Rocky Went To The Vet...

[rottiesnumberone]

I decided to take Rocky to the vet for an exam because after 3 days he still had watery loose stools. I took him to the Banfield Clinic in Petsmart because I may be thinking about switching vets. Anyway, the vet there confirmed that it probably was the marrow bones giving him diarrhea, too rich for his digestive system. So, Rocky has been on a bland diet of chicken & rice and adding some of his dry food to get him back on a regular diet. Also he is taking metronizadole antibiotics for a week.

His diarrhea has cleared up and he looks good. Have not given him any marrow bones for a week or so. I probably will let him have them again, but not everyday, maybe once or twice a week. The vet there wanted to see him go on Royal Canin low fat dry and get off of Bil Jac dry. He says my boy is overweight and would like to see him at 100 or 105 pounds. Honestly, my boy is 125 pounds and maybe he could use to loose 5 or so. I think this vet likes lean dogs. Rocky would look like a underweight rottie with a big head at 100 pounds.

Till next time,
rottiesnumberone

[RottyMom]

Originally Posted by rottiesnumberone

I decided to take Rocky to the vet for an exam because after 3 days he still had watery loose stools. I took him to the Banfield Clinic in Petsmart because I may be thinking about switching vets. Anyway, the vet there confirmed that it probably was the marrow bones giving him diarrhea, too rich for his digestive system. So, Rocky has been on a bland diet of chicken & rice and adding some of his dry food to get him back on a regular diet. Also he is taking metronizadole antibiotics for a week.

His diarrhea has cleared up and he looks good. Have not given him any marrow bones for a week or so. I probably will let him have them again, but not everyday, maybe once or twice a week. The vet there wanted to see him go on Royal Canin low fat dry and get off of Bil Jac dry. He says my boy is overweight and would like to see him at 100 or 105 pounds. Honestly, my boy is 125 pounds and maybe he could use to loose 5 or so. I think this vet likes lean dogs. Rocky would look like a underweight rottie with a big head at 100 pounds.

Till next time,
rottiesnumberone

You can alway poke out some of the marrow before you give your dog the bone. I don't know about the vet "liking lean dogs" I'm sure his preference has more to do with health than anything else. It's far more healthy for a dog to be lean than even 5 lbs overweight. If he's thinking your dog needs to lose 20-25 lbs I'd say your beloved Rocky is significantly overweight and you could be damaging his health by keeping him so heavy. I'd rather have my dog alive and healthy than be worried about him looking like his head is too big. (by the way I have one of those lean Rotties with a huge head)...you'll get used to it

[rottiesnumberone]

Thanks for the reply but Rocky really does not need to loose 20 pounds. If you run your fingers along his body, you can feel his ribs easily, look at him from the top and he has a clearly defined waist and from the side his body tucks up after the rib cage. I understand about keeping the dog lean and healthy. I just thought that this new vet was looking for him to drop too much weight. Its not like this dog is a fat overweight couch potato, he not. Its funny, my original vet who I have known for 14 years says Rocky is nice, maybe drop a few pounds, and this new vet says to loose 20 pounds? Big difference, huh?

[lblax]

Originally Posted by rottiesnumberone

He says my boy is overweight and would like to see him at 100 or 105 pounds. Honestly, my boy is 125 pounds and maybe he could use to loose 5 or so. I think this vet likes lean dogs. Rocky would look like a underweight rottie with a big head at 100 pounds.

Till next time,
rottiesnumberone

without even seeing your dog i would say your vet is right 100-110 pounds and your dog will thank you with longevity and improved vitality

[rottiesnumberone]

OK, thanks for the reply Larry.

[Miabella]

How about posting a picture? 125 does sound rather heavy. What is his height at the withers?

[JeanT]

Get him to start gradually losing the weight - that's the hardest part. You can always stop and maintain (maintain is the hard part) after 8-10 pounds if going down further makes you uncomfortable.

[RottyMom]

Some vets are a little less direct when telling people their dogs are overweight because people (maybe a little like yourself) seem to take it personally and get offended by it. The "not my dog" syndrome. Most dogs we see (my vet says around 95%) are overweight so people are not used to seeing how dogs should really look. He said a good indication of when your dog is at a good weight is that you get the odd comment about how skinny your dog is....so now when people tell me my dogs are too skinny I thank them. (you should see the looks on their faces.) Maybe your old vet was just being subtle...because even you admitted he said Rocky needed to lose a few and from what I've learned in vet speak that means more than 5. Maybe you could just split the difference and have the dog lose 10-15lbs.

[rottiesnumberone]

OK, let see if I can get some pictures

[StephanieandToby]

...you can poke out the marrow in the bones...fill it with soaked, mushy kibble and then put in the freezer!! Low fat and since it's frozen it will keep you pooch busy for ages!!

[natesmom14]

Originally Posted by StephanieandToby

...you can poke out the marrow in the bones...fill it with soaked, mushy kibble and then put in the freezer!! Low fat and since it's frozen it will keep you pooch busy for ages!!

I just posted pics of my Nikki the other day looking for responses as to her weight and was told what I was already thinking- that she could maybe stand to lose a few. On my thread, I got this idea from you about the mushy kibble and the dogs LOVE IT!!! I also remember to include it in their daily feeding amount so that I am again not accidently overfeeding. Thanks so much for the idea- it's a great one for anyone who has a dog needing to have a lower-calorie treat!

[groupieindenial]

People's interpretation of lean are SOOOO different. My friends Rottie looks fat compared to my Vegas. SHe complains that he doesn't have his rotty wiggle anymore, and I pipe in and say he's fat, and then they get mad and say that I starve my dog! Pisses me off, cuz Vegas is lean, not too skinny. YOu CANNOT see his ribs, well a little when he's leaning and turning about, but standing still you can't see them. He's got a definitive tuck. Every vet, and even cardiologist always add in, "it's nice to see that you keep your dog nice and lean". ANd that is enough for me. Even my SCH club tell me to cut down on his food! My friends vet tell them EVERY time they go in, he could use to lose 5 lbs. THey think, "bah! 5lbs, not a big deal." You can tell the vet is nicely saying, he needs to lose weight, and they don't see it as a big deal, and don't do anything about it. He's even got hip issues, and now they even deny that he has any. DUh, the dog limps after running around in the garage chasing shadows! But he doesn't have any hip problems??? SO I say, since he's got a bit of hip problems, you would be doing him better by keeping him lean. There's just no convincing them differently though.

[fbkeays]

Apparently there is a vet book out there that says that rottweilers shouldn't weigh more then 100 pounds, regardless of their bone structure/size.
When Fizbin was 18 months I took him in because he was limping on his rear (rough housing with my other dogs). He was a very skinny 105 pounds. He had muscles, no fat, had a tuckup and a waist. You could see most of his ribs.
The new vet told me that I had to get 5 pounds OFF of him. I did a double take because rottweiler people were telling me that I needed 5 pounds ON him. Remember, he was 18 months old with lots of growing and filling out left to do.
I asked her why she thought that my dog needed to loose five pounds. She replied that he weighted 105 like that explained things. I asked the question again and she said that rottweilers should not weigh more then 100 pounds, so he is 5 pounds over. I asked her WHERE my dog needed to lose five pounds. She couldn't answer me.
At 125 pounds, your dog just might look better at 120. Give it a try. With a little less food and a little more exercise, that should come off in short order.

[groupieindenial]

My friends dog is 100lbs, and Vegas is 97lbs. Vegas looks like a stick compared to my friends Rott, and they are the same height. Explain that one? Weight is definately proportionate to the individual dog. A dog that is fit, runs and gets a lot of excercise will (like in my case) weigh more, versus a dog that is not.

I would never gauge it by weight alone. ITs not fair to compare an active dog to an inactive dog, let alone different metabolisms with the different ages. Just too narrow minded that kind of thinking.

[rottiesnumberone]

OK, thanks for all your feedback. If all goes well Rocky will shed 5 or 10 pounds. Also, I will get those pics of him posted shortly.

Frank
rottiesnumberone