Have you ever had to put your pet on a diet? I know lots of folks do, we just never thought it would be us. Poor Pepper. Hopefully she'll be back to her old self soon!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Walks with the Pup
The hubs and I took the pup to the vet over the weekend and they gave us some unexpected news. Our little Pepper is overweight and needs to go on a diet. It was some shocking news to hear, but we made some modifications to get her on the right track. I think part of the reason is that I haven't been running with her as much. With the crappy conditions and freezing temperatures, a run outside just doesn't sound like fun. And not to mention, the snow is so easily caught in her fur, it is ridiculous. On the plus side, this just means we get to go for some nice long leisurely walks together. We went with some friends over the weekend and stopped at the dog bakery and the ice cream shop, you know, to even things out a bit. :)
Can you tell her mood before and after the walk? That dog really loves the great outdoors!!
Have you ever had to put your pet on a diet? I know lots of folks do, we just never thought it would be us. Poor Pepper. Hopefully she'll be back to her old self soon!
Have you ever had to put your pet on a diet? I know lots of folks do, we just never thought it would be us. Poor Pepper. Hopefully she'll be back to her old self soon!
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Awww, Pepper! She does look pretty happy post-walk :)
ReplyDeleteBoth of my dogs have been on diets - it doesn't seem to be nearly as hard for them as it is for people. Jude was seriously underweight (about 20 pounds I think) when we rescued him, so we fattened him up a little too much. He was eating chicken breasts, rice and eggs with his kibble for the first couple of months. Woops. And Meko was overweight when we adopted her, but since she has arthritis in her hips, she needed to lose about 10 pounds to get back to a healthy weight and help reduce her pain. I do notice that they're both so much happier and more energetic at their goal weights, not unlike people I guess.
Uhhh yeah I really do need to put Olive on a diet. But cats are SUPPOSED to be fat, right??? I try not to overfeed her, but she's not losing any weight. And how the heck and I supposed to get her to exercise?
ReplyDeleteLuckily my dog has never needed to be put on a diet, despite the fact that he gets more than his fair share of treats. However, he gets walked about 4 times a day even in winter, so that probably helps. He is a lot like Pepper in that he loves to go outside in all weather. He can hang out in the backyard when it is 10 degrees and it doesn't phase him too much.
ReplyDeleteWe have two dogs, Briscoe (black lab mix) and Tucker (yellow lab mix) and they were at the vet about 6 weeks ago. Briscoe was under weight and the vet suggested he eat more to put on some weight (but the dog does nothing but walk around the house. All. Day. Long. He basically walks himself. Tucker, on the other hand, used to be my walk/run partner when I was just starting the C25K program. As I got into the longer running intervals the poor guy (and his shorty legs) couldn't keep up so he started staying home. Unfortunately, I kept giving him as many treats as I had when he was out walk/running with me. So... one dog under weight and one dog over weight.
ReplyDeleteAww, Pepper! You look fit to me!
ReplyDeleteWe had to put Data on a diet a few years ago. He lost 3 lbs and has maintained! LOL! It sucks though. He whines for food all the time, yet he is at a really healthy weight.
My girls have both been on diets in their lives. Peyton got up to 72(!) lbs. because I was overfeeding her too many treats and bones. I cut the amount of treats and she had more walks and play time. She is now 60 healthy lbs, and has been maintaining for years. =) Joyce was underweight when we got her, and I had to put 8-10 lbs. on her. She put on a few too many because then I discovered she was eating poop. She still needs to lose about 2 lbs., but it is hard when she is picking up after toddlers. Good luck to Pepper!
ReplyDeleteAww, I'm hoping she will be back to her old self soon. Hopefully her diet and some more exercise will help!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I thought about that. Are you supposed to take cats on walks? I've heard that doesn't work out so well...
ReplyDeleteHaha, it seems like she spends more time outside the colder it is. And now, whenever she comes in, she's covered from head to toe in snow!
ReplyDeleteAww, Pepper also always begs for treats and pizza crusts (her favorite delicacy) and we've had to stop all that stuff until she is back to a healthy weight. :(
ReplyDeleteOops! Hopefully they evened out on the next vet trip! Thanks for sharing, I'm glad I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jill! I'm hoping Pepper will be back to her old self soon! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Olive whines SO BAD for food, or what's even worse is when she doesn't whine, but tries to get my attention, like finding a box or bag and batting at it ... at 3am ... or even in the evening when I'm just hanging out. SO ANNOYING.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that as long as the cat doesn't go outside, you don't need to bathe it. And I have zero desire to bathe Olive, so I don;t really want to even try to take her for walks. We just try to remember to get out the laser pointer and get her moving that way.
ReplyDeleteAw poor Pepper!! I love walks with the dog. My dog loves walks!
ReplyDeleteOur Trinka Deu was so emaciated from an undiagnosed intestinal parasite when we adopted her that we kind of let her eat whatever she wanted once she got better. We could tell, though, when she was getting chubby since her fur was so sleek and then we would just cut back on her food and make sure she didn't eat the other dog's food!
ReplyDeleteWe would also take her to the dog park to run off her energy and I would occasionally take her running, too. It's actually pretty easy to get a dog to lose weight since they aren't in control of their food! Sometimes I wish I could just dump a cup of kibble in a bowl for myself twice a day and move on with life!
aw, she'll be fine - plus, what an AWESOME shirt she's sporting there! Luv it.
ReplyDeleteNoo pepper! Ah but she looks so happy post walk :)
ReplyDeleteHaven't put CB on a diet, but I was shocked when the vet referred to him as "senior" last visit. Almost broke down into tears! 8 isn't old!!!!!
Maybe we can have a dog walking party?!
ReplyDeleteAww, poor baby! Yes, we've been cutting down on the amount of food and I think it is helping. We are hoping she will be back to her old self soon. We haven't found a nice dog park by us yet that is free. Most of them, you need to pay an annual membership ($80 is a bit too pricey if you ask me)
ReplyDeleteHaha thanks!
ReplyDeleteAww, CB! It is all about how young you feel, right?? I think he feels younger than he is! AND 8 years is definitely not old. :)
ReplyDeleteI think we've always had to pay an annual fee for dog parks (haven't had a dog in the actual city of Chicago yet, though. Those might be free). I didn't mind because it meant that most people wouldn't bring their aggressive or unsocialized dogs since you had to pay and get a permit to take your dog to the park.
ReplyDelete