, so he has some catching up to do with the others. He's got a lot more energy than the others (the youngest of the others is 11) and is mostly long and lanky. He probably weighs in at about 10 lbs.

Delenn is solid as well. She is Garibaldi's sister, but she hasn't got the long hair. She probably weighs in pretty close to 10 lbs herself.

Whether cats in general just have a higher metabolism or what, you don't see that many cats who bear that kind of weight. For the most part, they only eat when they are hungry--except for Jessica, that's true. She's diabetic, and is always "famished." She can sit there and wolf down a (small) can of catfood in two minutes flat, and be looking for more. It's almost as though the center of her brain that deals with hunger is gone. She isn't putting any weigh on, though--she went from 14 to 7 lbs. from the diabetes.

I feel bad for any dog who has that kind of weight--they will undoubtedly get arthritis and be in pain from that soon.

a FAT CAT.

this is a fat chihuahua

Hind paws don't look like cat paws, either. It is a very fat little dog.

Looks like a Pom. Max, when's the last time you had an eye exam? :)

he's 11.4 lbs., up from 10.2, and is now known as 'fatass'. he HAD unregulated access to dry food, and for 6 years it worked fine. no more.

all you need to do is feed them only what it says on the back of the bag, and exercise them.

are the very kinds that develop SERIOUS back problems as a result. Short legs, long torso, and very overweight are a bad health cocktail for them.

Granted, some have genetic problems, etc, but the majority are just overfed and underexercised.

I am almost crying here. As a mother of 3 doxies, this is so disheartening. I saw a dog in Orlando on vacation that couldn't breathe because he was so heavy. We feed our doxies 2 times a day. That is it! They cannot be allowed to eat all day long.

This is really sad.

I thought they were dry slugs....

I feed him one good-sized meal a day and treats. I kick him out the front door morning and evening to play. (I live on a ranch.)

I free feed my two dogs and they eat only what they need.