Owner denial = dog obesity

[Dax]

I went to my sister's for Christmas eve dinner on the 24th. I haven't seen little Sparkle in almost 6 months. It struck me right away that she gotten fat. Very fat!!!

When I told her that Sparkle was fat, she came back with "society puts too much emphasis on weight". Looks like I have some persuading to do.

Now I know Ariel is a chunky butt but we work on it. Can't work on a problem IMO if you won't admit you have one.

So.. what's the best way to convince her?

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

Maybe an article or two about the impact extra weight has on longevity and vet bills. I know if I tell my sister-in-law something about dogs, she won't listen. But, if she reads it elsewhere (even on the back of a bathroom stall in a local bar ), it's gospel.

I probably have a few articles on the subject if you'd like them.

[koni]

Aside from what Deb suggested, maybe you can find an image online of what a dog in Sparkle's breed looks like for normal weight, or even the chart that illustrates normal, over and underweight dogs. That will also allow ehr to recognize the weight problem.

[mara]

I'm still feel bad that I let Mara get heavy.....
I would reinforce the fact that a heavy dog will pass on to the Bridge a lot sooner that a dog in good shape and proper weight for the breed.

[Lare]

I've noticed this a few times with my friends dogs.

They think they are making their dog happy by giving him
treats and sweets.

NOT a good thing, ever, with a dog.

Here's a suggestion; take a picture of a "normal" dog of her
type and age or pull one from the internet. If you have
a digital camera take a picture of the dog in question.

Do the same with two people, a healthy slim one and an
obese one.

Put the "human" pictures and the dog pictures side by side
in an email, or better yet, print them and let this person
see the difference.

Ask which "human" she thinks will live the longest, then which
dog she thinks will live longer.

That should fix the "problem".

Offer some suggestions on "dog slimming foods" she might
start feeding her dog to help it become more healthy.

People need to see comparisons when discussing such things.
This should do the trick.

Lare

[agilitydog]

She is not in denial. Her dog has a virus
Did you see that on tv. The obese people are not fat due to eating but due to a virus that they have that makes them fat. (Sure there are truly some people that have issues) but the tv made it sound like obesity is nothing more than a virus.

[Bellabianca]

My MIL had a beautiful corgi (Bear) that was overweight. Everytime we mentioned something about it, she would say,"Corgis are sturdy dogs". When he was about two years old they found he had diabetes. Being retired and on a limited, fixed income, they had him PTS because they could not afford to have him treated. Their chihuahua (Chena) is about 4 years old and is also overweight. We even bought the "light" version of the Nutro that they feed when we were there last time and she made us take it back. Denial will kill this dog too-but we keep trying!

[EmmaGirl]

Dax...I would let her know that if you can feel the ribs, then the dog is average weight. If you can't, then the dog is over the weight limit and needs reduction. Bring her the literature and potential health problems. But the dedision is hers.

Best wishes.

[weezyNollie]

Maybe besides a photo of a normal sized dog that is Sparkle's breed... and old photo of Sparkle? I know we've seen a couple (like those grooming pics a long time ago). Show her the difference between then and now.

Maybe it will help?

Good luck.

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

Originally Posted by agilitydog

She is not in denial. Her dog has a virus
Did you see that on tv. The obese people are not fat due to eating but due to a virus that they have that makes them fat. (Sure there are truly some people that have issues) but the tv made it sound like obesity is nothing more than a virus.

I must have several viruses then!! Oh no!!