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.

Ouch - Greyhound teeth

Barbie lost 7 teeth today, with a further 4 that are marginal. The Vet was convinced she ate soft food! She obviously doesn't chew her food anymore and just gulps it down. She is now going to have to eat super-big dental biscuits that force her to chew, and we will have to give her bones when Bender can't steal them from her.

I can't help but feel that we really dropped the ball on this one. I knew that Greyhounds have teeth problems, but I had no idea her teeth could get so bad in the 12 months between check ups. 

The vet has recommended we brush her teeth, or that we get her a clean and scale once a year. I know how ineffective human teeth brushing is (I mean, I still have to get a clean and scale once a year!), so I think we will be switching her to the special dental food and making sure she gets more bones and peace and quiet to chew them in. We shall see what the Vet's opinion is next check up time, and in the mean time I will be a lot more vigilant about what is happening inside her mouth!

The Vet and all the staff seemed to love her, and were impressed with how placid she was. She didn't complain at all. They even sent her home with a spiffy looking bandana, and gave her a nice purple vet wrap which says 'Ouch'. That's my girl, winning fans wherever she goes. 

Greyhound Comfort & Toothy Troubles

I moved the dog beds so that I could vacuum the carpet, and Barbie saw this as a perfect opportunity to continue her pursuit of ultimate comfort. 

I had to let her because she had bad news at the V-E-T this week when she went for her annual vaccinations and check up.

Finally her Greyhound tendency to have cruddy teeth has caught up to her at the age of five. The Vet says that she has to have at least one tooth out, maybe three. The problem is with the molars right at the back of her mouth. They were fine less than 12 months ago but I had noticed she was getting tartar build up over the last 6 months or so. My theory is that she can't do a proper 'teeth cleaning' session with a nice bone because she has such a weak jaw. Her teeth kind of skate over anything hard she tries to eat - it's very similar to the sound human teeth make as a gobstopper or Chupachup rattles around in a human mouth. It is nothing like the crunching, chomping sound Bender makes when he is given a part of an animal's skeleton!

Anyway in a couple of weeks she will be going in to have them out, and have the rest of her chompers cleaned and scaled.

So for now I will let her sleep on her mountain of bedding.