Is Sampson the labrador Australia's most obese pet? And is this abuse?

[sinkingfeeling]

Cross post from pets group.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/is-sampson-the-labrador-australias-most-obese-pet/story-e6frf7jo-1226079537660

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. yes. it is abuse UNLESS there is a medical reason

for that dog to be that overweight... as in a metabolic issue

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Then are parents of overly obese children also guilty of abuse?

[provis99]

4. yes, they are.

There are some parents out there who think morbidly obese children are "cute". That they might die before they hit their 30s doesn't seem to fase them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Unless the qualifier of metabolic disease applies

there a couple renal diseases for example that will lead to overweight as in grossly overweight kids, yes.

It is not on purpose, and we love them, but it is a form of abuse.

[RockaFowler]

3. That poor dog

He looks happy, but he doesn't look healthy at all. I have 3 Dachshunds and we have to be very careful with their weight. They lost a pound and my vet was so happy. Sable (the one with the weight problem) is even more active now after she lost just 1 pound. We are responsible for our pets. They are a member of the family. So it is our responsibility to make sure they get the right food, the right amount of exercise and the right vitamins. This particular pet does not seem to be given the right amount of anything. Overindulgence is horrible for people and pets

[HelenWheels]

5. Take that dog away

from those abusive owners and let an animal lover work with it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Read the article, they have

He is a foster now.

[slackmaster]

8. That's a fur seal with dog legs

:argh:

[Myrina]

9. Yes, that's horrid! That poor boy must be in alot of chronic pain ...

.... joints, heart, breathing, etc.

Responsible pet ownership includes excercising your dog and knowing what kind of activity the breed type requires to be 'healthy and happy'.


Shame on the people who did that to him!!!!!

[patrice]

10. Yikes! Thanks for posting! That's what Zoe would look like if I weren't diligent

in standing watch over Francis Kitty's food.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. OK, my question is - Why is he on a leash?

Or is the leash on the kid?

[tnlefty]

12. Sampson is pitiful. Whether intentional abuse or not I don't

know. I read the article, and my first impression was that his former owners might have issues with food and/or saying no. I can't imagine ever having a pet that I couldn't say no to, but that's me.

It's sad that he's paying a heavy price for something his owner's couldn't control, but at least he's with a foster family now and will hopefully get better.

Even if his owners had issues, I can't believe that they didn't take a good, hard look at Sampson,and realize that his health was in jeopardy, just a sad situation.

[EFerrari]

13. @ssholes.

My Lab gains weight if I feed her wrong and don't exercise her enough. These people should be charged with animal endangerment. :mad:

[Darth_Kitten]

14. Poor animal doesn't LOOK happy or healthy.

:(