fat cairn

[nick]

My parents have a lovely Cairn called Norman, he 's six and is looking really fat. My father constantly feeds him all day long so he follows him around . He 's 90 and craves the attention the poor dog gives him .I try to walk Norman as much as i can and weigh him every week , he's gone from 22 pound to 30 in a few months and now he 's getting older i fear his health will start to deteriorate . I have tried many times to talk to him but says that he s not fat and will not feed him less ! Any one have any ideas ?

[bradl]

One possible idea might be to measure out Norman's daily food into a big bowl and have your father take treats from that (the treats are now kibbles). That way Norman's food intake is known (you can adjust downward at any time) and the constant treats just deduct from the meals. 

[nick]

Thanks for your input. It's pointless trying that because my father has zero respect for me and would just scoff and laugh if i mentioned your idea .

[pkcrossley]

hm. the situation you describe is pretty seriously not good. i think some cairns do have a tendency to gain weight. we have heard of active, healthy cairns here who were pushing 30lbs, but to me they seem like exceptions (and were a bit bigger in the frame than the average cairn). too much fat risks cancer, heart disease and premature deterioration of the joints.

your father's unwillingness to cooperate in any kind of health program for norman is worrying. brad's idea of rationing and substituting is a very good one --if your father won't go for rationing, how about substituting? can you take over getting Norman's food so that he has better quality, and perhaps fewer calories per kibble?

there doesn't seem to be much else you can do apart from doing everything to make sure Norman gets exercise. if you can get him to build up some muscle, his carbohydrate expenditure will go up and he will probably level off or even lose some weight. 

a six year old cairn has a lot of life ahead and probably also has the physical resiliency to response to even mild intervention.  

Edited May 26, 2019 by pkcrossley

[bradl]

Does your father still have objective reasoning skills (no offense intended ... it's a serious question)? I ask because if he does, and if perhaps he is able to assess the damage he's doing using a third-party source he might be more receptive if it's his own judgement rather than someone telling him.

 

Struggling with ideas here. Eating less (somehow) is pretty much the only way forward. 

[nick]

Thanks for your kind replies , my father is all there mentally! He won't be told anything by me so i'm fighting a loosing battle. I will show him the diagram and hope he sees some sense.Meanwhile i' ll up his exercise and make him run more .

[sanford]

At the risk of sounding too harsh- what your father is doing is passive-aggressive animal abuse!  If he would willingly accompany you to the vet, you could have the vet educate him. Can you lock up Norman’s food, leaving out only a daily ration for your dad to use as treats? (I hope that won’t lead to WW lll)!

[pkcrossley]

ha, we are clearly testing nick's ingenuity. we all have or have had parents, i think personally i recognize the syndrome you are describing, nick. though frustrating, very good of you to keep an eye on this fairly young and should-be healthy dog. i do wonder whether some kind of agreement on at least the food itself might be reached --basically, doggy diet food, which would be a help. in the meantime, exercise is good for you AND your dog!

[oscar's mom]

Have you tried substituting treats with celery. My dog get carrot skins celery and other veggies as I’m preparing lunch or dinner. 

Maybe your father would be accepting of a change of what the treat is. 

[nick]

Thanks again all you guys from over the pond . I walked Norman three times yesterday because it was a bank holiday , he was worn out ! It did 'nt stop him barking and going berserk at every thing that went past the house though.

[sanford]

My compliments to you, Nick for your concern for Norman and the steps you are taking for his benefit. 

Excellent suggestion from Oscar's Mom, to use carrots or celery as low-cal treats, if Norman will eat them - and if your dad can be persuaded to use them. 

Dog parks offer our pooches the chance to exercise/ play more vigorously than we uprights could ever provide, if you have close access to one and/or agree to this, because some folks don't like them. To each their own!

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

I had to switch to baby carrots cut up into 1/2" pieces for treats after being told that my two Cairns are overweight (16.5 lb).  They absolutely LOVE the carrots and come running for their treats even at the dog park!  I just started this 2 weeks ago so will see if there is any weight loss in a month... This is Pepper on her 8th birthday, May 18...impossible to get a cute picture of her, she refuses to look at the camera.

[nick]

Norman is just under 30 pound and gaining weight , my father will laugh at feeding him carrots. He feeds him roast chicken all day long and says that he is 'nt fat . His main meal is chicken again and some sort of dark mix that he doesn't eat cos he's so full up !He's sick of me nagging at him now so i'll have to back off a bit.

[pkcrossley]

yes, i see what you mean. so norman doesn't eat kibble --he just eats chicken?

i'm guess that something has changed.  a dog can't make it to age 6 just eating roast chicken. the range of nutrients needed would never be there. also you indicate that until fairly recently (a few months?) norman was in the low 20s, which is almost in the range of normal. something seems to have changed to cause your dad to start feeding him in such an eccentric manner? is this a permanent change or might things return to a more normal course?

if norman's normal diet is roast chicken, when you are taking him for walks, you might supplement his diet (yes) with some kind of healthy kibble. now i'm a bit more concerned about his overall nutrition rather than his weight. dogs are not obligatory carnivores like cats. they are omnivores like humans and bears. too much white meat in a compromised dog can affect the liver, kidneys and pancreas. norman is still pretty young and may not have these problems yet, but it is certainly something to think about. if you slip him diet kibble when he is on his walks it will broaden his diet, and might even fill him up a bit so that he doesn't want to gorge on chicken.

and barking at everything that moves is the mark of a healthy cairn! go norman!