Skinny GSDs for Sale - Page 5

After seeing pictures of your dog, would you tell us how much he weighs now and how tall he is? 

Jag girl: my vet has a lot of experience with gsd's with GI genetic problems -- he absolutely will not recommend the breed anymore.  This past xmas I had to deal with the death of my own not-yet-6 female of kidney failure -- she had really been wasting away for more then half her life, and never had a good appetite.  I thought she came from a healthy line of dogs (DDR dogs out of von Hena-C) but I was wrong -- and learned in chat rooms that a lot of people shared my concerns early on. I can feel your pain.

You should know that you are not going to get a lot of sympathy here because... we're human, and as such we take what we want from the planet and any species in our way and ignore any pain and suffering we cause.  The folks who starve their dogs to get a certain look are never going to grant you that a well fed dog is a happier dog.  The Romans used to say non disputandum gustibus est (there is no accounting for tastes) but I would say the modern, more accurate adage is "we can account for tastes if we know self interest".  People who stupidly promote oversized dogs fatten their dogs up like cattle for slaughter and blithely advertise 125 pound livestock -- with long coats, more often than not, to make them look even bigger.  Others more intelligently focused on working titles may keep their poor dogs hungry for many, many years (I can only pray they feed them better in old age).  This seems slightly more common in certain countries, but it happens everywhere.

I myself was a world class athlete once (dealing with cancer now so I don't feel so classy!)  I know the training and eating tradeoffs involved in preparing for a decathlon.  I was willing to submit to 6-8 hours of training a day and eating healthfully for years and years.  I gave up so many desserts over a long career, cancer surgery almost seems worth it for all the ice cream I have been eating!  I surpassed many men of greater talent because of my will.  I competed at 190-205 pounds but am naturally a 225 pound man, so I was hungry for a long time!  So I appreciate that a thin, well trained, fit dog is a better athlete and will soar nicely over the meter board better than a chunky monkey.  My problem has always been my belief that the dog deserves a choice, as I had one, and how to make that a fair and honest choice is really hard IMO.

In my case, I try to offer my dogs as much food as they want and I try to work it off with lots of running.  Until very recently my whole pack of dogs ran around the local lake three times a week with me each week, plus all the usual training.  If a dog started to get fat, I would first step up the exercise and only later cut back the food.  But I have had some lazy dogs over the years who would not work hard enough to burn off the rations they chose to eat -- and in some cases I placed them in pet homes where they could live as they chose.  In one case that was a mistake and I regret it.  In most cases my lazy dogs have gotten away with life on the dole with me -- they ate too much, exercised too lightly, and stopped competing.  But my best dogs have all chosen a life with a full belly and a very active training lifestyle and a good waistline.

None of this is to say it could work for everyone.  Until recently I was quite strong and fit and could train hard enough to work the fat off most dogs.  But I do think, as I think you do, that every dog deser ves some say in how they live and few deserve to live with hunger headaches for all their lives.

Mystere - thanks.

Steph,

I hope that a war does not break out over this issue, and I doubt that it will...

There are two schools of thought on this issue, one being that thinner, trim dogs are healthier, and one being that "big is beautiful".

All are entitled to their opinion, and a great deal of the problems of the GSD are genetic, that's for sure.  But as in people, being overweight isn't healthy, and leads to far more problems. 

MVF, if you feel that a dog should eat all that it wants, and weigh whatever it weighs, especially as a pet, then that's your opinion.

But I'm watching my mother in law's 11 year old border collie mix suffer from debilitating pain in her spine and three of her four legs, along with a host of internal problems, a lot of which is likely from being a walking coffee table all her life.  She will be euthanized soon because of that pain.

I wonder if being a little thinner might have given her a longer, more pain-free life...There's no way to know

Crys

MVF, thank you for your post.  As far as my dog, he started off at 94 lbs, nice waistline, you could feel the ribs but not see them.  He was going through training, more for agility and obedience, ran ALOT, and ate very well.  He had great muscle tone, nice deep chest, etc.  When he started having his GI issues, his weight fell off of him.  His fur has always looked great, very healthy and full.  It was very easy to feel his ribs, individual vertebrae, and hipbones.  What you cannot see in these cell phone pics is the actual detail of how he truly looks.  His "waist" is actually a bloated stomach, all of his vertebrae are visible, as well as his ribs and hips.  He has very little muscle tone to his chest. VERY little.  You can actually stick your fist in the bones.
As far as starting a war, it's the last thing I want to do.  I know my personal experiences and it scares me to see ribs on the dogs.  And concerning the Malinois, no it is not a shepherd.  But I do happen to see them very often because they are the police dogs where I am at.  And none of them look like that.  Go on that website and look at the dogs.

And MVF, I don't want sympathy. Believe me.  I just want awareness because of everything that affects this amazing breed that too few know about.

Oh, I forgot to tell you his weight now.  He is at 71.3 lbs and is always lethargic.  I have to force exercise on him.

The Malinois in the picture in the snow was a very young dog, probably around a year at the time of the photo.  That's what immature Malinois look like, they  take a while to fill out.    Look at the videos in the ad of the dog at 22 months when she is more filled out.  It would behoove you to know something about the Malinois breed before you start knocking specific dogs in ads  and their breeders.

Again, the dogs you think are too thin are not, they are in excellent working condition.   Perhaps we shall just have to agree to disagree.  Every dog that is in your opinion thin, is not automatically sick.  If people want to have dogs they are thinking of purchasing tested, that is certainly an option, but to suggest the owner of this site should screen the ads is ridiculous.  What about hips, elbows and spines?  Should the owners of all sites that advertise dogs for sale require blood tests, full body xrays, CERFs,  AND a negative heart worm snap test before allowing someone to purchase ad space? 

lol, point taken.  And no, not every thin dog is sick.  However, at the same time, I do worry as I have every right to do because of the health issues that are becoming more and more common.  I just know what my boy and I have gone through and what others have gone through from talking to them not to be concerned.  My main focus is for more people to be aware of the real possibilities of the genetic health issue that many don't know about or don't realize they may be passing on.

.........SH--T......I wish I had that problem with eating & weight.....