Muscles in Dogs
Nearly all pet dogs I see are overweight. It's actually quite normal and healthy to see ribs on active working or sporting dogs (with smooth coats), who are basically the epitome of canine health... But it'd be fine to see on an active pet too. Being able to see and judge muscle mass is important, in both builds of dog, either bulky or lean. It has to do with how their muscles are formed, (mostly) genetically. “Fast twitch" muscle fibers or "slow twitch" muscle fibers, fast being bulky muscles like on an American Bully, or slow like in border collies or huskies. (Fast twitch muscle fibers are specialized for bursts of POWER. Slow twitch muscle fibers are specialized for SPEED and ENDURANCE.. which means it is somewhat possible to build either type depending on the exercises done, but it’s heavily genetic in dogs.. Like most things)
You have to train your eyes to see true fitness in lean muscled dogs, they will never be bulky like a bully even after running the Iditarod, so seeing ribs on them may seem more shocking with their apparent lack of muscle, when in reality they are perfectly healthy. Lean muscled dogs have muscles that may appear “flat” or like “sheets” (visualize the muscles of an Azawakh hound). Even if ribs are showing, if there's good muscle mass, the dog isn't underweight. When an animal is truly malnourished the body takes away from the muscles, causing them to atrophy, or at least appear weak and scrawny. Being very slim is much better for their joints, tendons, and ligaments. Their livers are able to function much better. They are less likely to become diabetic. They are less likely to get heart disease and high blood pressure. They digest more normally. And most importantly, they don’t feel like a miserable piece of shit. :)
