Hello, I recently adopted a 6-year-old male English Setter rescue. I have mostly had Labradors before this, so I am getting to know a new breed. My question is how you know if your English Setter is a healthy weight. My boy was undernourished when I got him, but even after a month of good food, he is thinner than it seems he should be. I can feel most of his vertebrae and all of his ribs, and his waist is much narrower than his rib cage. However, I know English Setters are a lean breed, especially compared to the Labradors I am used to. I've asked my vet, who basically said, "Setters are skinny," but I'm still not sure they're supposed to be this skinny. Any rules of thumb from you experienced owners to determine if he is a healthy weight? Thank you!
Even dogs within the same breed can have different builds.... and most, if not all dogs are supposed to have a waist, regardless of breed If he's lean but with good muscle tone, is happy and healthy otherwise, I wouldn't worry. Do you have any photos, standing side on?
I have reared a starvation case Lurcher, so know that a month is not a long time to build up a really undernourished dog. It is better to gain weight and convert it into body slowly and steadily, rather than overfeed and risk losing any benefit through causing loose motions. I would be encouraged that your vet isn't worried, but if his spine hasn't started to become less prominent in another month, I think I might take a urine and a poo sample in to the vet for preliminary testing.
Thank you, Carole, that's helpful advice to be patient. He has not gained any weight in the month I have had him, but he has gained a little muscle tone, so I'll give it some more time. He is not very strong, but seems otherwise healthy and happy. He has been treated for various parasites during that month (he had diarrhea when I got him), so that may also have contributed to the slow weight gain.
Hello Sarah and welcome to Breedia to you and the new member of your family. Well done on adopting your new English Setter. They are definitely different to Labradors who seem to have empty legs! As Carole said, it is better to gain weight and convert it into body slowly and steadily, rather than overfeed and risk losing any benefit through causing loose motions. It is far easier to get a dog, any dog, to gain weight without gaining any benefits from it, than try to get a dog to lose weight if they are overweight and/or obese. The latter is far more difficult and not so good for the dog. Muscle tone is far more important than just extra body weight and as long as his muscle tone improves and his bones are nice and sturdy, it is far better than extra, unnecessary fat, which is very difficult to remove once there. What are you feeding him on? Good luck with him and please keep us up to date with his progress.
Thanks for your comments. I have lots of pictures of him, but none that really show how thin he is because he has a lot of fur. Maybe I should take a picture of him after a bath!
Thanks for the advice, Juli. I am feeding him Wellness Complete Health Chicken & Oatmeal - it's what my other dog eats and my new boy likes it. Am also giving him probiotics daily.
One of the many things I cannot advise on is dog food as I am a raw feeder but you can always check the quality of what you feed on http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ Perhaps an addition of a canine multi-vitamin might be an idea in case his food might be missing something he needs, seeing as you say he was undernourished when you got him. Anyhow, I look forward to seeing photos of your new furkid - what is his name? I am sure he is absolutely gorgeous!
Tommy is absolutely adorable and so handsome! Lovely pictures and he really does look happy. Looking at the second picture his front legs, which are not hidden by his coat, appear to be quite sturdy. You said that he is not very strong, but has been treated for various parasites during the month since you adopted him, having had diarrhoea when you got him, and the diarrhoea, together with the parasites, could indeed have contributed not only to his slow weight gain but also his strength. Every time I look at Tommy's smile in the second picture it makes me smile back at him!
