Here's my fatty today. I was actually impressed. It wasn't perfect but he did pretty well. He's a good man.
Thanks everyone. His coat is doing SO MUCH better. He had another BAD case of fleas. Multiple baths and whatnot helped. His flea drops don't work well at all anymore. I tried a different brand of drops and he's also wearing a Salvo flea collar seen here, which has REALLY seemed to help. He's so much less itchy. His ears are just lol. I looked on the ear chart because I rarely see ears like his and his ears don't really match any ear type perfectly. They're like little wings. Goofy goofy guy. I don't think he has lost any weight. He's a happy guy though.
I give my dogs NexGard chewables for fleas and ticks. We have tons of ticks during the rainy season. My two dogs have never had a flee problem. It is however the most expensive treatment but works very well. I don’t think your dog looks overweight but if you think he is maybe more exercise or less food or a weight management food... Or all the above
He is a lovely boy with a sweet nature, and he always looks so glossy - fleas or not. Did you manage to escape the recent floods in Georgia?
He's always had a weight problem ever since he was a year old. He was neutered and totally healed from the surgery when I got him at 15 weeks. This is too early and likely contributed to some of his weight issues. He's been on countless different foods and diets and I try to get him more exercise. He's had HD since he was little. He really doesn't like to exercise that much but we try. None of it has ever made a difference. I've given up and decided to just try and manage him rather than get him to lose weight. I have not tried NexGuard. I think you need a prescription for that. He never ever gets ticks but tons of fleas. I try to manage them. It's still warm outside so they're still annoying. Carole, we were not affected by the flooding too much, thank goodness. And he does have a beautiful nature. Such a calm and loving nature. Just a well rounded and good boy.
Yes you need a script from a vet but don’t have to buy it from them, I’ve never seen a flea on my dogs and the ticks die within an hour of biting the dog, which has also reduced how often I get bit. I hadn’t used it on my previous dog but I would highly recommend it if it’s within your budget. Bandit was also nurtured way too young. I didn’t know better at the time... He had an undescended testicle and I’d had a friend who spent well over $1000 on his dog a dozen years ago when he was nurtured with the same issue. I wasn’t going to buy a dog that I knew might need an expensive surgery. The breeder offered to have her vet do it before she sent him to me and still charge the same for him so I agreed to it. I should have waited to see if it dropped or I guess maybe found a different dog... but I love him so much and it was a learning experience... he has not had a weight problem, yet, and currently weighs 84. Lbs. My Vet thinks he looks good at this weight. Katie Mae however has put on quite a bit of weight since being spayed 7.5 weeks ago, although I switched foods right after her surgery and she liked it more and ate more. Bandit gained a few lbs but she really packed some on.. working on it now, both are on weight management food now, lower fat, higher fiber, and I’ll be taking her to the vets every couple weeks to weigh her until I find the right amount to feed her. I went from 4 cups a day down to 3 cups and now she’s getting 2.5 cups a day. Bandit gets 4 cups a day of same food but I’m cutting him down to 3.5 cups a day. She’s a short stocky girl, Vet said she is ok at this weight but he doesn’t want her gaining anymore. I think she should loose a few lbs. She was 64 lbs when spayed and now is 79 lbs... she’s a week shy of one year.
I had a dog with bad HD and he got to be a bit lazy and heavy too. It’s so sad, it’s why I now like to get puppies from health screened parents.
His HD is not bad. He can jump and run and everything. I simply discourage it because I don't want him to hurt himself. Nigredo here is a "MUTTADOR". Labrador, some Great Pyrenees, and probably some other mutt. His sister was much more SHRIMP than him. He was twice her size. He is currently 104 lbs. He's 6 years old. He isn't GROSSLY overweight by any means, but he's a bit pudgy. He doesn't limp or have any morning stiffness or anything of that nature. The last two dogs we had weren't fat at all and both lived to be 15+ years old so that's why he's a fatty to me. He isn't that fat, but he's the only fat dog we have had. The pediatric neuter was a super bad thing to do. He never developed any sort of penis and is always confused for a girl dog because you just CANNOT tell when looking under him. He's never shown interest in female dogs. He squats to pee, never lifts a leg like normal males. I don't have anything against neutering but it shouldn't be done so early, especially on large breeds prone to weight and hip issues already such as Labradors.
Glad to hear his HD isn’t too bad now. Bandit is also not “well endowed”... But he does lift a leg to pee and mark although he was over a year old before he started doing it regularly. The spay/neuter issue is complicated IMO. I have to say that in the case of rescues I understand why they often do it before letting dogs go to their new homes. These dogs are already in shelters because nobody wanted them and their origin and pedigrees are unknown, as well as the health of the parents, and most are likely from accidental matings so by altering the dogs, at whatever age, they are nipping that problem in the bud, so to speak. Some people are just irresponsible unfortunately and I suppose accidents happen, but it is the humans responsibility to avoid accidents. There was someone who lived on our road, in the past, who got 2 Great Dane puppies, brother and sister, and they mated and had pups. They were just following their instincts and hormones. It was very sad as a lot of the pups didn’t survive and some that did needed various surgeries. Also the idiot owner sold a few pups without telling the buyers the true circumstances. Very irresponsible but not surprising given that the owner had her 3 children taken from her by social services.. She also should have been...
