I got my dog neutered about 6 month ago and he was a lean mean fighting machine at that time...ok he is a Golden Retriever and he isn't a mean fighting machine..BUT he was lean at least. After he got neutered he just kept gaining weight and he simply looks fat. I didn't give him any more food than before and his diet remained the same (Iams large breed...he is 25.5 inches tall and his weight was 75 pounds prior to neutering him).

I switched his diet now to Iams for inactive dogs. After his weight gain, he will still run after a ball...it just takes a lot longer for him to come back with it...

What are some of the recommendations you guys have as to what I can do to get him into a little bit better shape (I am not sure what his current weight is but its substantially higher than what it used to be...his body is now really wide). One thing to do I suppose is to consider more excercise but if we go jog a little he has trouble keeping up with me (which is a sad statement in itself considering my own shape...) By the way, he is 5 years now.

If a 5 y/o golden can't run you in to the groung 2-3 times over then the dog is beyond fat!! 1) you are feeding too much 2) It him off his fat duff and moving. His problem isn't Neutering, it's over feeding and lack of activity!!

Great post, Richard! It should be called Post Puppyhood Fatness Syndrome. Once the pup is thru the rapid growth period, owners often continue to feed too much hi octane food (or worse,puppy food) and then blame spaying/neutering for weight gain.

Guys,

he is 5 years old and he got neutered 6 month ago...this is not some post puppyhood thing..he had a very stable weight and was in excellent shape..he had more energy than I will ever have...and he started to gain weight right after he got neutered...

And I do not overfeed him unless you consider 2-3 cups a day overfeeding. Did anyone have a similar experience and got control of it again by doing serious exercise?

The neuter did not cause weight gain. At 5 yo, it's time to consider that he may be a *senior* dog, or approaching senior status. Before starting any kind of diet or exersize program, have your vet do a complete blood panel, there are medical conditions that can cause a sudden change in weight. Also, the vet can put him on an exersize program that is safe for him. 5 yo is the age I do full panels on all of my dogs as well as start them on glucosamine/chondroiton (even if the hips/elbs are good) as a prevenative. Goldens do tend to live longer than GSDs, so he may not be a senior just yet. But, if his weight really did jump abruptly, it's time for a complete blood profile, at the minimum.

Joy

Originally posted by Steffen:
Guys,

Did anyone have a similar experience and got control of it again by doing serious exercise?


Yes, I have had experience with spaying of two working dogs after age three. Both gained weight on the same amount of food and exercise. You should get him a complete check up and go from there BUT weight gain after a spay/neuter can happen. We had to lower the food and increase the exercise for both dogs to get back to the original weight.

Sue

Thanks I'll have him checked out...seems like the reasonable thing to do.

I did forget the Vet check. Our Giant gained a bunch of weight , but it was a thyroid disorder. I saw a list somewhere for thyroid problems, I don't rember if Golden's were on the list or not. It wouldn't suprise me, it is fairly common in the larger and mmore popular breeds.

Spay/Neuter lowers dogs' metabolic rate, causing many dogs to gain weight if their caloric intake is not reduced. This is independent of metabolic changes brought on by normal aging. Spay/Neuter also increases the risk of a dog becoming hypothyroid, which if it happens, can cause further weight problems.

Laura Sanborn
laura@xul.com

Goldens are indeed prone to thyroid disorders as are many other breeds. I think a complete check up and blood panel is very reasonable at age 5. Luckily, that's still pretty young for a Golden. I've seen many 13 yo running around <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />