How to weigh an overweight nervous dog between vets visits.

S

Sue Ellen

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Our dog is overweight and this needs careful monitoring according to the vet.

We have cut back on his food as much as possible and he gets a lot of exercise.

He is extremely nervous. He is a rescue dog and had a rough start in life. I would love to be able to weigh him regularly but would certainly not manage it on the normal bathroom scales. Somebody mentioned about holding him and weighing both but he would not let anyone near him to do this.

Local chemist shops or stores do not allow animals so can't use large scales and either way it would probably be unhygienic.

Don't want to have to pay vets fee for just weighing him and even then the vet we use is quite a distance away.

Any other bright ideas out there?
 
Hi there,

that's an awkward one, we too have a rescue dog although he is over his nervousness now!. How big is the dog, i.e if he's a small dog you could put his bed on top of the weighing scales and let him go to sleep. We also have two cats, one of which is absolutely terrified of the carrier I have to use to bring her anywhere so the vet suggested just leaving it in the room with the cat for a few days and maybe feeding her in it - worked really well, she totally relaxed and i was able to get her into it - again, feeding the dog on the scales might only work if he is quite small. Although, you could perhaps place a light sheet of wood over the top of it, reset to zero, this would give you more 'floor space' for the dog to stand on. All depends on size of dog really. Otherwise I would ask the veterinary nurse could you just pop in and weight him from time to time, surely they could let you do this without charging??

PS: Our dog is on a constant diet, I found that beta light is a good food for them, seems very filling.
 
Think you can buy a a hook/ pull scales (not sure of proper name ) you hang it from a secure location ,rsj/wood beam etc, then you could cut four holes in a strong sheet /blanket and put the dogs legs through it and knot it tightly over his back ( the knot tight not the sheet arround the dog) then hang it from the hook weigher and read the result . the dog only needs to be a few inches off the ground to get a reading. subtract the weight of the sheet for more accurate result.
 
Needed:
1) Very long plank
2) Fulcrum
3) Small dog of known weight.
4) Measuring tape

Method:
Fulcrum in middle supporting plank.
Attach small dog to end of plank.
Move your dog along plank till it balances.
The ratio of the distance of each dog from the fulcrum should enable you to determine the weight of your dog using the law of the lever.

Previous post looks like it may be a more practical solution.
 
We had the same problem with our large collie. We wraped him in a sheet and then other half lifted him up and then stood on the scales. It only takes afew seconds to read the scales. Works for us. Our vet would weight him without charge but the vet is some distance from us and the dog won't travel in the car.
 
I think marts where they sell cattle etc have weighing machines. I'm not sure but I think it's the ring where they walk around. Or you could try down the docks if you're close to one. Cargo has to be weighted I guess Or a company that ships stuff. Or DHL maybe.
 
Do vets charge for weighing a dog, ours doesn't and am very surprised to hear that they would charge..
 
"Think you can buy a a hook/ pull scales (not sure of proper name ) you hang it from a secure location ,rsj/wood beam etc, then you could cut four holes in a strong sheet /blanket and put the dogs legs through it and knot it tightly over his back ( the knot tight not the sheet arround the dog) then hang it from the hook weigher and read the result . the dog only needs to be a few inches off the ground to get a reading. subtract the weight of the sheet for more accurate result."

IF I WAS THAT DOG....AWAY I WOULD RUN......rapidly! ;-)
 
If the vet is interested in the dog obtaining a healthy weight then surely they would facilitate you calling in to have your dog weighed weekly, withiout charge.
 
I would be very surprised if a clinic does charge - because you are not actually seeing the vet themselves.

In the interest of the dog I would try and weigh him as often as you can, if you put a small treat on the vets scales that might work..
 
Maybe you could get a tape measure from a sewing kit/shop and look for reduction in girth between visits to the vet - guess he would have to be very overweight for this to work though???
 
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