Show off your dog's waistline campaign

People tell me my dogs are skinny. I tell them my dogs look skinny because up to 60% of Australia's companion animals are overweight!

So when I read over at Rescued Insanity that Dawg's Business were hosting a 'Show off your Dog's Waistline' campaign, I decided that I would participate to add to the healthy waistline examples.

You see it at the beach - fat labs, pudgy beagles, barrel shaped staffies.... all struggling to run on the soft sand!

Well my two are quite fit, and it's not like I do a lot to keep them that way, so I guess we are lucky. We walk for half an hour every night, they play with each other in the yard, and in the house, and I measure their food every night.

Barbie, being a Greyhound, has a lovely svelte figure, and compared to the infographics on what dogs should look like, she might be on the 'skinny' side of ideal. She has put on a couple of kilograms since I got her though, and it's all muscle mass as Greyhounds tend not to carry body fat like other breeds.

You can see her ribs, but vets are all generally happy with her weight, appearance, appetite and shining bright eyes.

Bender also has a nice little waist. He has been wider in the past, but I reduced his dinner portions a little as he has a problem with his right wrist and does pull up stiff in the hips after too much running. The lighter the better for Bender-man.

You can't really see his ribs from the side but you can feel them easily. He does tend to carry more fat than Barbie - he is a couple of years older so perhaps he has a slower metabolic rate now.

I couldn't really get good photos of the cats as they are both very fluffy, and I wasn't going to wet them for the purposes of a blog entry.

Mittens is on the skinny side, and she is fussy about her food, so we have to make sure she eats all her dinner.

Froufrou is the only animal in the house that the vet has ever really expressed concern about when it comes to weight. Unfortunately she gained quite a bit when she became an inside-only cat, so now I allow her day time sojourns into the garden, where she runs, jumps, climbs and balances on fences. She has lost a bit of weight since then and has regained the rock hard athletic body she used to have!

I really think the secret is watching their food intake. Treats do add up. Regular exercise is good for their mental and physical health as well.

I am glad that I don't really have to worry too much about the weight of my pets, for now, but as always I will stay vigilant for changes as they age.