wjmartins Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Een with his latest escapade of blocking his system by eating a pine stick, has lead to new information. The Vet specialist, after doing ultrasound says he has a very big bone structure and should be weighing 80lbs instead of 55lbs. This is due to small adrenal glands leading to Addison's disease. He has always been full of life, but a picky eater and seemed constipated. Although he looks healthy, his hind legs, back bones next to the spine have always been prominent beneath his coat. The Vet says we should not see or feel that, he is way too lean. I thought 80lbs is heavy for a Husky, would like opinions? Further blood tests will follow and we will see where to from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) I'm not going to argue with your vet, but here's what the AKC have to say: Working Group; AKC recognized in 1930. Ranging in size from 20 to 23 ½ inches tall at the shoulder and 35 to 60 pounds. Sled dog. and the CKC Size At maturity (18 months) a male should measure 21 - 23-1/2 inches (53-60 cm) at the withers and should weigh 45 - 60 lbs. (20-27 kg). Bitches should measure 20 - 22 inches (51-56 cm) and weigh 34 - 50 lbs. (15-23 kg). and finally the Siberian Husky Club of GB Size [TABLE] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]HEIGHT[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]-[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]Dogs 53-60 cms. (21-23.5 ins.) at withers[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"] [/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]-[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]Bitches 51-56 cms. (20-22 ins.) at withers[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"] [/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"] [/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"] [/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]WEIGHT[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]-[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]Dogs 20-27 kgs. (45-60 lbs.)[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"] [/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]-[/TD] [TD="class: normalbgnone"]Bitches 16-23 kgs. (35-50 lbs.)[/TD] [/TABLE] Weight should be in proportion to height. These measurements represent the extremes in height and weight with no preference given to either extreme. A dog should not exceed 60 cms. (23 ins.) or a bitch exceed 56 cms. (22 ins.). Sorry about the odd sizes up there, they did their own thing ... obviously. 80 pounds sounds more than a little heavy. I'll also add, that most of the comments I've made ( and seen ) say to expect to be able to feel the withers and backbone, probably pronounced. My Misty did have and Sasha and Avalanche both have pronounced backbones! Both weigh in at about 50 - 55 pounds. I'm more interested in how their ribs look / feel. An overweight dog will both look heavy and you won't be able to feel the ribs easily ( too much fat ). An underweight dog will have ribs that are pronounced - really obvious, and the dog will probably appear to be underweight. To me if my dogs have enough meat on their ribs so that I can feel each individual rib with meat ( er, muscle ) holding them together, I'm pretty much satisfied. If the picture you have up is Een - post trauma - then to me he looks fine, shaggy ( Like my Sasha ) but fine. Edited November 1, 2012 by Al Jones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 I'm reluctant to argue with a vet, but I am a little unclear/confused. Did your vet measure Een's height? Just asking because he doesn't look thin to me - and the words 'too lean' seem an ambiguous phrase to use for my comfort. I would have asked the Vet, 'What do you mean, too lean? Do you mean underweight, or in your opinion, do you just mean that a Husky 'should' look plumper? There is the KC breed standard that you could look at as a guide, but 80Ibs seems pretty heavy to me, given the photo I'm looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 As usual, Al, you say it a lot better than I - and you beat me to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 As usual' date=' Al, you say it a lot better than I - and you beat me to it.[/quote'] Not true and not often, but if I'm going to suggest that a vet doesn't know what he's talking about, I want the figures to back me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Not true and not often, but if I'm going to suggest that a vet doesn't know what he's talking about, I want the figures to back me up. Hmm, my thoughts exactly. About 6 months ago, a supposed breeder in my area spotted Timber and Molly outside Tescos. (Don't ask.) Anyway, she apparently wobbled on about how underweight Molly was for a Sibe, and how Timber was so overweight. Wish I'd been there. I took them both to the vet in the following week for innoculations (an old fashion one, but one that is also a show dog judge in his spare time) and he was very accommodating of young Molly. In his opinion, she is 'on the lean side', but he 'prefers that in Sibes.' He also asked about her behaviour, and Timber's as well, and concluded that Molly is a 'high energy' dog/very anxious and up and about at the slightest movement, whereas Timber is a lazy arse. He doesn't move around a great deal unless there is a cat to chase and is quite happy to just move around in his own sweet time. Metabolism, I guess. If I did a 'confession box' in terms of what/how much my furkids ate each day, it'd be frightening even to me. There is no way Molly eats too little. She 'burns' it all off. (Lucky cow!) Ahhh...and then there is poor Mya! I took her on as a rehome several months ago and it is quite evident that she suffers from the same affliction as some of us human women do...'cake retention'. She only has to look at a slice of something nice and she piles on the pounds. Excuse the cliche, but 'at the end of the day', each dog is different, and it as much about behaviour/activity as it is about feeding imo. OP: your dog looks fine. Get a vet that knows about Huskies if you are still concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjmartins Posted November 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Thanks for all the input. The Vet probably did not look up the Husky breed and compared it to the norm of dogs, I agree, een is not too underweight. He is however a picky eater and when he poops he looks constipated, so we will have blood tests done and look at this properly. After the hospital, he has now pooped 7 times today, so the poor boy must have been badly blocked up. Here is a pic tonight, he looks exhausted and the hair shaven for the drip and ultrasound shows. I think we love these dogs way too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjmartins Posted November 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Update: From the help given here, I just measured Een. He is just off 26" off the shoulders and off the withers. So, he is outside of the norm and should probably weigh North of 60lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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