Over Weight GSD? - Page 1

Just brought our 15 Month old GSD to the vet for his yearly exam, and we weighed in at 82lbs. Our vet said that he is over weight and recommends him to lose 5-10lbs. I have never thought of him as overweight. He comes from a big father, his father weighed close to 100lbs and his mother weighed close to 75lbs. He gets fed 2 cups twice a day of dry kibble and gets about 4-5oz of raw at night with his kibble. He is on German Shepherd Royal Canine dry kibble. He does not get dog treats, of any kind. He gets carrots and apples (small slices w/o skin or seeds) as his treats occasionally. We go for a walk everyday when I get home, we walk around the fence line of our 22 acre land and then we usually walk down the road to go visit my grandparents. We usually play fetch for a good 20 - 30 minuets, we have a pound that he swims in every now and then, We also have new puppy that he plays with alllllll day long. Is there anything else that I could do to help him lose weight? do yall think that he is overweight? Am I feeding him too much? Should I cut down on raw or cut it out completely. I just want to make sure he is healthy. I am always open to new ideas or suggestions. I am 5'2 and the tops of his head reaches my hips. I know thats not very helpful but a i am not home at the moment to measure him.

Also forgot to mention that he was neutered 12 weeks ago, and weighed 81.6lbs when he was brought in for his surgery and the vet never mentioned anything about being overweight at that time.

You also forgot to mention his height.

I am 5'2 and the tops of his head reaches my hips. I know thats not very helpful but i am not home at the moment to measure him.

When you DO get home, you need to measure his height at the withers, not the top of his head. Get someone to hold him still, standing; place one hand on the top of his shoulders, holding one end of a tape measure. Pull the measure down to the floor in a straight line past his front legs with your other hand.

Not foolproof but I am assuming you don't have a dog measuring stick about your person, and have never done this before.

Were you not told, last time you posted, that he sounded overweight ? I'm sure I remember at least one other poster quoting the Standard at you. EDITED TO ADD: Ooops, sorry that was not you; but it has been said, recently, and often, to other new GSD owners with large / heavy dogs ... I'm assuming you read some other posts, not just your own threds ?

Judging by the photograph, he isn't VERY heavy for his size, he's obviously a big lad, but he does look too solid around the body. You should be able to easily feel his ribs under his skin, not have to press for them; preferably see a hint of rib outlines when he moves; and looking down on him from behind, he should have a definite waistline. It is unhealthy to allow a dog to be overweight. Being too fat while young all too often leads to heart problems, arthritis and diabetes later on.

Hundmutter, I will measure him as soon as I get home. He is quite a large dog. I never saw his parents, ( My husband bought him for my birthday ) I am just going by what my husband said. Which he has had GSD's his whole life and has never had one this large. I am going to cut down on his kibble and try swimming with him every day, maybe buy an old treadmill and get him walking more. I just want the absolute best for him.

I would just cut the kibble by maybe 15% and see how he does. The unfortunate thing about neutering, especially that young, is that it predisposes them to endocrine disease which can make the weight battle never-ending. They feel like they're starving all the time, but they're obese. Might just be time to stop feeding him like a puppy.

Well, neutering was never a thought in our mind until he started to wonder into our neighbors yards, and out on the street ( we live right off a highway ) so we were scared bad things would happen if he kept searching for a lady dog to get to. Our neighbors sell and breed Blue Heelers and they always have bitches in heat and it was just driving him crazy. And I didn't want to see him become road kill. We never planned on breeding him but I have never had any of our male dogs neutered so I didn't know how much it would effect his weight.

Fences work, too ;) Too late now. But I'd get his weight under control NOW because it's just going to get worse. Keep up the raw and exercise is always good. You could also try a glandular later if you see problems. Standard Process Symplex M might help ease the burden of the thyroid and other glands as they try to replace the missing sex hormones. Symplex F has proven very helpful in spay incontinence resulting from estrogen absence, so it might be worth a shot. Best of luck.

Neutering wouldn't prevent his wandering off, he didn't use his gonads to smell the bitches in heat. A good dog proof fencing will be more helpful.

You have neutered him a bit early, but I've seen too many boastfully proud owners of dogs neutered at half his age. Maybe he'll grow a bit taller, but I wouldn't lose my sleep over it.

He looks a tad overweight from the photos, but he's well within the standard, and I've seen too many boastfully proud owners of obese dogs. Following Hundmutter's advice will help you determine his condition.

But, especially because the vet thinks he's overweight, you need to find out his height (again, follow Hundmutter). A male GSD (as per standard) should be between 60-65cm in height at withers, and between 66-88lb in weight.

His height (and muscle tone) will help you determine his ideal range of weights.