Hidden problems under those thick, fluffy coats

Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday I saw something that brought home a problem that is the major risk factor for diabetes (in dogs and humans), which is excess weight.  My brother-in-law, Steve, took the younger of his two dogs to the groomer, and he discovered why a Great Pyrenees's coat requires either constant attention from the owner or regular visits to the groomer (no more than 3 months apart). 

My sister and her husband have been having a hard time lately moneywise (who hasn't, right?), and they had to put off taking the dogs to the groomer.  Gus, the older dog (he's three-quarters Great Pyrenees and one-quarter Komondor -- his coat doesn't cord, but he has some cool waves) went last month, and there were no problems.  Doc's coat looked pretty good, at least as good as the dog in the picture above; after all, they do brush him and so on, but what none of us could see was that his undercoat had become a giant mat.  The groomer called my sister to tell her that they were going to have to shave Doc.

So, last night, Steve went to pick Doc up, and he said later that he was afraid to bring him home, since he expected his wife to go into hysterics when she saw her "new" dog.  In fact, I was the first to see him when he came into the house, and I didn't know anything about the matting.  "Who is that?" I asked.  Steve kind of winced.  "It's Doc."  I couldn't believe it.  Doc weighs about 130 pounds, and he looked like he was half the size he had been that morning.  However, without all that fluffy white fur, his body was suddenly easy to see, and it was obvious that he is overweight.  You could see that his silhouette was too round, just like those diagrams all the vets have in their waiting rooms that tell you what a dog at the right weight looks like. 

My sister's reaction was totally unexpected.  She kept saying, "he's so cute!  Like a giant puppy!"  She went nuts over him, but she also noted his enlarged midsection, and pointed it out to her husband.  Now, for years he's had issues about feeding the dogs.  Gus is a fussy eater, and doesn't eat a lot at the best of times, so when Doc came along and REALLY liked to eat, Steve rewarded his appetite with more food than was good for him.  Doc's new look finally showed Steve what he had done, and I think he's learned his lesson.  He saw what I went through with Tony.  I am willing to bet that Doc is going to be getting less food and more exercise from now on. 

I hope to have a picture of Doc in his "puppy cut," but I'm not sure Steve will let us take one.  He hangs out with a bunch of Pyr owners at the dog park, and he's always been proud that Doc is such a big dog.  I think he'll be too embarrassed to take him until some of the fur grows back.

Here's a sad story that just popped up from my Zemanta feed (Doc never looked as big as the dog in the Vail News photo, in case you are wondering), plus some less tragic tales:

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