"She's a full-figured gal"

Two months ago I took my dog Audrey in to the vet for her annual check-up. Unlike most dogs, she actually enjoys going. All you have to say is, "Audrey, want to go for a car ride?" and she is jumping and spinning in the air until you let her in the car.

Every time we go, she is weighed. This time she weighed-in at a whopping 73 pounds! I was shocked! I actually thought she had lost weight since the last visit, especially since we had started jogging together in addition to her frisbee breaks. The vet responds with, "Let's just say she's a full-figured gal." That's right, she called my dog "full-figured." What's an owner to do?

I decided (unbeknownst to Audrey) that it was time for her to go on a diet. Poor Audrey. Gone are the days of bottomless food bowls, high-calorie doggie treats, and the occasional piece of cheese or lick of peanut butter. For the next few weeks, Nathan and I carefully measured out each breakfast and dinner portion for her, much less than she was used to having. For a little while, she would check the kitchen several times a day to see if there was any more food in her bowl. Poor Audrey.

For a while that seemed to be working (or so we thought). She was definitely noticeably hungry at mealtimes, she always finished her food, and she looked a little thinner. We left for a week for our Belize scuba diving trip and had to put her in a kennel. We gave them strict orders about how much and when to feed her. We were determined that she would loose weight. When we got back, she had actually lost a couple of pounds. "Great!" we thought. It's working!

A week or so later we decided to weigh her again. She must be thinner. We were convinced. She hopped in the scale and the numbers started climbing. She gained the weight back! How was this possible? We had two options at this point, feed her less or change her food. The portions already looked so small compared to before. You could practically see the bottom of her food bowl! We just didn't have the heart to give her even less. So, we decided to put her on "weight-management" food, Jenny Craig for dogs.

Well, I have good news. It's been a few weeks since we changed her diet, and she has actually lost a few pounds! It's a start. She's still pretty hungry, she goes in to the kitchen to lick the crumbs from her bowl from time to time. I have to admit it's a little sad. But she looks better so it's worth it. And she doesn't actually have a choice. :)