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  1. #1
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    Does she seem to be overweight?

    Hi everyone! We looking to adopt this sweet lab. She is 8 years old and this is what the present owner says about her:

    She is not real tall, about 20-21" from paw to withers; and weighs apprx. 60-65 lbs. She was very obese when we got her, we have been able to take a few pounds off though.

    The owner lives about 2.5 hours from us, so we havent met Josie, the lab, yet. I was wondering you all's opinion. Does she appear to be overweight still (I think yes, but I'm not sure)? Is her sagging skin at her belly something I should be concerned about?

    Thanks everyone!

    Meg


    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails -img_20141118_111711501_hdr-jpg  

  2. #2
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Saggy belly means nothing. She's an older girl. She is a tad overweight, and you'll be able to get her a bit more trim, but she has the same shape as our 10 year old.

    If she was used as a breeder's dog, she may be saggy because she had litter.

    I wouldn't worry about the overweight. If you are going to adopt her, go for it. You can help her later on with diet and exercise.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    Hi and welcome! It's hard to tell from a photo if a dog is overweight. The best way to tell if she's still overweight would be to feel the padding over her ribs to see how much fat there seems to be beneath the skin. My younger dog is a female, about 21" and weighs 63 pounds. She's a skinny little mini. Sixty to 65 pounds is certainly within the breed standard. The droopy belly almost looks like she could have had puppies in the past, do you know if that's the case? I'm always sad to hear of older dogs being re-homed. Do you know why they're looking for a new home for her? Hopefully some of the people who breed labs on here can offer their opinion of her physique as well.

    eta: Ah yes, thanks Jen.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Agree with above. We home seniors and she does look a little over weight. Her sagging belly does look like she has had puppies. Mardi had four litters and she sags quite a bit but her weight is fairly good.

    Things I would be more concerned about, is she spayed (if not, she will need to be mid cycle, i.e. around 3 months after a heat), how are her teeth, does she have any clearances or her parents have clearances? How is her overall health, is she up to date on vaccinations? Don't worry about not being spayed, except for the cost. I have had several dogs in that age range spayed and though they don't bounce back as quick at the 2 year olds, they are back in full commission in 2 weeks.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog
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    This was a 65 lb. bitch:

    -honeyoutdoors2903-jpg

    "Your" girl is obviously shorter and has a heavier (bone-wise) build than did my Honey....even considering that, though, I'd say she more resembles my 90 lb. Brutus (short and stocky but fit at 90 lbs.)

    I'm thinking perhaps this is like the "singles ads" where lbs. and age are subtracted for humans.

    This was Brutus (only pics available):

    -copy-brutus-hershey-jpg-jpg

  6. #6
    Senior Dog
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    I need to add.....

    Brutus came to us at 120 lbs. and we just fed him the food/amount we were feeding our 90 lb. Akita girl....those 30 lbs. dropped off well within a year. He also got a lot more exercise with us than he'd gotten with his previous owner (mostly courtesy of that Akita "sister" of his).

    That pic tells me that she's either really well loved or else the owners want you to think she is...did they say why they need to rehome her?

  7. #7
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    I think she is overweight... I have an 8 year old too.
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  8. #8
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    Thanks everybody for your input! I don't know if Josie's had litters before. I also don't know if she's utd on vaccinations or anything about her teeth. The present owner is rehoming Josie for her neighbor who recently went through a divorce. I guess the wife left and she (the wife) used to take care of Josie mostly. I'm not sure if the husband still lives next door...? The present owner told me that she hasn't needed to take Josie to the vet and that she didn't get vet info from the neighbor. I just sent her an email asking her if she is still in touch with the neighbor or not and if she could get the vet info now. I'm not overly concerned about her weight because I know we can work on that. I read online about a saggy belly possibly meaning Cushing's Disease? So I wanted to see what you all had to say. Oh, and she is spayed already...

  9. #9
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
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    Bitches from some lines don't suck back up after a litter (or more). Others do. If you do adopt her and find it hard to take weight off (if needed), you may want to get her thyroid checked. That often is included in the Senior well checks that I do every year from ~age 7-8 onward. Good luck!
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  10. The Following User Says Thank You to windycanyon For This Useful Post:

    meg (12-15-2014)

  11. #10
    Senior Dog
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    And if she was more overweight before, she may just not be losing weight in her belly.....gosh knows we human females experience that as we age (I know...speak for yourself, Barb....I am, I am....)

 



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