The wife and I decided that the time was right for us to get a dog.We opted for a whippet cross which we found advertised on the Internet.When we went to see him we were astounded by how skinny and under nourished he looked, so much so that we would have bought him anyway just to get him out of the situation he was in. He stands 18-19 inches tall at the shoulder but weights just 8 pounds. We have given him flea treatment last night before bed and some worming treatment this morning with his breakfast. He really is a wonderful little chap who is fairly obedient and clean in the house and we have named him HARLEY.
It is going to take us quite a while to get Harley back into the condition and weight that he should be but we will do our best for him.
Here are a few photos (Far from being technically perfect which show just how skinny and undernourished he is at the moment.

Edit: I am struggling to understand how someone can let a young dog get into such poor condition.

 

Welcome to the world of lurcher ownership. Don't expect to sit on your sofa anytime soon. He's a pretty little hound and to be honest he doesn't look particularly underweight to me. He could maybe carry a bit more condition on his hips, but his waist and shoulders look fine to me. This sort of dog is never meant to look fat.

 

Here's my hound. He's a bit bigger than yours.

 

I thought he looked in reasonable condition but not being a dog owner I didn't want to comment.

 

Hello Harley! He's lovely - seems bright eyed and keen on life! I've known a few lurchers and none of them have been much more padded out than Harley seems to be but I'm certainly no dog expert.

 

Dammit I so want a dog. I so can't afford a dog. I so need a husband that wants a dog. Dammit.

 

Sell the husband.

S

 

What caught my eye is that he has very little muscle, I don't own a Whippet nor is this a pure breed (don’t get me wrong that is no problem) it is hard to say how exactly he should look. But the Whippets around here although very thin have muscles that cover the shoulders and hips so you can’t see the bones except for the rib cage. Martins hound looks good and Whippet is just a mini version (all hound and whippet owners will kick me for this) of a Hound.
But good to see he has a home and I am sure you will be out and about chasing rabbits for years to come.

 

I've been there too. The previous owner did recognise the situation and make what was no doubt a very difficult decision though.

Enjoy the exercise and work towards the right meal size would be my advice. Might be catching up with a whippet owning mate later who is currently considering another pup from the same parents......I'll show him your pics if I can.

Any chance of a head shot of your new buddy? He looks like a cracker to me.

 

However do you train your lurcher not to chase the cat?

 

At the moment we have just got back in from a really long walk at the reservoir where everyone seems to exercise their dogs. Harley has started his "socialisation" there and has been meeting loads of other dogs of all shapes and sizes (From little Yorkies right up to Great Danes) so once he has rested and cleaned himself up a bit I will try to get a few descent head shots. The photos I have posted really don't really show the true extent of how badly his bones (Particularly his hip bones and spine) stick out. He is still young so there is plenty of time for him to muscle up but we will be working on that once he a bit fitter and has a little more meat on him. At the moment he is only about 8 pounds in weight, I would expect him to be around about 12 pounds for his age and height.
I do have some experience of keeping both lurchers and retired greyhounds so I know the sort of things I will be up against, especially getting a place on the sofa!

 

Looking at the photo it certainly doesn't look like the dog has any problem with cats! In fact looking again at the photo I suspect that the cat knows who is in charge!

 

He was raised with a cat from a pup. Our cat taught him who's boss and they're the best of buddies. He'll happily chase the farm cats from our garden, but if they stand their ground and don't run he'll ignore them.

 

Here's a few that I have just taken which give a reasonable idea of his head and markings.
The second photo I have included just for fun - He has already learned that he is not allowed to set foot in the kitchen but if the wife is cooking he knows just how close he can safely get without getting told off.
The forth photo I particularly like as it looks like he is winking at me!

 

The dog looks ok to me, I think its taking the P... I saw it winking its eye!

 

Build him up slowly, and take him to the vet for an MOT (get him microchipped if he isn't already)
He's going to love you to bits - rescue dogs really do appreciate a new life.

 

He is going to the vet and checked over. He will also be microchipped and once he had a bit of weight about him and is fully healthy he will be "having the snip".

 

Oh he's lovely! You're not helping with my dog-envy at all here.

 

He will be fine by the looks of it, little fat and muscle, great humans to look after (him). Looking promising.

 

Lovely, thanks Pete. My mate thought he was a cracker too.

This probably won't help either but this one's parents are expecting their next litter......



Should probably have tried for a pic while there was still some daylight about!