It was September 2006, the weather was more like July, but my senior year of college had just begun when I adopted Milly. I broke every rule about adopting a dog on impulse, but I knew the moment I laid eyes on the sweet Golden Retriever that I would love her for the rest of her days. Since the moment I first saw Milly's big, brown, doe eyes looking up at me, I've known that we were meant for each other.
When I adopted Milly she was supposed to be younger than she actually was, by about 2-3 years. I'm glad I didn't know her actual age, because I might have turned her up for fear of future heart break if I'd thought my days with her would be limited. The first week I had Milly I made my most valiant effort to make her feel loved. That was all I cared about. I wanted her to feel like she had finally come home, and that she was safe with me. I let her sleep in my bed every night (okay, that went on for a full year), she was terrified of her food and water bowls, but I hand fed her every meal, she didn't know what to do with toys, but I encouraged her to play with lots of praise and treats.
When I look at Milly now, that seems like a life time ago. She knows exactly what she wants to do, when she wants to do it, and she makes her opinions clear. She gobbles down her food as soon as I present it to her; in fact, I now add water and fresh veggies to her meals to slow down her eating; she is very opinionated about what toys she will and will not play with (she loves plush toys with squeakers, but hates latex squeaky toys); she tells me when it's time to get up, or if she's bored and wants to play; she races to the door to retrieve her leash if she thinks the possibility of a car ride could be in her future. She is the ideal dog, she'll sit under my table at a restaurant with outdoor seating, she'll calmly ride the elevators, she'll wait for permission before exiting the grooming tub, she'll silently lay under my desk at work with her head on my feet when I'm really busy, and she'll look to me for reassurance that it's okay to lick a toddler. She's just perfect!
For the past three years, I've been told that Milly is a geriatric. I go with whatever it is the vet recommends for her care - I've started expressing her anal glands (gross, I know!) at home myself after the vet suggested it, I keep her on a loading dose of Cosequin DS and fish oil supplements, I brush her daily and stretch and massage her joints, I regulate her exercise to make sure she is getting neither too little nor too much, I continue to mentally and physically stimulate her in new and different places, and of course, I've added extra protein to her diet, as older dogs require more. But, she's never really shown any signs of old age. Sure, her muzzle has slowly become more filled with grey hairs, and she's a little stiffer about jumping into the car in the snow, but she really has been just the same dog I've always had!
That is, until recently. I woke up yesterday to Milly's normal nudges on my arm, and her normal morning wake-up calls, but I noticed something different. The medium golden coat that glistens in the sun has now become a white mask on her face. Her face is almost entirely white, now. Her body has numerous white hairs (yes, before she had the occasional grey hair) throughout it. She now is a bit slower to jump in the car, though she displays incredible athletisism, still. Milly also seems to be smarter than ever before!
I know the old adage, older is wiser, but I think it is really true. I've been working with Milly since I got her to walk on a loose leash, to not acknowledge and squirrels or birds we encounter on our saunters, and to respond when I ask her to do various commands. She's always been pretty good, but never perfect. She's always listened, but never been absolutely spot-on, and I've always needed to give her corrections.
Not anymore! It's like all of the sudden, the same day I realized her face is now entirely white, she is spot-on with every command! I used to walk her in a prong collar, but this week she's been flawless on the flat collar. She used to leap in the air and bark at squirrels, but now she simply perks her ears as if to say, "Hmmm, that's intersting, but not worth my time." Of course, Milly still eagerly runs to the leash rack if she thinks a walk is in her cards, but it seems as though she's wiser about it.
It's wonderful to watch my Milly age into such a dignified and wise dog, but at the same time I know in the back of my mind our days are somewhat limited. Perhaps, that is Milly's only flaw, that she will not live as long as me. I love her so dearly, and picturing my life with out her is virtually impossible.
I keep looking at her, and while, perhaps, I should let the fear of her mortality impact my emotions, all I can see is pride in my olden golden! I love her more than words can express, and she's teaching me a lot about life as I watch her wisen each day. It truly has been a blast to watch Milly age, and be with her through her life. She has certainly taught me about patience, love, dedication, hardwork, and playfulness. It's a blessing to have such a fun reminder telling me how to live my own life. She truly is a wise old lady!
Many of you know that I regularly bake my own dog treats. They're cheaper, they're healthier, and it's simply a fun activity to do! I love to bake, but I hate consuming those added calories, so baking for Milly is perfect for me. I own numerous doggie cookbooks, and over the years have tweaked and perfected my favorite recipes. Tonight, I made Doggie Peanut Butter Cookies and Grrrnola. Milly goes absolutely bonkers for these treats, and they're so much fun to make for her!
I highly recommend picking up the ugliest but best dog cookbook that has ever been written, "Homemade Treats for Happy, Healthy Dogs" by Cheryl Gianfrancesco.
Doggie Peanut Butter Cookies:
Ingredients:
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of wheat germ
1 egg
1/2 cup of water
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, wheat germ, and salt in a large bowl then mix in peanut butter, egg, oil, and water. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surfact until about 1/2 inch thick. Then, cut out the biscouts using a cookie cutter (I use a dog themed cookie cutter. but any fun cookie cutter will work), or cut into squares (a pizza cutter works perfectly for this). Put the biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes for the smaller sized cookies, and up to 35 minutes for the larger shaped ones. Store in the fridge... if they last that long! Grrrnola: Oat-nola for doggies
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of quick-cooking oats
1.2 cup of wheat germ
1.2 cup of unsalted sunflower seeds
1.2 cup of pure honey
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cup of Carob Chips (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease a baking sheet. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well.
Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes; let cool.
Transfer the Grrrnola to a resealable plastic bag and crush into small pieces.
You can freeze both of these treats for longer shelf life.
I promise to post the giveaway soon! I've found the camera cord, but wanted to wait until I secured one more item for it! Stay tuned!!!
As soon as the holidays have ended, Christmas or Hanukah has come and gone, the New Year has just begun, people head back at work, kids go back to school, and shelters are bombarded with owner surrenders of puppies, kittens, dogs and cats. The weeks following Christmas are the busiest time of year for most shelters in the United States, because people quickly realize the soft, cute, cuddly puppy they picked up for a quick smile on Christmas morning is now peeing on the floor, attacking the Christmas tree, and requires a lot more time and effort than anticipated.
Almost always, giving an animal as a gift for Christmas Hanukkah, Valentines Day, Easter or any other holiday is not a good idea, and usually results in the animal being turned in to a local humane society’s animal shelter. The financial and time commitments necessary for raising a puppy are so great that often the recipient of a gifted puppy or dog will become so overwhelmed they will feel they must rehome it, take it to a shelter, or in the worst case illegally “dump” or turn out the animal onto the streets.
Puppies chew things! They’ll chew up furniture, rugs, even molding on the walls! They’ll chew mom’s shoes (only the most expensive ones), your child’s toys, and dad’s briefcase complete with important work documents. It’s hard for families, especially those with young children, to have the patience for puppy behavior. Puppies are of course attracted to your holiday decorations too – shiny balls on a tree, strange new scents, fatty foods that can make your puppy sick that are tempting to give a begging puppy. After the holidays end many families realize they just don’t have the time and patience to commit to a puppy.
Puppies bark! They bark a lot. They whine. They cry. If you like peace and quiet this will surely get on your nerves! When you’re trying to focus on writing a letter or studying for something they will bark. If you’re working from home they seem to wait for your turn to speak on an important conference call before being exceptionally noisy. There will be many long nights, especially in the beginning, where your puppy whimpers through the night because he is scared and lonely without his mother and littermates. If you have to get up early for work you’ll have all sorts of stressful emotions when you come down stairs to a pile of poop or a pee, have to walk your puppy who then wants to play, and have to rework your entire schedule around this new animal. If you gave the puppy to your children to teach them to be responsible, they might soon get bored with the puppy after a few morning walks before the school bus arrives in chilly, wet weather.
Puppies don’t come potty trained – you need to train them! It can be very difficult to potty train a puppy or dog, and many people are not prepared for this process. Potty training relies on keeping a very strict schedule, especially in the beginning, with specific feeding times, play time, and walk times. Even when watched closely a new puppy will manage to squat and pee or poop on your new carpet, furniture, and even your mattress or bedding! You can not quickly potty train a puppy. It is a major commitment that needs to be worked on daily – you need to continue potty training when your stressed, when your child is sick you still need to stick to the schedule, and when all you want to do is sleep in on Saturday morning your whining puppy will remind you sleep is no longer a luxury in your life.
Puppies grow up quickly! They become dogs that slobber, shed, jump on people, require training and attention, chew your shoes, and dig in your flower bed. They might knock a small child over, and may even bite! If not trained properly a big dog can be very dangerous, especially around children. Training is an extra cost, often requiring going to obedience classes, and is a large time commitment for the owner who will need to practice with the dog between classes. It is best to start obedience classes as soon as you get a puppy by enrolling in puppy kindergarten.
The truth behind Christmas puppy classifieds!It is never a good idea to give an animal as a gift, and often times people are led astray by unscrupulous breeders after a quick buck that list “Christmas Puppies” in the classified sections of the newspaper. A responsible breeder, knowing how hectic the holidays are and the high turnover rate of gifted puppies, would never plan a litter with puppies available to go home over Christmas. Instead, the Christmas Puppy ads you see are often for-profit breeders who cut corners in health and nutrition of their dogs and puppies to make some extra holiday cash. Breeding responsibly is expensive – costly health clearances must be done on both parents (performed by board certified orthopedists, cardiologists, ophthalmologists, etc. and not just a general bill of health from your vet), dogs should not be bred until they are at least two years old, vet bills for both parents and puppies, high quality food for mother and her litter, the cost of a whelping box, add in an unforeseen cesarean section and often times a breeder loses money on a litter – and most responsible breeders barely break even.
There’s no such thing as a free puppy! If you’re reading this and still want a Christmas puppy you might be thinking, “Well, I’ll just get a mutt that’s free.” You must know there is no such thing as a free puppy. The cheapest part of owning a dog is the initial cost – whether it is “free”, purchased from a breeder, or the adoption fee. The first year and last year or two of a dog’s life are the most expensive. A puppy requires shots that equate to numerous vet visits in the first year alone. In many areas you will also be required to register your dog with the county or city and purchase a dog license. If you rent you’ll either need to pay a monthly pet fee or put down a hefty pet deposit – usually a few hundred dollars. You will need to spay or neuter your puppy, there are low costs spay/neuter clinics that are about $100, but if you use your regular vet for this procedure expect to possibly pay up to $400 for a spay. If your puppy gets sick it will be another trip to the vet, and costly medications to treat your puppy. Puppies often require special diets if they have any health problems, and these can be costly. The less glamorous side of puppy ownership includes fleas, ticks, common parasites or worms, mites and other nuisances that are expensive to get rid of. Then of course you’ll need supplies for your puppy – food, bowls, collars and leashes, a crate, training classes, a bed, heartworm preventative given monthly, flea and tick preventative, brushes and shampoos for grooming, ear cleaning supplies, nail clippers or a Dremel, treats, and plenty of toys to keep your puppy occupied so it is not destructive in your house.
Why is a Puppy a Bad Christmas Present??
There are numerous reasons pets given as holiday presents rarely stay in their new home. The following reasons demonstrate why puppies and kittens make terrible Christmas gifts.
It’s the most wonderful hectic time of year. There are many stresses during the holiday season – buying gifts, traveling to see relatives or preparing for out-of-town guests, decorating the house, attending parties, wrapping up end of the year responsibilities at the office, planning meals, entertaining… the list goes on. The hectic aspects of the holiday season make it very challenging to care for and bond with a new pet. The success of a puppy often is connected to the owner following a strict schedule involving plenty of attention, training, care and love. It is very difficult to accommodate a puppy’s needs with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and the result is a puppy’s whose needs were ignored resulting in a puppy with behavioral problems, and a stressed, frustrated and overwhelmed owner realizing they bit of more than they could chew.
Bonding with a new puppy is an important step for owner and pet – there must be a connection there for it to work.All puppies are cute, and it might seem like a wonderful idea to surprise your significant other, parent, sibling, child or spouse with an adorable, cuddly puppy you selected for them, but this should be avoided at all costs. Selecting a puppy that is right for a person is as individual a decision as selecting your spouse – one person’s spouse might be great for them, but you know would be a terrible match for you – you probably don’t want an arranged marriage where you have no say, so would you want a lifetime commitment of a dog where you didn’t take into account your wants and needs? A pet owner should personally select, or select with the guidance of a breeder, their new furry family member to ensure the owner and pet’s personalities do not clash. When I decided to adopt Milly there was a strong underlying attraction I had for her – there were plenty of other dog’s at the shelter that day, but there was a reason I was attracted to Milly. That initial attraction was a critical step in our bonding process, and enabled me to happily open my home and heart to Milly for the rest of her life. Adopting or purchasing a puppy is a very personal process, and it must be done by the new pet owner to ensure happiness of animal and human alike.
Timing is everything – is it really the right time for a new pet?I’m constantly saying “I’d love to get a puppy!” I make this desire clear to my boyfriend multiple times a day, but I haven’t come home with a dog on my many visits to the shelter in the three years we’ve been dating, and the reason isn’t because there wasn’t a puppy or dog I felt a connection to. Just because I want a puppy or second dog, I know the timing needs to be perfect. To give a puppy or dog to a person as a gift is like thrusting a major life commitment on a person that may not be ready. The receiver of the puppy will most likely be put in an uncomfortable situation where they logically know the time is not right for a pet, but they are now holding a cute puppy with a great personality, and the new owner might be compelled and somewhat guilted into keeping the puppy, or accepting the gift. The emotional aspects of holding a puppy, the soft fur, the little paws, the cute personality can easily tug at the new owner’s heart strings and soon they’ve lost touch with the sensible, logical reality that states, “I don’t have the money to afford vet bills on a puppy,” “I don’t have time to train a puppy,” or “I travel too much to give the puppy a good life.” This situation is unfair to both puppy and human, and is a great reason not to gift a puppy.
Alternatives to Giving a Dog or Puppy as a Christmas Gift:
It’s never a good idea to give a living animal as a holiday or birthday gift, but there are instances when you know someone in your life truly desires to own an animal, is ready for the commitment, and you want to give the gift of lifelong animal companionship to that special human in your life. If you are 100 percent sure the person is ready for a pet you can use some of these creative alternatives to giving a live animal as the gift, and ensure your loved one receives the animal they so desire.
Head to your local pet supply store and pick up some basic puppy or dog supplies and/or a gift certificate to the pet supply store. You might want to start with a collar and leash (make sure they’re exchangeable, because you won’t know the size), a few puppy toys and chews, maybe even a dog bed – put these items in a box and wrap them and put them under the tree.
When your loved one opens the box they’re reaction will be one of slight confusion “Why did you give me this stuff? I don’t have a dog /puppy.” This is when the gift giver can explain to their loved one that the real gift is a trip to the local animal shelter or to a breeder, all-expenses-paid, to select the new puppy or dog. The gift giver should explain if selecting a breeder that they can take all the time necessary, and a puppy might not be available immediately, but they can select the breeder and get on the waiting list for a litter if need be. This situation is the ideal way to give the gift of a canine companion to a human that is ready for the commitment, because it enables the pet recipient to not only select the right puppy or dog for his or her lifestyle, but it also enables the recipient to prepare his or her life for a puppy, even if that means postponing getting the actual puppy for a few months to prepare the house, acquire the supplies necessary, ensure he or she can take a few days off from work to be with the puppy, and get all finances in order before acquiring the new pet.
First, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! This is a day for Americans to give thanks, and a celebration of our harvests. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday - it is not commercialized, and it is a time of celebration and fellowship to be spent with those you love and car about. Today I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I'm thankful for - my family, my friends, my loved ones, my animals and my sweet Milly, my opportunity to ride horses again, my health, my home, my job, my blog and blog followers, and my freedom of speech that enables this blog - there are too many things I am thankful for to list.
I woke up early on this Thanksgiving to go to the Blessing of the Hounds at our local fox hunt. I was running a bit late, and missed the actual Blessing, though I did get to watch 40 horses and riders (a very small turnout) and many, many hounds run/gallop off into the woods as horns pressed against field masters' lips blared into the morning fog. It really is a sight. I actually used to partake in these fox hunts (don't worry, in my many years hunting we never once brought a fox to ground or killed a fox).
I spent my afternoon/early evening in fellowship with my family (minus one brother, his wife and their darling daughter) and my parent's dog Lucy. I left Milly in Arlington, VA this Thanksgiving to keep my significant other company (holidays are never a favorable time of year in his family, unfortunately) - she slept last night in the bed, and dined on a raw bison marrow bone this afternoon. This afternoon we had an amazing dinner prepared by my brother Teddy, and the whole family pitched in.
After stuffing our faces with Turkey and fully satisfying our appetites my dad suggested giving Lucy some Turkey, but I immediately said make sure no skin, no fat, and no turkey that has been seasoned, because it is rumored to be connected to holiday pancreatitis.
So before you feed those left overs to your pooch make sure 1) there is no turkey skin 2) there is no fat 3) the turkey has not been seasoned, because you don't want your pooch to get pancreatitis.
Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all! Let me know what you did today and what you're thankful for!!! :)
After picking up the Twist n' Treat simply because the store did not carry the Triple Crown Everlasting Treat Ball, I was a happy consumer, but I still really wanted to get my hands on my original intended purchase, and decided I’d hit up Petsmart to see if they carried it in Large (it seems the pet industry caters to small and medium sized dogs in the same way women’s shoe stores cater to the size 7). Petsmart had two left, and I eagerly pulled one off the shelf. When I had arrived at the store, I had no idea how much the Everlasting Treat Ball would cost (I’d checked it out on Amazon at ridiculously low prices), and I was a bit taken aback when I saw the price, but I wanted the instant gratification, and was succumbed to forking over the $24 to have a toy to amuse Milly while I’m at work, and something to blog about. While there, I went ahead and purchased the Everlasting Treat Refills (a two pack) for $9.99, because the ball only comes with one treat (making it not really a ball that rolls if you only use one).
About the ball:
It is a large ball (smaller than a kickball, but much bigger than a softball) making it an ideal toy to use unsupervised because there is little to no risk of swallowing it. The ball is made of a very firm rubber, and has two flat ends with holes to insert the everlasting treats. With both treats inserted it will bounce a little, and easily rolls around to keep your dog more engaged.
About the treats:
While I contemplated this purchase the only thing that was holding me back were the treats. The ball says you can stuff it with your own treats, but the build of it makes it more appropriate and much more convenient to buy the ones the company makes. I am going to work on stuffing it with my own, and I’d like to find a way to create treats that are healthy and fit in it better.
The ingredients in the treats leave much to be desired, and are in no way healthy - wheat gluten, gelatin, water, glycerin, natural flavoring, corn gluten meal, garlic powder, brewer's yeast, lecithin, sodium diacetate, vegetable gum, titanium dioxide, natural coloring – and they’re made in China (normally a deal breaker for me).
My Experience:
I presented Milly with the Everlasting treat ball with two different treats on either end (the chicken it came with, and the lamb I purchased). She was totally engrossed in this ball for HOURS! She would not even look up when I called her name, and licked, pushed, and pawed at it all evening. While the treats, made in China, and lacking any wholesome ingredients, do not fit into her normal diet, I found it takes her a very long time to make any dents in them at all, so while the treats aren’t great, she is only ingesting them in very minute quantities.
The ball itself is ingenious, very Kong like in theory, but much more interactive, and really caught her attention. I’d say she enjoys this even more than the Twist and Treat, but I only let her play with it every now and then to limit her ingestion of unhealthy treats.
The rubber is very well made, and I think this toy would be appropriate for a dog that is prone to destroying most toys (obviously, supervise to make sure it is indestructible). If you don’t mind the bad ingredients, and have a dog that quickly figures out how to remove the treats they even make a treat that screws into a screw (made from treat, of course) and ensures a longer lasting treat/experience. This will be ideal for preventing her from digging in the yard when I’m not home.
I look forward to playing around with filling the ball with my own treats, and seeing what results I have.
All in all, I’d say it’s an awesome toy, but be cautious because the treats are lacking in nutrition, so only use it sparingly.
Anyone else see a HUGE MARKET for wholesome treats for all of these toys? From the Kong spray to the Everlasting Treat (and all the others) there really is a market for holistic alternatives!
A few months ago I decided I wanted to start using a probiotic/prebiotic supplement for Milly. There are many, many, many reasons for this, the most important being that most commercial diets are cooked at such a high temperature that the healthy digestive enzymes are cooked out of the food. Probiotics can help with overall digestive health.
Milly, while having a strong stomach, does have some digestive issues, the most noticeable being fairly frequent impacted anal glands (about once a month). Having your dog on probiotics also can “strengthen their stomachs” and prevent an upset tummy should your dog ever need to be treated with antibiotics. The last thing I would want, especially with a senior dog, would be for her to ever need to be treated with a course of antibiotics and not be able to keep the medication down, or weaken herself by vomiting or having diarrhea because her digestive tract was not ready for such harsh medicines.
Once I decided I would start feeding probiotics as part of her daily diet I began researching various companies, and trying to weed through all of the options on the market. Going through all of them was enough to make my head spin, and at times I even wondered, is this worth it? But, I do see the value in feeding them, and know adding them to her diet will enhance her overall health, and will even be noticeable in her coat, which has been rather lackluster these days. After lots of research and speaking with an animal nutritionist, numerous breeders of top AKC show champions, and my vet I settled on Nature’s Farmacy DOGZYMES Digestive Enhancer. The product has received rave reviews, and it seems very cost effective at about 5 cents a day for a 50 pound dog.
I ordered it this week, and hopefully it will be waiting on the doorstep when Milly and I return from our long weekend in the Midlands of South Carolina – we leave tomorrow at 4:00am and we’ll be there until Tuesday. I will let you know how she likes them, and what health changes I see after feeding them for six weeks! If you own a dog that is on a kibble and not a raw meat diet, you might want to talk to your vet or an animal nutritionist about adding probiotics to their diet too.
Obesity is an extremely common problem in dogs and, just like humans, being overweight or obese can be very harmful to your dog’s health. I’ve noticed when I personally put on a few pounds my knees hurt more, well that’s just a few pounds on me, but think of if Milly (who is less than half my weight) packed on a few extra pounds – the pressure to her joints would be much greater. I have read that one pound of excess weight is 5-10 pounds of added pressure to your dog’s joints, but I have not yet found a concrete statistic for this. Being overweight is not just a stress on your dog’s joints, but it can also be a stress on the dog’s overall body and puts your dog at an increased risk of diabetes, liver problems and joint pain.
People frequently comment to me, “Oh my, Milly is soooooooooo skinny!” or “I can’t believe how little you feed Milly! or “I can feel her ribs when I pet her!” as if inferring I keep Milly underweight, which I do not. I keep Milly at her ideal weight, and she is not at all overweight. At one point, I let Milly get overweight – she was up to 84 lbs – and I saw the detrimental effects this had on her health. Ironically, little had changed in my care of Milly to cause her to gain so much weight. However, at the time, I was only feeding her one meal a day (this can slow their metabolism, so she now gets two small meals), I measured her food, but I was feeding her a little bit more than I should have, I fed a diet containing corn, after my shoulder surgery Milly’s exercise time decreased and finally, Milly aged, and just like us humans, she hit a point where her metabolism slowed way down, and she no longer needed the food she once did. I saw the detrimental effects weight gain had on her – she was more lethargic and tired easily, she could not jump on to the bed (she now has no problems), and had trouble jumping into the back of the car.
When I took her to the vet for her annual checkup and learned of her weight (she had put on 12 pounds) I was very concerned. What surprised me was the vet did not even acknowledge Milly was overweight until I probed her about what would be the ideal weight. After learning great pointers on dieting I immediately went out and bought a measuring cup to keep in Milly’s food storage bin. I started measuring her food. ¾ of a cup in the morning and ¾ of a cup in the evening with two tablespoons of canned food split between the two meals. I felt bad for feeding Milly so little and started mixing in canned green beans (no salt added), fresh carrots, non-fat yogurt, and 100% canned pumpkin. I limited Milly’s treats – and even put her on a low-fat treat at first. If your dog is very overweight, you can measure out the daily food each morning, and use the kibble as treats throughout the day, whatever is left over in the bowl at feeding time is dinner.
I was a bit concerned that the vet did not even acknowledge Milly’s weight, but when I walked out there was another Golden Retriever in the waiting room who I can only describe as morbidly obese. This Golden looked like a rectangular coffee table with a head and tail. His back was literally flat, and he was three times as wide as Milly.
It did not take long for the weight to come off of Milly, and I saw major differences in her personality, happiness, and health as five pound increments seemed to fly off of her. She is now 63 pounds! Yes, she has lost 21 pounds in a year and a half! She could lose another 1-2 pounds, but at her age my vet and I agree it probably is best to leave her at 63 pounds. Most people I encounter say she is too skinny, but she is not. She is simply at an ideal weight, and so many people are used to seeing overweight dogs. Milly has a nice tuck, when you touch her sides you can feel her rib cage but her ribs are by no means protruding. She now is totally capable of going jogging with me, jumps on the bed with ease (though I am planning on building her stairs as this can be a strain on her hips), leaps into the car as if it is nothing, and has so much more energy! I feel like a horrible dog owner that I ever let her get over weight, but I am not lying when I said the weight gain really did creep up quickly.
Having seen what it was like to own an over weight dog, and the transformation in her quality of life and health to being at an ideal weight I see the great disservice many people do to their pets by keeping them overweight. I believe that many people give human characteristics to their animals, and enjoy giving them (often high fat) treats because it “makes them happy”. Well, a nice walk also makes a dog happy. A slice of an apple makes a dog happy. You don’t have to do away with dog treats, but think about portions. I used to give Milly the entire dog biscuit for each good thing she did. Now I break it up into at least 4 servings. She doesn’t seem to notice that the treats are smaller, and I can spread out the amount of times I give her treats by doing this so I have more opportunities to “make her happy”.
One of the most beautiful photos ever taken of Milly I have never posted, because I am ashamed of her weight. I still feel a lot of guilt and remorse that I did such a disservice to her, and in a way, neglected her health and well being. I have come to realize that a lot of times allowing your dog to get very obese can be almost as detrimental as under-feeding them and allowing them to get too thin.
Well, now here you have it. The photo of her at the barn was taken at her heaviest, and this is her now.
Even though she is sitting you can see that she is clearly overweight, and lacks definition. She does not have the "tuck" and her rib cage seems to flow evenly into her back end. She is between 82-84 pounds in this photo taken a year and a half ago.
Sorry this isn't the best angle, but here you can see she is more slender, and has definition. You can somewhat see the "tuck" I described, but the angle is not the best. She is 63 pounds in this photo, taken last week.
Here you can very clearly see how the "tuck" and that she is at an ideal weight. She is not too skinny, is not at all overweight and is a very trim and fit 10 year old senior citizen. This photo was also taken last week.
Obesity develops when energy intake exceeds energy requirements. The excess energy is then stored as fat. Once a pet is obese, he may remain obese even after excessive caloric intake stops. The majority of cases of obesity are related to simple overfeeding coupled with lack of exercise.
Certain groups of dogs appear more prone to obesity than others. Specific breeds (Labrador retrievers and pugs, for example) and older dogs are particularly prone.
Is your dog a hog? As a subjective assessment of body condition, you should be able to feel the backbone and palpate the ribs in an animal of healthy weight. If you cannot feel your pet’s ribs without pressing, there is too much fat.
Also, you should see a noticeable "waist" between the back of the rib cage and the hips when looking at your pet from above. Viewed from the side, there should be a "tuck" in the tummy—the abdomen should go up from the bottom of the rib cage to inside the thighs. Dogs who fail these simple tests may be overweight.
5, 6, & 7. We recommend that you consult your pet’s vet before starting on a weight loss program, which should include these major areas:
Correct Diet
Overweight animals consume more calories than they require. Work with your veterinarian to determine your pet’s caloric requirements, select a suitable food and calculate how much to feed. The diet should contain a normal level of a moderately fermentable fiber and the type of fat that prevents the skin and coat from deteriorating during weight loss. Diets that dilute calories with high fiber lead to increased stool volumes, frequent urges to defecate and variable decreases in nutrient digestibility.
Exercise
Increasing physical activity can be a valuable contributor to both weight loss and maintenance. Regular exercise burns more calories, reduces appetite, changes body composition and will increase your pet’s resting metabolic rate.
Owner Behavior Modification
A successful weight management program requires permanent changes in the behaviors that have allowed the pet to become overweight. Perhaps you are giving your pet too many treats, for example, or not giving him enough opportunities to exercise.
Are you committed to your pet’s weight loss? Here are some important things you can do: - Remove the pet from the room when the family eats. - Feed your pet several small meals throughout the day. - Feed all meals and treats in the pet's bowl only. - Reduce snacks or treats. - Provide non-food related attention.
