Our Best Friend went to the vet two weeks ago.
“He’s gained 10 pounds since last year,” Dr. B. said sternly. “What happened?”
What happened, she asks.
Well, I was out of town 3 days/week all year… and it was just about the coldest winter ever… and we got no exercise at all… and atPassoverIchangedhisfoodfromdietkibbleanddidn’tchangeback.
He doesn’t look so bad here…
“Why not?” she wanted to know.
Why not. Because I found a grain-free brand from Costco that was almost half the price of what I was feeding him. The ingredients read better. And because I’ve come under the influence of people who think my brand of kibble is not nutritionally sound (fine, they might think it’s dog poison), and I was hoping to give him a better diet.
Dr. B. was not amused. “There’s nothing wrong with the brand you were using. It’s better than letting him gain weight and possibly developing diabetes and other health issues. It’s going to be very difficult for him to lose this weight now as he gets older.”
Like I don’t know that.
I love Dr. B. I really do. She is a great vet, she doesn’t over-vaccinate, and she’s always encouraged me to keep my dog, in spite of the insanity and hardships. She even gave Momma Cat a free vet visit because she supported my fostering a feral family. But I really, really, didn’t want to put Our Best Friend back on his old food.
So I did what I always do when I have a dog-related question these days. I turned to the blogosphere.
After considerable discussion, I reduced OBF’s food to two cups a day, and committed to a 30-minute walk daily. It’s not enough for a dog of his energy level, but I don’t want to make promises I know I’m going to break. So far we’ve managed, although it’s getting hot and humid now, which means the walks are increasingly evening walks, as I don’t handle heat so well these days.
What? Me? Steal kibble? You got the wrong cat.
By the end of the summer, I’m hoping we’ll have come down a few pounds (and I do mean we). I want him to stay healthy and live a long life.
(We won’t mention the fact that the cat steals his kibble, which is ruining her diet, and that his teeth need better attention too. There’s only so many sins you can confess in one post and still keep your readers.)
The Dog Park 
Finding the right dog food for each dog is a constant problem for me.
Good luck
I love your blogs! I really enjoyed our walk a couple of nights ago…..and so did your best friend!!
Oh oh! 10 pounds, ouch! It just sneaks up on you, doesn’t it? One can never be careful and watchful enough. Glad you’re willing to work on fixing it!
The humidity is killing my walks too – but I found a kiddy pool by the curb, so even though our walks are much shorter lately, i just put a few inches of water in the kiddy pool and the dog frolics and gets his energy burnt a little bit anyways. I doubt OBF wants to be out in the heat any longer than you do 😛 Gwynn definitely isn’t complaining about shorter walks, and his coat is shorter than OBF’s! Good job with your fitness and food plans 🙂
I can’t remember if this came up in the discussion, but… my mother in law inherited a grossly overweight beagle. The dog was FAT. For several months, she fed her 2/3 of her standard food measurement and then hit the other 1/3 with green beans. The dog felt full and didn’t whine and beg (versus just cutting back on the food, which left her belly grumbling), and she’s dropped a ton of weight. Though she still has a ways to go. Just a quick thought that I couldn’t remember if I had shared or not! 🙂
I’m wondering also if it didn’t have something to do with the form of measurement you were using? Were you using a cup to measure or an EMPTY COTTAGE CHEESE container? And I walk early in the morning before the heat of the day really slaps us.