do you get fat grey hounds?

Answer 1

you dont want your grey hound to be fat or overweight. and thats not just grey hounds.

Answer 2

Just the same as any other breed - if you over feed and under exercise, you'll have a fat dog.

And whoever said that greyhounds know when to stop eating, has never had a greyhound (or had a very odd one *lol*). They can be canine dustbins. Sadly, the greyhound racing world use that as an excuse to feed them rubbish - so if you have a retired grey - get them on a good diet asap. Preferably not a greyhound specific food, as they're far too high protein and can cause health issues in the long run (they're only suitable for racing dogs if anything, not retired ones - normal all breed dog food is fine for greys - the more natural the better though - Nutro, Burns, Autarky, James Wellbeloved etc).

Answer 3

Of course you can get fat greyhounds, same as any other breed thats been overfed. Grehounds are lazy by nature so over feeding can easily happen. A greyhound does NOT automatically know when to stop eating and if you have a race fit dog it will consume a huge amount of food which is then burnt off during training or racing. A real fit greyound would have very pronounced muscle tone, It has what we call the tow rope muscles which run down either side of the spine and are really promenant (race fit). The skinny belly on a greyhound is called the 'tuck-up' and will obviously get wider the more the dog eats, it will never be as big as such a dog as a Labrador but it will swell. The best way to get a gauge on your dogs fitness it to keek an eye on his 'pin bones', they are the small bone at the top of the dogs hip, on his back, at the top of his hind legs. when they are very promenant the dog needs more food in his belly but if they are totally covered (where you cannot see them at all) he is a bit over weight, ideally you should only just see the top of the pin bone and that way the dog is in good, fit condition.
Ps: agreed, you get the trainer who does not feed their dogs the best of grub but we, along with the majority of good trainers feed the best food you can give a dog. ie: fresh meat, vegetables, gravy, vitamins, minerals and oils,these dogs eat better than a lot of people I know. It costs a fortune to train a greyhound PROPERLY,thats without the cost of the Physiotherapist,training, special suppliments etc.

Answer 4

although i've never seen one,yes there will be fat greyhounds.They will be the ones that have no exercise and a really bad diet or pregnant.Greyhounds are naturally thin and meant to look "boney",they have very little fat deposits on their body which means they're prone to the elements and cant cope with heat or cold very well.They can be very lazy dogs especially if they're just kept as pets and not used for racing.They could sleep all day if they had the chance ,but do enjoy walks as this lets them burn off a bit of steam and have a good run,unless it's really cold or raining which they hate then you basically have to drag them out the house!

Answer 5

You can, but they will often (especally while young) not eat enough to get fat. Untill they get massivly obese they will have a lotta fat over the ribs and STILL have the wasp waist (maybe a bit thicker than normal but still less waist than even a thinnish Lab)

I saw a rescue so fat she couldn't clean herself in the skin folds around the fat rolls and had open sores...

Answer 6

Yes, but a fat greyhound looks "normal" by the standards of most other breeds. My greyhound is at a healthy weight and people who aren't used to greyhounds think she is way too skinny cause her ribs are showing. But, if she gained enough weight that you couldn't see her ribs and her muscle definition, she would be unhealthy and uncomfortable.

I've seen greyhound adoption groups actually take greyhounds back if the new owner lets them get overweight.

Answer 7

yes you do get fat Greyhounds they are either over fed and under exercised , They are a lazy dog that would like nothing better to do than sleep all day .

Answer 8

If you overfeed/feed them improperly and don't exercize them, yes.

I have an Italian Greyhound and random people who see him on the street think that he's underweight and I need to feed him. The truth is, he's supposed to look that way. The greyhound/whippet dogs are bred to be slim and fit.

Answer 9

Yeah, I've seen a couple of them and they look totally pathetic. Ignorant owners are a blight that's always going to be with us! Unfortunately, it's always the dog who suffers.

Answer 10

Any dog can be fat if its over fed.