Kona just had a vet check*.
...pic to come...

Overall he's healthy, and the vet didn't comment; but I'm wondering if Kona is getting a little heavy. I'd rather address this sooner than later if so. He's still fit, but I've noticed more jiggle in his mid section.

We're not sure of his breed other than he's too tall and heavy for a Sibe, but in spec for a Mal - thanks!
His weight is 81 lbs, and he's 24" at the shoulder.

*Side rant - We're looking for a new vet. I don't like to bash, but I had more than one concern during the visit.
The vet, and especially one of the techs, were visibly nervous and tentative handling Kona despite the fact that he was on his best behavior (shockingly good boy!).
Also, he required 4 shots, which were administered behind the closed door - All my other dogs had shots administered while we watched.

I have issues with my vet. Its more the area im in where people do absolute minimum so alot of things that my uncle did yearly i have to ask them to do or they wont even reccomend it. Also my vet does livestock and from being a horse vet tech livestock owners run the show not the vet and i have to use that approach on my dogs.

@kona i would never let them take my dog away for just shots. Most of my vets have even offered to let me watch surgeries you know an open office policy. And a nervous tech or vet will make for a nervous animal which can put everyone in danger. I could only imagine what your vet would do with squirt or my shepherd

i usually notice Leo get the jiggly belling going in the summer, although he is an XXL Siberian husky he weights in at 98.5 lbs and is 26 1/2 at the shoulders. he should be more in the 80lb range.

The guideline I've heard (and what I try to adhere to) is that viewed from the top, there should be a bit of a "waist" visible. Not straight like a barrel...

And viewed from the side, a "tuck-up" visible.

I'm not fanatical about my dog' weight, but excess weight is hard on their joints as they age, so I try to keep him within those guidelines!

Squirt was 39 lbs at the vet last week. Goal is closer to 35 she is fat now that shes older and lazy. Spider is around 70 lbs and taller and as long as my shepherd.. just a really light build, the gsd was 95 lbs last time he was at the vet.

When you have a top and side picture it will be easier for us to tell. Build does make a difference. You want a waste line. Rule of thumb is run you hands gently down his sides and feel for the last rib or two. Hard to do on the fuzzier dogs. My big boy fluctuates between 75-80 and he is 27" at the shoulder in height. I fuss his weight though because he has hip dysplasia. I would figure up what his calorie intake is, food and treats, to start with and if you need to cut weight start cutting the calories if they are above recommended intake. Preferably cutting from the treat sector if you do much for treats.

I had a friend who had issues with the vet we used when I lived at The Lake still. They were nervous of large dogs. He had a 120 pound American Lab. They wanted to muzzle him the instant he stepped in the door which is just not acceptable for a dog who openly loves everyone, just gets nervous and starts to drool. They also did my second round of kitten shots on my new kitten in the back without me this last time so I could pay and just leave and I wasn't a fan of that either. It made the visit faster but I really wanted to see how my kitten was handling exposure to strangers. If we hadn't moved I would have switched vets over it as well. I like a good convenient vet but at the end of the day you want to feel comfortable with your vet and if you aren't then you need to switch. It doesn't take too many strikes to be out in my book when it comes to my animals.

88- 98lbs! Wow. Those are big dogs (compared to Max) .

I gauge their weight on how well or not I can feel their ribs. If that area starts to get a little "squishy", I cut back a bit on their food and see how it goes over a couple weeks. We're not very consistent with exercise so it's a bit of a balancing act.

Thanks! Here's a couple pics.

He seems to have a blocky mal body. I'm not concerned yet, but I'd rather adjust now then wait for it to become an issue.

He just looks like a well-fed guy, I don't think he looks overweight.

Depending on personal preferences, he could be just a tad heavy?
Viewed from the top, his "waist" could perhaps go in a little more?

But it depends on whether or not you're after the lean look of a canine athlete..


( You should see the husky at doggy daycare (Balto). He looks like a large round furry gray barrel on legs! There's no question that he needs to drop a few pounds! He gets extra walks...)

Here is a pic of my guy from the side (I couldn't find one from the top) but he looks similar to Kona...weight is about 76 lbs.

He looks like one of my three - I've had an ongoing battle with her (almost literally, she's bitten me) to cut her weight down by about 5-10 pounds.

My other two, a smallish Sibe (Sky) and an Alaskan (Avalanche) are both svelte - A to the point of being emaciated but no matter what he eats there's no weight gain. (Now if I could just take it from Sasha and give it to Avalanche they'd both be better as far as weight goes.)

In my opinion - he could afford to lose a little weight but he's definitely not grossly overweight. If his joints are good and he carries it well, I'd not be too concerned.

@shepsky13 squirt is a short fat barrel on legs. It started around when she turned 5. Usually by the end of fall i have her to a good weight and she gains it all back over winter. Swimming is amazing for the weight. Also she doesnt look nearly as fat when shes wet.

Yes, agreed, we gave my dog a bath and he looked so much smaller!

I don't think Squirt could match Balto.
From the top, B is about the width of a coffee table... but he is a sweet dog!
He and my dog are the only two "husky" dogs at the doggie daycare so I learned his name. His owner is an older lady, which may be why he doesn't get a lot of hard exercise.

**My dog doesn't go to daycare often, but sometimes I have to drive out of town...generally if I'm gone more than 5-6 hrs I put him in. We buy a multivisit pass so it costs $11/visit**

Getting them wet definitely helps in assessing what is really going on under all that fur. That is how I check my male for proper size as his hair is a little on the longer side and can cover up his tuck. Kenzi is easy to spot after a coat blow and the undercoat is no longer "taking up space" in her profile. I think you are doing the right thing. I don't think he is overweight but mitigating it now is a good idea, especially considering that he is a heavier built dog and his joints will appreciate it.

Thank you all! I figured Kona was just a bit fluffy - he has a jiggle that wasn't there over the winter, but not much. My thought is that it will be easier to work on now then 10 pounds from now.

Wondering if it might be the season as well - Summer here is a mixed bag of weather. Temps don't exceed the low 80's, but it's still been enough that we cut back his mid-day activities a bit.

TwisterII wrote:

Getting them wet definitely helps in assessing what is really going on under all that fur. ...

And now Kona will be in for a surprise when we hose off his paws today! (He tracks sand everywhere if we don't)


***Just noticed how my floors look in those pictures....

Ha, I didn't even notice the floors. I was peering closely at Kona's belly.

To be honest, not many of us humans could withstand a close inspection of our "perfect" figures either!

I'm going to leave everybody with this chart I found...
I'd say Kona is a 3.5 and so is my dog...
( and Balto is a 6...)

Squirt would be very close to the 5... spider probably a 2 its just her build nothing wrong with her.

It's kind of funny that for humans, if we don't accept all sizes, it's "body-shaming" but if it's dogs, we're like, cut his kibble rations!

Life is tougher for dogs!

Shepsky13 wrote:

It's kind of funny that for humans, if we don't accept all sizes, it's "body-shaming" but if it's dogs, we're like, cut his kibble rations!

Life is tougher for dogs!

So true!

I'd agree that Kona is about a 3.5 - Comfortably healthy