Is your Corgi Overweight??? Take a second look!!! UPDATE!!! 9/14/2009
Let me first start by saying... our Soffie is a tall girl and quite a bit larger boned than our Griffyn and weighs in at 38lbs. 3 weeks ago Soffie pulled up lame on her hind left leg. This following a full tilt run across the front yard. Hard to know exactly how the injury actually occured but.... the end result was a torn cruciate ligament. We had an appointment this past monday with an orthopedic surgeon (believe me we had already done so much research on this injury!! Pros / cons to surgery. Pros / cons to controlled maintenance) And here is a direct quote from the surgeon report and the very first thing listed on the Surgeons recommendations for Soffie's recovery.
"Soffie presented to the FVRC for evaluation of a left hind limb lameness. Her general physical exam was unremarkable, except she is moderately overweight. The orthopedic exam showed effusion (increased joint fluid) in both knees, but only the left knee was painful. There was no instability elicited. We suspect that Soffie has a partial tear of the left cranial cruciate ligament. Although surgery is an option, it is reasonable to give her time to see if the lameness progresses.
Recommendations:
1. Weight loss is the most important aspect of treatment. You should be able to easily feel the ribs when you pet her and she should have a visible waist when viewed from above. Begin by decreasing her food intake by 20%. If you would like to offer treats, please use rice cakes, carrots, or take kibble from the measured meal. She should be weighed in 2 weeks to assess progress. If she is not losing weight, then decrease intake by an additional 10%" (end of quote from surgeon)
Soffie's prognosis is the same with or without surgery. Arthritis!!! And she is only 3years 7 mos!!! And there are signs she will have problems with her right hind leg too! And her weight is the largest contributing factor!!
We're dealing with what we have to do now. And that is keeping her totally restricted. We have a pen in the house to keep her in a small confined area. At night she sleeps in her crate. (I miss her in bed with me!) We bought a ramp because she cannot do even 2 stairs out to the back yard! No walks! Out on a leash only for potty breaks! No jumping, no running, no sudden movements. No swimming ( until after her recheck in 4 weeks) imagine how hard that is going to be for my little swimmer when we're on vacation next week at the lake in Maine.
Anyway.... bottom line. Would we have been more diligent about her weight had we understood the consequences??? The answer is an emphatic YES!
We really didn't think Soffie was overweight because of her height! We were wrong! And I hope any and all of you out there that read this post will take heed and do what is right for your beloved corgis!!
"Soffie presented to the FVRC for evaluation of a left hind limb lameness. Her general physical exam was unremarkable, except she is moderately overweight. The orthopedic exam showed effusion (increased joint fluid) in both knees, but only the left knee was painful. There was no instability elicited. We suspect that Soffie has a partial tear of the left cranial cruciate ligament. Although surgery is an option, it is reasonable to give her time to see if the lameness progresses.
Recommendations:
1. Weight loss is the most important aspect of treatment. You should be able to easily feel the ribs when you pet her and she should have a visible waist when viewed from above. Begin by decreasing her food intake by 20%. If you would like to offer treats, please use rice cakes, carrots, or take kibble from the measured meal. She should be weighed in 2 weeks to assess progress. If she is not losing weight, then decrease intake by an additional 10%" (end of quote from surgeon)
Soffie's prognosis is the same with or without surgery. Arthritis!!! And she is only 3years 7 mos!!! And there are signs she will have problems with her right hind leg too! And her weight is the largest contributing factor!!
We're dealing with what we have to do now. And that is keeping her totally restricted. We have a pen in the house to keep her in a small confined area. At night she sleeps in her crate. (I miss her in bed with me!) We bought a ramp because she cannot do even 2 stairs out to the back yard! No walks! Out on a leash only for potty breaks! No jumping, no running, no sudden movements. No swimming ( until after her recheck in 4 weeks) imagine how hard that is going to be for my little swimmer when we're on vacation next week at the lake in Maine.
Anyway.... bottom line. Would we have been more diligent about her weight had we understood the consequences??? The answer is an emphatic YES!
We really didn't think Soffie was overweight because of her height! We were wrong! And I hope any and all of you out there that read this post will take heed and do what is right for your beloved corgis!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Garrett, Katie, & Conan on
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First off, I'm very sorry to hear about Soffie's injury and I hope for a quick and painless recovery. You definitely seem like you've done all you can to educate yourself, so it doesn't sound like she could be in better hands!
Now for my question; how tall is Soffie? Conan is a large Corgi as well. He weighed in at 38lbs. last time he was weighed too. He has a pretty well defined waist, but I can't easily feel his ribs. I thought that he was just a big Corgi (which he is) but now I'm second guessing whether or not he should lose a few pounds. I'm glad you gave a heads up for the larger Corgis out there.
Get well soon, Soffie!
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Jack is a large Corgi too. 14 inches high at the tallest point of his shoulder (the withers), and correct length-to-height ratio for a Corgi.
He weighs 38-39 pounds, and I have had a vet, a vet tech, and a breeder all tell me recently that his weight looks good. At the advice of the vet, I am tracking his measurements so he doesn't need to be weighed so often.
He is 25 inches around at the chest, and 21 inches around right in front of his hips, so his chest is about 4 inches bigger than his waist. Not sure if this is helpful or not, but it's hard to just go by weight. We've all seen the show standard and the old "any Corgi over 30 pounds is fat" statement, yet I just talked to another breeder who shows a lot of Corgis, and she said it's not unusual for a big male in the show ring to go 30-35 pounds. As I have no direct experience, I can't judge her comment.
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I actually haven't measured Conan's height yet, but I have noticed he is taller than the other Corgis I have met. Do you know the proper measurements all around? I feel awful, because I should know this, and I don't! But I will definitely measure him because his weight is important to me. He is very active, so I don't feel that he is overweight. But, if he is, I might take his activity down a step in intensity until he loses a few pounds so he does overdo it and end up injuring himself. I remember going to pick Conan up from the breeder when we got him and seeing his sire, and thinking, "whoa! I didn't realize Corgis got that big!" He's about the same size as his dad though, and the breeder said he probably would be. I think you're right that the measurements play as important as his actual weight and definitely want to keep track of it. Thanks for the info!
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An ideal Corgi should be 10-12 inches at the shoulder and weigh about 24-28 pounds, in "show" condition.
As I said, Jack is very big. Not just tall, but he has a big chest and when you look at him---- well, we just met a retired show female a week ago, and while she had good substance, she looked petite next to Jack.
Length should be 40% longer than height, so a 12-inch-dog should be about 16.8 inches, withers-to-base-of-tail.
Because my dog is two inches too tall, he's also 3 inches longer. So in "cubic dog inches" (LOL) he is physically much larger than the "ideal" breed standard. I had heard through someone else that the breeder we used has bigger dogs, and have seen show results where judges also indicate that they are a bit bigger, but still she has a lot of champions, so now I'm not so sure about that breed standard.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Hi Beth,
Interesting as I have read somwhere that PWC can weigh up to 38# and so when you wrote this I thought of that but then I also read about the #30 limit.(seems almost like there's 2 standards!) I have seen the larger PWC and my one is longer...How long is Jack ? Mine is 12 " high but longer.
So those of you who have "heavier corgis..." are they longer also?
My other 4 are all about 12" high and 24-29#'s and about 18" long except Livvy is slightly shorter.She has champ bloodlines and will be the perfect show ring size!
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Permalink Reply by Judi, Dawn, Soffie & Griffyn on
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Thanks for the well wishes Conan.
We actually have never measured Soffie's height. And didn't really look at her as tall until we got Griffyn (who by the way, weighs 28lbs) and we could see that by comparison she was quite a bit taller. And when we attended the Florida Corgi Picnic last year we also could see that she was taller and generally larger than many of corgis there. We could always see her waist, but I will say we could not readily feel her ribs.
At her wellness check when she turned 2 her vet warned us about her weight and at that time we changed her food to a reduced fat formula. She didn't lose weight but..... she didn't gain either. And when we looked at her she didn't appear overweight to us. At her 3 year wellness check she was still at 38lbs. The vet kind of wagged his finger and gave us the "oh she's a little chunky" talk. We just didn't realize how much difference a few pounds could make. And by the way, I forgot to mention in my previous post, the surgeon recommended she lose 4 pounds! Just 4 pounds.
Yes, Soffie is a jumper. On and off of my bed which is 24" tall. Up onto the sofa and then onto the back of the sofa. Bounding in from the back yard and taking the 2 steps into the house in one leap. I know all of this activity definitely added to the deterioration of the ligaments. But she's only 3 1/2. I can't help but believe the extra weight she carried added to the risk of this type of injury.
Just like us, I guess each corgi is an individual. And what is right for one, might not necessarily be right for another. But for the sake of 4 pounds I will always be sure all my dogs in the future (whether it be a corgi or another breed) will be at the correct weight. In all that we have read about this particular injury, being overweight was the common thread.
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I bet she can do 4 pounds no problem! :) Conan is a jumper too. It worries me a little because of the long backs Corgis have, and also now I'm concerned that he may need to lose a few pounds. I definitely don't want him to get hurt. It's great that you're taking the action now. Like Cindi added at the bottom, a lot of people don't pay attention to their dog's weight and how detrimental it can be to their health.
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Yep, Jack hit 43 at one point before we switched foods and I agree 4 pounds is a big difference. He was not obese at 43, but he was looking chubby and also was not so active. He was losing his waist, though you could still feel ribs.
At his current weight you can easily feel ribs, he has a waist from above and from the side and a hollow spot behind his ribs.
4 pounds on a 40 pound dog is the same percentage as 12 pounds on a 120-pound person, if you think about it.
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Permalink Reply by Becky S on
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Also, 1# of weight = 4# of pressure off knees, hips, etc. so that 4# is actually 16# of pressure!
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WOW!!! That is quite a statistic! We hadn't happened upon that one!! Knowledge is power, right?!
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Permalink Reply by Boo Buchheit on
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My Corgis are not over weight. I can easily feel their ribs and they have waist lines from above. Last weigh in Leo was 27.6 pounds and Randy was 14.8 pounds.
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