What upsets me

[matese]

All pet owners love their babies, big babies, small babies matters not, they are our babies. We treat them as family because they are. We spoil them because we love them. People give them table food because they just cannot resist those eyes staring at them at the dinner table, so they are fed what these people are eating. To them, they feel this is a sign of their love for their fur baby.



Back in the olden days when we were allowed to sit in the waiting room at our vets, people would come in with a pure pedigree dogs, you couldn’t tell what breed it was because the dogs were so over weight / fat due to the kindness of their owners, not realizing the damage they were causing their dogs because they were so over weight.


I bring this up because today, I was in Home Depot where dogs are allowed. I saw 5 people with their dogs, 3 small, pure breed dogs, that were in the shopping cars, all over weight, 2 medium size dogs walking on leashes, a Beagle the other a Cocker Spaniel, so over weight they had difficulty walking.

People are killing their dogs with kindness and they just do not see this.


My heart hurts so bad for these fur babies, I just had to post this hoping it would help me hurt less by getting it out of my system because, most YT member are so conscientious about the proper dog food for their babies.

[ladyjane]

Not to minimize what you said, I would rather see a fat dog in a shopping cart than what I see in the shelter emails every single day of my life. Skinny, abused animals who are thrown out like trash.

The one regret I have in my life some days is getting involved in rescue and seeing what some people do to these precious animals.

I have a 14 year old male foster pup who was surrendered a few months ago. His owner up and decided to take him to a shelter one day after having him all his life. He was a hot mess with ear mites, skin infection and rotten teeth. He is the sweetest pup on earth

[Lovetodream88]

Sometimes dogs also have health issues that can cause them to be overweight or look overweight. Like even when Callie was losing weight she still had a pot belly from Cushings. Other dogs who get hypothyroidism end up getting over weight too. Tumors in the stomach can cause an overweight appearance also. Sometimes it’s not simply being fed table scraps or to many table scraps and there is more to it. I am one of those humans who gets judged for being overweight and people wonder why I don’t just lose it but I have several health conditions that make it hard like PCOS (have had it since 12) and recently put on medication for Hypothyroidism.

[Jkpal]

I totally agree, Matese! A thousand years ago my German Shepherd and I were staying with my folks for a few months. My sister visited and said, "Dana, Tiger is getting fat!" And I did a double-take and she WAS...! My mom, who is an avid animal lover had been treating my dog to a bite of ice cream every night. Well, make that two bites (vanilla, caramel swirl) that were actually scoops of ice cream. As soon as I mentioned to Mom that Tiger's health would suffer from being overweight (hip dysplasia and the like), poor Tiger found herself in Teddie (mom) boot camp and promptly dropped 10 pounds! Our animals' weight is something we can usually control. And by doing so, improve quality of life.

I just ran into my neighbor with his mastiff and said his dog looked exceptionally good; he told me he'd lost a ten pounds and not only looked "cut" (so funny), but was acting like a puppy again!

Piper is a rock-solid, active 10 lbs. Animals need to be lean and active--just like with people, I think they do and feel much, much better.

[gemy]

I couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed here.

A dog I fostered for a time had the reverse problem. Waaayy too skinny, this was due to bad health. Poor dear had a bad eye problem. I got that fixed $2000. Or so dollars. He wasn't house trained. Ever walked on a lead. Now this was a large breed dog. Black Russian terrier
It took some time but I had him operated on, taught him basic house manners, walked him daily. When I found the right home for him, he came with his leads, a crate, a raincoat, and a couple of brushes and a comb. Also shampoos.

[Jkpal]

Originally Posted by gemy

I couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed here.

A dog I fostered for a time had the reverse problem. Waaayy too skinny, this was due to bad health. Poor dear had a bad eye problem. I got that fixed $2000. Or so dollars. He wasn't house trained. Ever walked on a lead. Now this was a large breed dog. Black Russian terrier
It took some time but I had him operated on, taught him basic house manners, walked him daily. When I found the right home for him, he came with his leads, a crate, a raincoat, and a couple of brushes and a comb. Also shampoos.

GEMY, you are so dang awesome; I mean that!! Your passion and dedication are inspiring...

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Sometimes dogs also have health issues that can cause them to be overweight or look overweight. Like even when Callie was losing weight she still had a pot belly from Cushings. Other dogs who get hypothyroidism end up getting over weight too. Tumors in the stomach can cause an overweight appearance also. Sometimes it’s not simply being fed table scraps or to many table scraps and there is more to it. I am one of those humans who gets judged for being overweight and people wonder why I don’t just lose it but I have several health conditions that make it hard like PCOS (have had it since 12) and recently put on medication for Hypothyroidism.

Good points. We never know what a person is going through, whether it be with themselves, their children or their pets. I believe that people learn to be mean and shame others. We are not born to be like that. I always wonder what is going on with another person who feels the need to be so judgmental. You might want to keep that in mind when people say things to you....it is not you...it is them.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Good points. We never know what a person is going through, whether it be with themselves, their children or their pets. I believe that people learn to be mean and shame others. We are not born to be like that. I always wonder what is going on with another person who feels the need to be so judgmental. You might want to keep that in mind when people say things to you....it is not you...it is them.

I am definitely trying to remind myself that when it happens.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I am definitely trying to remind myself that when it happens.

Good idea!

[yorkietalkjilly]

To me, overfeeding a dog until it is so fat it's unhealthy and miserable is every bit as cruel as starving it. I realize the overfed dog feels loved and pampered but his health is forever compromised and he's even unable to live a normal dog's life, usually dies way too soon. Dogs so fat they barely can drag themselves out of their bed it's so hard on their bodies are abused animals to the point of being unable to ambulate or even function normally but society rarely worries or helps them like it does those poor starving babies. I've seen many an obese toy dog with its belly almost touching the floor, struggling to walk and likely in pain from the pressure on its limb joints and wonder how it tolerates the strain on its little back and belly muscles and nerves, yet they suffer in silence without anyone trying to help them same as the starving dog.

Why people think stuffing their dogs with overtreating and table food until they are unhealthy is showing love and kindness when they can see the result right before their eyes makes me wonder about their sanity at times. My sister's overfed poor dog was so fat the last 2 weeks of his life he couldn't even lie still for long his poor heart was laboring so to pump enough oxygen to his body and he was obviously in pain, working hard just to breathe so all he knew to do was try to change positions every 5 minutes. He'd been diagnosed with heart failure, was on medications for it yet during visits here both sis and husband treated the dog almost every other bite they took! He'd force himself to reach up for the bite and then fall back to his lying position. You could hear his breathing it was so loud and this was a 25 lb. toy dog whose normal weight was under 8 lbs. I couldn't stand it and had to beg out of visits until he finally died and I was relieved to hear it for his sake.

No matter how I told them they were killing him with love, they just couldn't get it. He was their beloved baby and wanted that food. Said they felt so guilty not sharing with him! I finally decided I had to call to call their cities' Animal Control for help but he died before they could get to him. I still feel guilty for not telling on my family sooner but she was my best friend in the world, a beloved sister, and he was like my brother. It would have killed them thinking I had reported them but they killed their dog with 'kindness and let me tell you that poor baby suffered to the last.

Please don't think overfeeding your dogs is good or loving. It is abuse.

[Jkpal]

Sometimes it’s not simply being fed table scraps or to many table scraps and there is more to it. I am one of those humans who gets judged for being overweight and people wonder why I don’t just lose it but I have several health conditions that make it hard like PCOS (have had it since 12) and recently put on medication for Hypothyroidism.

Taylor, you are a beautiful gal and to tell you the truth, your weight is a total non-issue. I will not judge anyone as I don't wish to be judged (and lord knows, there's a lot about moi that can be judged!!). My weight fluctuates by rather large amounts and I do feel better when I am down in weight, but that doesn't prevent me from gaining weight! Anyway, I may not be good at keeping myself in 'check' but I CAN do right by my pets!

[gemy]

Here here! So true

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Jkpal

Sometimes it’s not simply being fed table scraps or to many table scraps and there is more to it. I am one of those humans who gets judged for being overweight and people wonder why I don’t just lose it but I have several health conditions that make it hard like PCOS (have had it since 12) and recently put on medication for Hypothyroidism.

Taylor, you are a beautiful gal and to tell you the truth, your weight is a total non-issue. I will not judge anyone as I don't wish to be judged (and lord knows, there's a lot about moi that can be judged!!). My weight fluctuates by rather large amounts and I do feel better when I am down in weight, but that doesn't prevent me from gaining weight! Anyway, I may not be good at keeping myself in 'check' but I CAN do right by my pets!

I believe Taylor mixed two things into her post. When the pups have medical issues they can also be and/or appear overweight. I have an overweight foster pup and there are multiple medical issues. My vet has never suggested weight loss as it would probably cost him his life.

To see pups in public and assume they are not loved because of size is a stretch and in my opinion. Actually, it is doing the same thing as the people who look at others and wonder why they don't lose weight. It is all judgmental.

I guess partly because I see so many TRULY unloved dogs on a daily basis, I am having a bit of a hard time grasping all of this.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I believe Taylor mixed two things into her post. When the pups have medical issues they can also be and/or appear overweight. I have an overweight foster pup and there are multiple medical issues. My vet has never suggested weight loss as it would probably cost him his life.

To see pups in public and assume they are not loved because of size is a stretch and in my opinion. Actually, it is doing the same thing as the people who look at others and wonder why they don't lose weight. It is all judgmental.

I guess partly because I see so many TRULY unloved dogs on a daily basis, I am having a bit of a hard time grasping all of this.

So often obese dogs like my sister's are "overloved" as she described their overfeeding him. The reason I didn't intervene sooner was her husband, whom I loved as a brother, was losing his battle with early-onset dementia and they were both dealing with more issues than they could sanely tolerate well during that time. I think they saw indulging their toy poodle's desire for a bite every time they took one as a small, happy thing they could do for some brief relief or something. Still, when I saw their obese baby constantly air-hungry and unable to lie still, I had to report them and pray they never knew it was me. Poor little toy poodle died before city could get out to check on him. Brother in law didn't last much longer. Sometimes obese dogs are overloved as relief from their owner's awful situations.

I once brought home a 75 lb. grown female Great Dane I rescued from the pound. She was starving to death, severely dehydrated, you could see her bone structure in all its horror almost coming through her skin - it was at her elbows, where huge bleeding ulcers had formed. Her eyes were horribly bloodshot, crusty, her nose ran, she coughed. She had a thick leather collar to which a huge truck-sized chain was permanently attached by some utter fiend and the pound just kept that on her to drag around until she got too ill and weak to walk! She came home that way! Took 2 guys to carry her and her chain to my car! A neighbor had to carry her in for me. After initial water, that small meal, a bed made for her on blankets, I had to hacksaw the thick leather collar off her neck as scissors or a pen knife wouldn't cut through that thick leather. She just lay there through the 20+ mins. it took to work through it, get it off, breathing loudly and coughing. That chain was so huge, so heavy I couldn't lift the 13 feet of it, had to drag it outside and a neighbor took it. She pooped all over the den as soon as it was off! Pooped all night and 3 or 4 more days even on meds for diarrhea.

She had running diarrhea and was due for euthanasia the next day at the pound. She was dying, should have already been put down. The pound workers did place newspapers over my back carseat to help protect it from her diarrhea while driving home but the car had to be detailed the next day, needless to say.

Back in that time, the pound would sell you a dog sick or vicious, whatever, even dying as this sweet girl was. Got her home, named her "Lovey" as she was so loving and sweet-natured, couldn't really walk, mostly had to carry her for days she was so ill. Got her vetted next morning(no Emergency vets back then), tested, treated and recuperated to 120 lbs. and she was a healthy, bright-eyed, starting to get muscled-up dog when I placed her on the ranch of an acquaintance to live out the rest of her life running, livin' the life and lying before their monstrous den fireplace when she was cold. She was a noble, fine beast, beautiful conformation, huge, deep chest, long neck, tight paws, and clear-eyed when she left.

Lovey never resource-guarded even though she was so hungry when I got her home and spoon-fed her water every hour and a small meal of beef broth over plain kibble, fearing she couldn't tolerate much else and she didn't ask for more though she obviously needed nutrition, just lay there until the vet told me what to feed her next day starting on days 3. After flea bath, clean-up, tests were done, worming complete, in 3 days she was put on 5 days of highest grade ground beef mixed with no less than canned evaporated milk, then beef steak for 5 days per the vet to try to build up her iron! She ate more steak than we did! Plus iron pills, antibiotics and other vitamins, minerals, many meds for her many ailments, got shots at the vet, even an IV back then and many weight-checks and check-ups with the vet after that. I began to think she would live after 4 or 5 days but those first few days she just lay and accepted her spoon-feedings and her medications until she got some strength and could stand and eat on her own. 'Her expenses were huge (and so was she - one of the tallest the vet had ever seen) but well worth it as saving that beautiful, abused, starved, wormy, flea-bitten skeleton's ill life mattered so much to me. Lovey mattered, deserved responsible love and attention, all the hugs and loving she could get, lots of running and playing. She was a lovely, rich-fawn, doe-eyed Great Dane girl when she left here, on the road to life and she lived another 7 years on the ranch running with the cattle(winced when I heard this) some days but most guarding the ranch house and her wonderful new owners. Thankfully, she ran off whatever over-indulgences she got because even late in life she was still lovely.

As bony and ill as big Lovey was, as hag-ridden and scary-pitiful, as lifeless and near-death from lack of care, nutrition, I still abhor the obese dog who cannot live a normal dog's life due to the huge amounts of pounds it must lug around 24/7, worse than sweet Lovey's awful, cruel truck chain.

[MarkFromSea]

Zippy would over eat if allowed to, the other two don't seem to at all even though these two are free fed.