Weight Question

daisy'smom · 10-27-2009, 02:39 PM

OK Georgie is getting too heavy! I have been feeding her 3% of her adult weight which I guess to be 60 lbs. When I feed her less she acts like she is still hungry. She gained almost 5 lbs since Sept. 9 when she was at the vets last. I must be feeding her too much. Should I start feeding her 2%? When I feed her chicken should I remove the skin? Georgie is built "thicker" then some boxers and I think I am going to always have to watch her weight. She is already 55 lbs!

bruinsBoxers · 10-27-2009, 03:56 PM

I would not go by how much she weighs ( lbs) . I would go by how she looks . Does she have the nice tuck -up at her waist ? Can you see the last rib or two ? These are signs that a boxer is in the right weight range for their height / build .

My Charlotte was 63 lbs for most of her adult life . And she was taller than most and looked elegant . Many people would think 63 would be overweight but for her it was right .

If she is starting to look chubby then slowly cut back her food and wait and see if she looses a bit of weight .

It is common to have to adjust the amount you feed up and down during the year . I know I have to cut back a bit in the winter or Edy starts to get chubby .

Doreen · 10-27-2009, 04:04 PM

I agree with Missi, I would go by the way the dog looks. That is why I was so concerned about Rex. He shows way too much ribs, actually every one of them and deeply too. He just weighed in at 56.60 lbs, but I think for his build he needs about another 5 or more lbs. He is over 2 years old already and would think he would start filling out more now.

I am also wondering if Rex could also have an extremely large rib frame. It really hangs low, LOL.... I don't know what to think of this dog anymore, LOL. He is driving me crazy

Rex always is ravenous too. I give him 1 1/2 pounds of meat a day plus rice plus The Honest Kitchen. I just also started giving him snacks of cottage cheese, not to mention all the bananas pieces he gets when he comes inside from potty, LOL.

daisy'smom · 10-27-2009, 05:11 PM

I tried to get some pictures of her figure

but she would hardly cooperate with me cause Daisy is over! Sorry I forgot to re size one of the pictures. As you can see she is a little thick.

You can't see her bottom two ribs.

KeeperBoy · 10-27-2009, 05:18 PM

I don't think I've every really followed the percent thing. I just feed them enough so they look "right". For Boo it is only 4 oz./day. Keepers was getting 2 pounds/day until recently, when we noticed he was holding on to weight more, I've cut him back by .25lbs/day and it seems to have helped. It's a learning process and each dog is different.

I would cut her back a bit and wait a week or two and see if that helps at all. She does look a bit think to me.

AussieGirl · 10-27-2009, 08:28 PM

I use the percent as a "starting guide" and go up or down from there (depending on her condition), so Daisy may need to go down a little

. I feel like I am constantly going up and down by 50 - 100g with Ruby lol.

bruinsBoxers · 10-28-2009, 09:10 AM

I am also wondering if Rex could also have an extremely large rib frame. It really hangs low, LOL.... I don't know what to think of this dog anymore, LOL. He is driving me crazy

A boxers rib cage should reach their elbow looking at them from the side .I'll use this pics as an example . See how the bottom of the ribcage meets with the elbow ?

Spyglass Sally · 10-28-2009, 10:10 AM

Very interesting, Missi. I don't know much about breed standard. I can read it in a book, but it's much more interesting to see it with a picture. It makes more sense to me that way. Thanks.

daisy'smom · 10-28-2009, 10:19 AM

She is a beautiful boxer! Thanks for the pic Missi! Looking at that pic shows me I do need to watch Georgie's figure!

KeeperBoy · 10-28-2009, 10:29 AM

If Keepers' top line was better he would be pretty darn close to standard. I really wonder if some moron wanted to show him and when he didn't get big enough threw him away. Our trainer has wanted us to go to some confirmation fun matches at our dog training club with him, even though he's neutered, to get a feeling for what the whole thing is about. Showing dogs is just so intimidating to me.