Is Cassie too thin ?or am i overly worried?

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Cassie seems so thin,at times we can see her spine,is this normal?

You should be able to feel three ribs, but not see them overly well. I think she is a little thin to be honest and might benefit form 1kg on

I agree with Hayley, I'd say shes a little thin too.

If you can see her spine then yes, she's a little thin.

I'm going to go against the others no she isn't to thin, if she is healthy she's great

I keep my dogs leaner then most pet owners and aim to be able to just see most ribs

p.s dont feel bad about it cause its hard to judge. i think everyone here has at some point had a dog too thin or fat.

Just increase her feed and a few extra treats and shell be right as rain.

Thanks for the replies,We have only had Cassie for 4 weeks and have changed her diet from dry food to frozen foods,we also have been giving her chicken necks on a sunday (as a treat).She has put on weight since we got her but she wasnt walked either, so it seems as soon as we get weight on were running it off,what can we do differently,she has been wormed 3 weeks ago,or could it be new home stress? even though she seems content and soon became number one in the house

I'm going to say don't put loads of weight on her, in fact she doesn't need any extra weight at all!

People are always put off being seeing bones on dogs when in fact it's just a lean healthy dog

I'd say she's slim, yes, but not TOO thin. It's ok for the last couple of ribs to show. She seems to have good muscle tone too, which to me would indicate that she's not "malnourished". If she eats well, is active and seems happy in herself, I wouldn't worry at all. A little bit too thin is better than a little bit too fat (which a couple of mine are ).

In those particular pics she looks good to me (remember whites tend to show every muscle and sinue quite easily) .. I personally would look to perhaps put a couple of pounds on her for the cold months but no more, and I would get them back off her for the spring

For day to day, I wouldnt like to see any more than the last two ribs from any angle, if you can, then to me thats a little under weight for a family pet's usual weight

Dexter looked a little like that when we got him a month ago, and I did put some pics up and was given advice by the forum - apparently he is just slim and I would go with that. He weighs 16kg, he has padded out very slightly but I think he is naturally on the lighter side particularly on his back end and you can see a couple of his ribs too.

Low body fat and healthy-looking.

I fall into the camp of preferring a dog that's on the leaned out side as long as the diet is good.

Yes, she looks good. BUT. I don't like seeing the spine - no problem with some ribs, but the spine shouldn't be showing.

However, I wouldn't go deliberately trying to put wright on because she might go the other way & that would be worse! Stress can keep weight off a dog, so once she's fully settled you may see her put a little more flesh on.

If the spine shows a tiny bit like on my two then to me it's fine.

It's up to your personal preference we can only suggest, but there is no way i'd put any weight on her at all

Romeo was like that for ages, but i worked him alot and had him on premium dog food, now that we are not showing antmore because of his underbite we dont train so hard ant more so he has gained 2kgs.
I think as long as a dogs spine isnt showing its a good thing. people always thought romeo was too skinny, its just people are used to seeing fatter dogs

She looks more lean than thin to me , you could take her to pets at home and weigh her for free , a good indicator of thin is if the pin bones at the back are sticking out or protruding and going off the pic she is well rounded at the back end , there are chunky Staffs, leggy Staffs and lean Staffs , maybe she is just of a lean build .

I keep Moo lean but to me thats a little too lean, just my personal preference, remember you have only had her 4 weeks so give her time to settle and then take it from there

See this is how i keep my two, although harv is a little leaner, you can just see all his ribs



forgot to add chance weighs 47kg here

This is about the most recent shot of Max showinf his condition from a few weeks ago (same weight today at the vets as when the photo was taken) .. in this condition he's just over 20kg

Chance looks too lean to me me, where as Max is just muscle thats what I like, just my opinion Xx

no way would i put any weight on chance, people tend to keep their dogs way to heavy for me

I think it's all personal preference within reason , she certainly doesn't look unhealthy but I would stick a kg on just for a bit of lining. I'm guessing you feel like she's too thin or you wouldn't have asked , so as you can see from the comments made, within a few pounds she is ok but it depends who you ask

Hi Dave,
In my opinion she is ever so slightly too thin, but saying that I know my Alfie is ever so slightly too fat (the vet described him as portly!!!) He is 21.5 kilos. I do think this is down to personal opinion but at least you know you can give her a few extra treats and not feel guilty

Thank you all for your comments .I can see there's a lot of different valid opinions but all with one thing in common,we all love our pets and just want the best for them.I was just worried that cassie was looking a bit too thin,I don't want her overweight and she has lots of exercise which she loves so I will wait and see how she is in a couple of weeks,

Maybe a tiny bit too thin, but as everyone's said, it's a personal preference. As long as a dog isn't suffering from malnutrition or isn't getting any health problems from being over or underweight, I reckon it's OK.

ANattyRat wrote:Maybe a tiny bit too thin, but as everyone's said, it's a personal preference. As long as a dog isn't suffering from malnutrition or isn't getting any health problems from being over or underweight, I reckon it's OK.

She is eating about 400 grams of frozen food a day so I don't think she is under fed but I could be wrong,she seems fit enough

Really a personal preferance as long as she is healthy. She looks fine to me and may put on a little weight with the change in diet and settling into her new home.

Personally I think she looks great! Like Ella, I like the very lean/conditioned look aswell

I think she is perfect...

I agree that from the photo she looks perfect. However, you really shouldn't be able to see a dog's spine. If you can, then they're just a little underweight.

Shes in great shape leave her be

Caryll wrote:I agree that from the photo she looks perfect. However, you really shouldn't be able to see a dog's spine. If you can, then they're just a little underweight.

But it depends how much it shows, it's very subjective, the boys spine show a tiny bit especially when breathing heavy and they are just lean not underweight

That's why I said that from the photo she looks perfect. I can't see the spine showing in the pic at all.

true i don't see any spine in the photo either

Yeah I'm with Caryll, if there's enough muscle condition, the spine is hidden by it, even on a really lean dog

Even in the photos to me she looks a little under conditions i think is more appropriate. I like how max looks, lean but lots of muscle. I dont like to see too much ribcage in a bull type, but thats me

each to their own i like to see their ribs

I only like ribs on a lurcher/grey hound types, bulls i think should be more muscular not look too lean

I think all dogs look great lean and they look mega healthy that way.

You can have ribs showing on any breed with plenty of muscle

I don't see her spine. I think she looks a very good weight. There are a lot of overweight dogs, so people are used to seeing them.

She looks a lil underweight to me but nothing to worry about as id rathdr see her like that than a fat lump fed on scraps. And andy your dog is an athlete mate, out and out ripped beut of a dog. I keep mine lean to, love it when they pose and show there muscle

Looks fine to me as well, but as has been evidenced by all the rest, there are differing views. I'd say at this point go with what you are comfortable with. Your dog is not extreme (a good thing), so people will differ on what they think looks better. Biggest question is if Cassie is happy.

She looks fine to me, lean and nothing wrong with it. Pixee is only 18.4kg and she is now around 2 years of age. Like others have said, stress can keep weight off, but yours looks happy and healthy and that is all that matters. Each to our own as said.

bbimson wrote:Looks fine to me as well, but as has been evidenced by all the rest, there are differing views. I'd say at this point go with what you are comfortable with. Your dog is not extreme (a good thing), so people will differ on what they think looks better. Biggest question is if Cassie is happy.

I think cassie is happy and getting used to us now and she has made this place home. Before she came here she was rarely walked and now she walks miles everyday so that could explain why she looks like she's losing weight (i have lost 10lb myself in the month we have had her). I do sometimes think we are under feeding her because she inhales her food instead of eating it, but she does have good muscle deffinition and she is as strong as a ox. Cassie is the 1st short haired dog that has ever owned me so that may have alot to do with my worries because the long hair hides the healthy structure of the dogs.Thank you to everybody who has responded i really apprieciate it

Seriously, if she's lively, happy & healthy, I'd leave her as she is! The last thing you want is to turn her into a fatty!

Caryll wrote:Seriously, if she's lively, happy & healthy, I'd leave her as she is! The last thing you want is to turn her into a fatty!

Yeah well it would serve her right,she doesnt feel guilty turning me into a skinny after all the hard work eating i have done to get fat .But no you are right caryll and i only want whats best for her

dave742 wrote:

Caryll wrote:Seriously, if she's lively, happy & healthy, I'd leave her as she is! The last thing you want is to turn her into a fatty!

Yeah well it would serve her right,she doesnt feel guilty turning me into a skinny after all the hard work eating i have done to get fat .But no you are right caryll and i only want whats best for her

Hey I agree with Caryll. You know she is happy so just take each day as it comes.