Quote:
Originally Posted by steph_bella  thanx for all your help made me feel better makes me feel like i starve her when they say shes underweight and she seems prefectly fine! shes doing so great and i dont feel like im doing anything wrong! i just want to do my best for her because i love her so much! http://i51.tinypic.com/15o9sih.jpg thants the only pic i have of her full bodied but you cant see the ribs you can just feel them when i tickle her belly or feel for them  |
She looks good to me in the pic
. Honestly, I have no idea why in the world a vets office would tell you that you're not supposed to be able to feel the ribs. If you CAN'T feel them, the dog is OVERweight. It's definatly better for a pet to be on the thin side vs. the "chubby" side and if she's active and healthy, she's fine and they really need to stop pestering you about it. would it hurt her to put on say 1/2 a pound or so, no, that would be fine, but I don't think they should be making you feel like she's unhealthy. If it was me and they kept bringing it up, I'd find a new vet cause that would really get on my nerves lol. Here's a chart from a vet university's web site, I copied the 3 out of 5 for a body condtiion score which would be just right. Notice is says that ribs
should be palpable:
3 = Moderate
Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side.
http://vet.osu.edu/assets/images/hos...oderateBig.jpghttp://vet.osu.edu/assets/images/hos...oderateBig.jpg
The pics aren't great and sorry the cat is in there too
, but just to show you what is stated as "normal" from a reliable source
here's another one I found that uses the 9 point BCS scale (the one I'm more used to) that has a bit more description:
BCS 3: Underweight. Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones becoming prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck.
BCS of 4 or 5 is Ideal http://www.morgantownamc.com/sites/s...5704e4e0a1.gifBCS 4: Ideal, slim. Ribs easily palpable, with minimal fat covering. Waist easily noted, viewed from above. Abdominal tuck evident. BCS 5: Ideal. Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side. Right now, I'd give my Alice a 3.5 (and so did my current vet), thin yes, but not dangerously underweight or anything I'm concerned about. My Akita is right at a 4 and that's where she's staying to avoid joint issues.