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Does Lyra look too thin?

lucidity

Well-known member
I've been told by several people lately that they think Lyra is too skinny (including her breeder). She's currently 8.5 months old and weighs about 10.5-11lbs. She looks to be in very good shape to me, but then again, I'm very used to fine boned breeds like Papillons (who generally are a lot slimmer) than Cavaliers, so thought I would ask you all for your opinion?

Here's what she looks like now:

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I honestly prefer dogs to be on the slim side than on the heavy side, especially with Cavaliers and their heart problems! It's just easier to keep weight off than to try and get a heavy dog on a diet, in my opinion...
 
hi
yes i agree looks just perfect to me too her coat looks beautiful
my louie was weighed at the vet in september last year he was 7.2 klos
and he was 3yrs 4 months old then and he looked just like lyra
 
Looks in very good weight to me as well. Depends on whether she has ribs clearly showing -- cannot really see from that angle. Ribs when you rub fingers across them should be easily felt -- feel kind of like if you put a dishtowel across the bars of a crate -- palpable but not prominent.

Cavaliers are definitely healthier on the lower weight end for their shape/size -- as almost every one will eventually get heart disease and extra weight, even small amounts, contributes significantly to poor heart health and the possibility of earlier onset and more serious levels of affliction. My Jaspar looks like Lyra (at 8) and the vet recently remarked what fantastic shape and form he is in -- that this is the kind of weight they should be in. She is probably on the lanky side right now anyway as is common for a pup at her age. :)
 
Brooklyn looks like this, so I would say fine. Just do the rib check as Karlin suggested....if you can see them visually (vs. Being able to feel them) she might need a tiny bit more weight, but it wouldn't be much.
 
Because most people (including breeders) allow their Cavaliers to get overweight, they take this as the norm, so that to them a fit Cavalier looks underweight and skinny. Lyra looks fine to me, and if she's got plenty of energy and doesn't pick up infections easily, I reckon she's fit. Also I think that some lines of Cavaliers are skinnier than others - the first Cavaliers I met, back in the 1970s, were brothers and really skinny - but very fit and tireless.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Dougall looked a very similar shape at this age, I think she looks in good shape.


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Lyra looks fine. We've got cavaliers from two different breeders, and Éowyn is more naturally slimmer than Molly, who's a bit more "squatty" in her body structure. Lyra looks very much like Éowyn. If you need something to compare, I posted a link, where you can see Éowyn standing up.http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?39875-Éowyn-is-3-years-old-today&highlight=%E9owyn

Éowyn is 3 years old and weighs now 7 kg (15,4 lbs), but I must also say that she has just gained 1 kg (2,2 lbs) by order from the vet. She still looks very slender and skinny, but it really can vary. Molly weighs 8 kg (17,3 lbs), but she looks much heavier than she is. She has also been on a diet to loos 4,4 lbs (2 kg), a few years ago, and now both weigh what they should - and are praised for it by the vet :)
 
Thanks for the input everyone! Haha, yes I love her markings too. Her red spots really tickle me sometimes.

I definitely cannot see her ribs at all, but I can feel them easily. She is fit as a horse (much better than Cadence was as a puppy) and is a huge glutton. If I were to feed her whatever she wanted, she'd be extremely portly, LOL.

Thanks for that picture of Eowyn by the way! She looks exactly like Lyra, size wise.

Kate, I completely agree that so many people let their Cavaliers get way too heavy. :( Of all the Cavaliers I've met, only maybe 2 were slim and healthy. The rest... some could barely breathe after playing fetch because they were SO overweight. Even Lyra's litter sister is fat :( When I met her a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't see any waist on that dog at all; yet people were saying that she is in better shape than Lyra! I couldn't help but say "that dog is FAT. They need to be feeding her less".
 
She looks perfect too me. Charlie's a very slender cavalier. Has very narrow hips and rib cage and gets called underweight all the time. Too many puddings about if you ask me and it is changing people's perceptions and not for the better !!
 
Not that you really need any more confirmation, but she is about the same as Kokoda who is now 11 months old on the 26th.
Kokoda is the fittest, muscley-est dog i have ever had, including german shepherds and boxers. He is always moving.
People often tell me he is skinny too, but he also doesnt have any coat yet to make him look bigger. His coat is growing VERY slowly....
 
Thanks, Karen & denali. I am going to continue feeding her the same amount of food I've been feeding for the past couple of months. She gets 1/2 cup of food a day, divided into two meals, and lots of treats in between. When I'm feeding raw, I give her 2.5% a day.

Just got a bunch of comments again today about how skinny she is and how I should feed her more to fatten her up. I think fat and overweight dogs have become such a pandemic that nobody knows what a slim and heathy dog should look like anymore!
 
She looks perfect to me. Murphy is 7 months and looks the same. Had him at the vet and was told he was in great condition, and he is such an athletic little guy. would load pictures but keep forgetting how,
 
She looks just right to me too, why some people want a cavalier to llok like a 'tub of lard' is beyond me :D Don't worry, as long as she's eating and full of well-being.
 
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