Monday, May 02, 2011

Obesity Epidemic in Dogs

I visit the folks, 4 years ago of which I bought them a dachshund.

4 years later the dog is so obese that they build him a RAMP TO THE BED;



Swear to dog I have no idea what this world is coming to.

6 comments:

Grim said...

stop feeding him that garbage corn based dog food and feed him meat based leftovers. Give a walk 5 times a week and he will be back to normal in 3 months.

Anonymous said...

Dachshunds are notorious for spinal injuries due to their long body and normal rotundness. A ramp is the safest way for a dachshund to get on and off a bed or couch.
These dogs were bred for going down holes and killing badgers not bounding over the briars and brambles chasing capering foxes. The long, weak spine is a natural side effect of that breeding but not a problem if they are treated as the ground dwellers they are.

Anonymous said...

Yeah needing ramp is not, of itself, a sign of anything in Dachhunds.

Like some other commenter said, they are meant for slinking under stuff and scaring the rats and rodents out. (To where the terriers and what not would get'em) Not for climbing stairs, furniture and so forth.

That being said, most of them I've seen could stand a little more chasing after food and a little less chow. It's always fun to go a to dog show and realize most family pets are overfed.

OneMoreBite-Weightloss said...

Dachshunds can't jump up onto a bed with or without being obese. There are millions of animals being fed to death by their owners in the name of "love?"

Vets will ask what you are feeding your pet, yet the USDA thinks what people eat does not matter. Funny, that.

Ryan Fuller said...

I don't think a dachshund could jump that high even if it was in good shape. Even if it could make the jump up, it couldn't be good for it to jump back down.

Spudthorpe said...

Dachshunds are prone to spinal injuries not only because of their elongated form but also because the genetic mutation that shortens their limbs - called achondroplasia - also weakens the cartilage of their spinal discs. The same mutation is responsible for most cases of human dwarfism.

I have three dachshunds - one of whom is, unfortunately, rather overweight - and on the vet's orders, none of them are allowed to jump on or off furniture. The apartment is filled with ramps to couches, beds, etc.