Hamish my red brindle 6 year old Cairn is getting somewhat round as the Cairns have a tendancy to do. He is a big Cairn anyway as all his siblings died at birth and Hamish got all available milk.
He is 13 ins high measured to the top of the shoulder and 24 ins long, nose to base of the tail. There doesn't seem to be a BMI index for dogs that I can find and all the average weights that you see for Cairns don't really apply as he is so big for his breed. Can anyone help please with what an average weight should be for this size of dog.

Many Thanks,

A

You should be able to feel his ribs and he should have a waist...
If you follow these two "measurements" he is healthy weight for what he should be, no matter what the scales say...
I would not bother about average weights for the breed as they are all individuals, as you say he is a big boy so might not fit the weight scale anyway.

My rule of thumb is you shoud be able to feel the ribs but not see them - more difficult in a coated breed but I use this rule with my Golden Retriever who weighs nearly 35kg but is fairly lean. My vet always comments on how fit and well he looks compared to some other GRs who tend to be on the heavy side. I do agility with him and he is very muscly.

Dogs are all different - my smaller dog is very difficult to keep weight on and he is fed far more than most dogs of his size, around 6kg. If your dog is looking too heavy cut his feed down a little and then adjust accordingly to keep him looking good :-)

Hi I am an owner of 3 cairn terrier, I have a mother and daughter and another

the mum is very slim and in good shape but her daughter is alot taller and very big for a cairn and she has be on a px diet for a while now , we hope she loses the weight!!!! The other carin who is not related is very tiny and very slim too

I have no advice really to gove you as i am struggling to get the weight off mine (the one who is tubby)  but thought id write on here as i am a cairn owner

As others have already said it's better to make your weight calculations by 'hand and eye' so have a good feel under his coat for his ribs.

It's worth considering that he may be a little less active now he's 6 and you might need to drop the quantity of food you give him.  There's no reason for any breed to carry excess weight so don't let that be his excuse! :)

> You should be able to feel his ribs and he should have a waist...
> If you follow these two "measurements" he is healthy weight for what he should be, no matter what the scales say

This is exactly how I gauge my dogs.  By feel really.  And if they don't feel right, then food is adjusted accordingly.  Only ever weigh them when it's Drontal time.

In addition to the above excellent advice, try to always use a measure for his food.  If you use the same measure every time he's fed it's easier to cut down or add to his food ;)  I use a cheap plastic beaker marked with 100 grams in indelible felt tip pen, but Iams and Eukanuba also make plastic food measures ;)  For my pups I used a Jelly pot :-D

By far the fattest dogs I meet are those whose owners use their hands/eyes by which to measure the dog's food :(

Most food manufacturers stated amounts are far more than any of my dogs needed to stay fit and well and I think many people find the same ;)

I also found my mother's Cairn needed far less food (dry complete) than my parents thought, it's surprising how little complete such small dogs need.

Thanks for all your responses everyone, really helpful.
What is your thinking about the slimming versions of dried food? I use James Wellbeloved (best for a little dog with colitas I find) I am thinking of giving Hamish the light version possibly?

If anyone has a safe diet plan for a Cairn could they advise me please?

A

>What is your thinking about the slimming versions of dried food?

I'd just feed less.  However, as Dill has said do weigh the food.  If you weigh your guestimates you can easy be adrift by 20 -50 grams!!

Just a small adjustment of 5g meal is often enough to make significant changes to your dogs weight over even short periods of time.  Try it - and see what happens :)

> Just a small adjustment of 5g meal is often enough to make significant changes to your dogs weight over even short periods of time.  Try it - and see what happens :-)

This advice is most definitely true, and I'm amazed just how many people don't weigh out their dogs food.  I have a houseful, but still weigh quantities out.

What dogs a babe has said is spot on.  One year when my vet was giving my toy poodle her booster, he said that it wouldn't hurt for her to lose weight.  I dropped her dry food by exactly 5gms and next time she saw the vet, he was very complimentary. 

If you don't currently weigh your dog's food, try weighing the amount you normally give him - you may have quite a shock! ;)  My parents had been feeding twice the recommended amount for a 10 kilo dog!! (and remember that recommended amounts are usually VERY generous ;) )

Then if it is more than recommended you could reduce by 5g daily until it's at the recommended amount, you may find that this is all that's needed, however if the amount fed is close to that recommended try reducing by 5g.

I advised my parents not to change foods, simply to reduce the amount fed over a week and try soaking with water first to help their dog feel fuller. 

Personally I don't see any point in diet foods, they simply contain more indigestible material and can play havoc with sensitive tums ;)  They are usually more expensive too :(

By the way, I would expect a healthy 6 year old Cairn Terrier at the right weight to be full of energy and still 'almost a puppy' as terriers are very energetic little dogs ;)  

I have a cairn and 2 yorkies. I feed James Well Beloved and use a measuring cup so that they are fed the same amount at each meal. My cairn does really well on this food but I have found that my cairn actually needs less food than one of my yorkies to maintain the ideal weight. Like many others I adjust the amount fed by how they look and not on what it says on the bag and I now know exactly how much they need.
jane

Thanks all for your advise I think I am going to have to be quite strict with Hamish's imput (food and treats) from now on. I am also splitting the now lower quantity of food into a meal in the morning and another at teatime to give him an easier time of adapting to his diet.

Hi Jane, Emma5673,

Just out of interest what sort of size is your Cairn? Comparing Hamish with the Cairns (2 males) in our village he seems bigger than both of them when comparing height and length. 13 ins high measured to the top of the shoulder and 24 ins long, nose to base of the tail.

Andi

Link to Cairn Terrier - Scroll down for height  ;)

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/70