Do These Genes Make Me Look Fat? Ned & Fred Weigh In

Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.

Despite being the smallest dog in our house by a considerable margin, Ned is also the greediest. If I didn’t think he would make himself ill, I would love to find out just how much food he would eat if given free rein. I suspect it would be a lot. Not so long ago, I thought I was going to have to rush him into surgery when, to avoid losing the piece of steak he had just stolen, he swallowed the large chunk of meat whole. What followed was 5-10 minutes of regret. It was clear from his misery and discomfort that the steak was too big to make it down the esophagus, so I knew that if it didn’t come back up soon we were going to have to go in after it.

Fortunately, Ned saved us the stress of surgery when he managed to reverse peristalsis and eject the too-large piece of meat. Which I had to quickly intercept before he tried to eat it again!

Despite his voracious appetite for virtually anything he can get his paws on, Ned has remained the same size and perfect body condition since he reached adulthood. At 12 months old, he weighed 1.8kg (3.96 lbs). Today, he weighs 1.82kg.

His (not so) little counterpart, Fred, has not been quite so fortunate. He is a larger-framed Chihuahua, so he was never going to be as light as Ned, and at 12 months old, Fred was weighing in at 2.8kg (6.1 lbs). Today, he is tipping the scales at 3.5kg (7.7 lbs).

It’s In The Genes

You might be thinking that comparing two different dogs is like comparing apples and oranges, but in this case, it’s more like comparing a Granny Smith with a Red Delicious, because Ned and Fred are actually cousins. They have different sires (fathers), and their mothers are sisters.

Ned is quite a lot smaller than both his parents, though he was not the smallest in his litter, while Fred is closer in size to his mother; we jokingly call him the teapot, because he’s ‘short and stout’. Given his larger frame, Fred’s ideal body weight is around 2.8 - 3.0kg, and I am certainly not trying to make excuses for him being a bit on the porky side, but the difference between these little lads certainly lends weight to the argument that genetics play a big role in metabolism and body condition.

Let’s look at the numbers:

So while Fred is consuming around 13 kcal over his maintenance budget, Ned is taking at least 82 kcal more than he theoretically should need, and yet, his weight remains perfect.

It’s Not Fair!

Look, I’m not too embarrassed to say that I struggle with my weight. And when I say struggle, I mean that I struggle with the knowledge that the diet and exercise regime I’d prefer to maintain does not give me the figure I would like. I am aware that I could work harder and eat better, but I also get really frustrated by those around me who eat worse and exercise less, yet weigh far less than I do. It would seem that Ned is like one of those horribly annoying people who “can eat whatever they want and never gain weight.” Fred and I, on the other hand, have a bit more in common.

Although he sleeps and exercises as much as Ned, and arguably eats less, when you factor in the extra food that Ned invariably manages to beg, borrow, and steal, Fred should ideally lose around 20% of his body weight.

Fortunately, dogs aren’t too preoccupied with body image or fat-shaming, or at least, I don’t think they are. I don’t believe Fred stands beside Ned, comparing thigh gaps and mourning his lack of bikini-bod, but he will probably notice when his portion sizes are suddenly smaller than Ned’s.

The Struggle Is Real

Life, it annoyingly turns out, is not fair. Some of us need to work harder to stay fit, while others have been blessed with a more efficient metabolism. Seeing how genetics have given Ned and Fred markedly different metabolic rates doesn’t make my struggle with my own weight any easier, but it does go to show that some individuals do have to work harder than others to stay in shape. And that’s got to be worth a few sympathy points if nothing else!