Why don't they understand they're killing him?

[emilyjw]

My dogs eat a damn site better diet than me... they are the perfect shape, I am running a slimming thread on here...

I just can't bring myself to just eat kibble....

I think I could force the kibble down if I had to. It's the leaping into cold muddy ditches and puddles and rolling in and eating horse poo that I would find tough 

Have you not seen the do your dogs like the mud thread, I would be like princess Bracken who daintily avoids them... it's the sleeping with my head shoved in one of my smelly trainers i would probably fail at 

[Countrygirl]

29kg!!! Blimey, and heres me worrying about Ellie.  Her vaccinations are due and I wanted to know what she weighed before we got to the vets.  She is 11.5kg and she was 11kg last year so I have cut down her food a bit to try and shift the half kg.

We have got a lovely golden cocker living next door to us.  Her daily walk consists of a ride in the car to feed the horses that are never ridden.  She is so fat she is like a little golden barrel with legs poking out at the corners.  When she sees me she staggers down the pavement and collapses in a heap at my feet, summons up the energy to try to roll over for a tummy tickle then lies there getting her breath back for the journey home.  I used to walk her miles every day with my cocker and she was not too bad then but they still overfed her and would not listen, they just said she loves her food but at least she got a good walk.   Unfortunately they have now fallen out with us so there is not a lot I can do for her now.

To make matters worse they got another dog a few months ago.  I don't see that one much, only a quick glimpse in the garden as it doesn't know me so doesn't come to me.  The worrying thing is it looks very much like a working cocker and that only gets a ride in the car as well.   I am not saying they don't love the dogs, they do, very very much, but they are not fair to them.

 


 

[Tasha]

pity that they can't see the new zealand program thats on at the moment and the other pet obesity programs that have been on recently

My friends lab was extremely overweight to a point where an 18 month old bitch was like an elderly ten year old   It took bullying, horrid pictures and all sorts till they finally agreed their dog was overweight but the change since then has been amasing, I made him change her to Naturediet only one pack per day, upped the exercise and booked him swimming classes.  She's now much healthier an awful lot fitter and although still a bit of a lazy whatsit she really does have alot more energy.  Has taken a year though to get her to the right weight.

I'm rather proud of them for actually making the changes needed I know that they didn't see it at all.

Sam has a few clients that are coming to him to lose weight and to get fit (part of their new years resolutions I'm sure) and several of them have dogs so he's starting up some 'jog-a-dog' classes with three groups beginners (walking), intermediate (jogging) and advanced (distance running for half/full marathons) classes so that not only will people get some advice and fitness training from a personal instructor but they'll also get their dogs out to help them both get fit and socialise with like minded people.

[ClareB]

It makes me so cross when I see dogs that are overweight.     Imo feeding a dog so much that it becomes obese is as cruel as starving it.  There's a very overweight Labrador that lives near my in-laws, both times I've seen it the owner has been doing something that beggars belief beyond the fact that the dog is huge.  The first time I saw her it was last summer, they were walking her in the hottest part of the day, and she was carrying her own lead in her mouth, which meant she couldn't even pant.        I saw her again at the weekend and she's even bigger (which I never thought possible!).  This time, her owner was trying to walk her, but she was so overweight and could barely walk, so he was throwing treats on the ground a few feet in front of her to encourage her.           I don't know exactly how much she weighs, but if a lean, fit Lab weighs about 30kg, I reckon she must weigh 40-45kg.     If I see her again, my OH might have to restrain me from giving her owner some major verbal abuse.  Maybe I need to borrow Connor too.....

[Countrygirl]

You think nothing would surprise you anymore, but "she was so overweight and could barely walk so he was throwing treats on the ground a few feet in front of her to encourage her" !!!!!!

[Cob-Web]

How awful am I? on several occasions I've even considered contacting the RSPCA and these are my friends.   

You are not awful at all - you are thinking of the needs of the dog; and tbh, it sounds as if you are the only one who is     If it were me, I would give the RSPCA a call. You can remain anonymous if you wish, and your friends are unlikely to guess it was you; I am sure lots of people see how fat their dog is  A visit from an Inspector may be enough for them to change their attitude 

[Jan/Billy]

How awful am I? on several occasions I've even considered contacting the RSPCA and these are my friends.   

You are not awful at all - you are thinking of the needs of the dog; and tbh, it sounds as if you are the only one who is     If it were me, I would give the RSPCA a call. You can remain anonymous if you wish, and your friends are unlikely to guess it was you; I am sure lots of people see how fat their dog is  A visit from an Inspector may be enough for them to change their attitude 

I agree.

Animals can't speak up for themselves, it's up to us to do it for them.

[Cazzie]

You will NEVER educate these people im afraid, they think they are doing what is best for the dog, but TBH they cant help themselves   My mother gave our JRT to my aunt and uncle as we could only keep one dog when we moved, and they killed her with kindness, she was a massive 15 kilos when she died and was smaller that daisy and she is 6 kilos, the main valve to her heart burst and she died in her sleep  

[Cob-Web]

You will NEVER educate these people im afraid, they think they are doing what is best for the dog, but TBH they cant help themselves  My mother gave our JRT to my aunt and uncle as we could only keep one dog when we moved, and they killed her with kindness, she was a massive 15 kilos when she died and was smaller that daisy and she is 6 kilos, the main valve to her heart burst and she died in her sleep 

If necessary, the court can order a dog removed from owners if they refuse to cooperate......overfeeding is not kindness, it is a painful and distressing slow death 

[Cazzie]

You will NEVER educate these people im afraid, they think they are doing what is best for the dog, but TBH they cant help themselves  My mother gave our JRT to my aunt and uncle as we could only keep one dog when we moved, and they killed her with kindness, she was a massive 15 kilos when she died and was smaller that daisy and she is 6 kilos, the main valve to her heart burst and she died in her sleep 

If necessary, the court can order a dog removed from owners if they refuse to cooperate......overfeeding is not kindness, it is a painful and distressing slow death 

Id like to see them try, with all the cruelty that goes on in this world with animals Rachael its not quite that simple and could tell you a few horror stories here that the rspca cannot touch, its an ill devided world im afraid 

[cockahoot]

I just couldn't do it, they'd know it was me, it would be too obvious, and besides, if the dog was going to be taken away from them, I'd want him to come to me.

[Cob-Web]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=419560&in_page_id=1770

Rusty (the dog I refered to in my earlier post) wasn't taken away for good - but he spent 8 months with the RSPCA and lost 3 and a half stone, and his owners were found guilty of animal cruelty    This was a last resort - they had refused to take any notice of their vets and the RSPCA so they were prosecuted; they received conditional discharges and Rusty's weight is being monitored - if he regains weight, then his owners will find themselves back in court.

I'm afraid my loyalty lies more with dogs than people.........they can defend themselves, but their dog has no voice 

[Elmo]

If only these type of people realised the dog would appreciate it a heck of a lot more being given exercise than food then they would maybe change there ways but these types think that its the way to show the dog they love them

My OH's mum was telling us her neighbours dog, i think its a St bernard or a new Foundland but one of the big breeds anyway gets a mug of horlicks and a couassant(sp?) at bed time every night and on top of its meals it gets a plate full of human food every meal time its owners get It cant get up onto its bed itself as its so fat She couldnt get coussants from the shop one day so she baked some for him instead.

It makes you wonder what kind of ethics some vets have to keep seeing fat dogs being brought to sugery but doing what seems to be nothing about it yet if it was really thin they would report them

A friend of mine has Shar-pei's and they get every kind of table scrap going, sweets crisps....you name it. The 2 yr old drops food out his highchair and the dogs wait to be fed by him and they let him Im sure they think im the  mad one as Elmo gets NO human food at all but he isnt the one with knackered insides

[Cob-Web]

It makes you wonder what kind of ethics some vets have to keep seeing fat dogs being brought to sugery but doing what seems to be nothing about it yet if it was really thin they would report them

Vets have to tread a fine line; if they reported someone to the RSPCA, then they would soon get a reputation for doing so, and people who owned fat pets, thin pets, banned breeds etc would not seek veterinary care for their animals when they needed it   

This is why I think that animal lovers have a responsibility to intervene where necessary....