I took Penny to a local physiotherapist who deals with dogs, because I suspected she was limping - just before our first-ever big day at a flyball event next Sunday! (The races at the Royal Melbourne Show recently were just a 'taster' for us, as there were only teams from our own club.)
I'm ashamed to say the physio said the main problem is that Penny is overweight.
I asked how much, and he said TWO KILOS. When you only weight 16 kilos, that's 12.5% of your weight, and I calculate she's about 14% overweight. I'm feeling really bad.
But of course we can't just start massively dieting. A friend advised me to cut her food gradually.
So, today is the beginning of the fitness and dieting programmme!
Penny, fortunately, doesn't know the bad news..
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14 comments:
Good luck!
Penny!
Oh dear, diet time! I wish you luck losing weight! It'll be hard at first, but I know you can do it!
I hope you and your human have a grrrrEAT weekend!
Sparky
Bummer, Penny! Just a little less food for a couple of weeks and you'll be slim and trim once again! We hear that green beans and pumpkin are excellent additions to your food!
Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch
Maggie and Mitch, thanks a million. Penny just loves beans and she really likes pumpkin, so I'll try that. I guess you mean cut down on the meat and replace with vegetables?
Just in case you don't see this, I'm going to come over and ask you on your blog.
Thanks, Slavenka. We went for three walks today!
Yep, Sparky, we can do it. I've measured my own starting weight so I can get to a healthier weight also. I think if we're overfeeding and under-exercising Penny we're probably doing the same thing to ourselves.
A bit less food intake, more exercise, adding green beans for satisfaction and working for food is how we got Gracie down to her ideal weight after we adopted her. She was chubby!!!
Being agility folks I weigh my pups at least three times a week and adjust daily food and treat intake accordingly. I know it sounds silly, but just an additional .5 lb on JoJo is something to be concerned about and gauging that takes weighing often :)
Oh dear....dieting...no fun for anyone. Best of luck with a swift slimming program!
Good luck, Penny! You can do it! 2 kg is not that hard as long as the humans are disciplined. LS said she's feeling guilty now for lack of determination. I'm still 1.5kg overweight. So she said it's time for her to seriously get down to it. Bad news for me?
Happy, it's good news and bad news for Penny, because treats have disappeared from the menu altogether, there are lots of cuddles and pats, belly rubs and ear pullings (she love them).
Also, two walks a day!
I've received lots of great advice, and one of them is to substitute pumpkin for a little of Penny's usual meal. She loves pumpkin, so that should be good.
Just think of how spunky you will look in that new outfit for summer...Parlance of course, because I assume you are going to get much fitter and slimmer too with all that restraint and extra exercise.
How on earth one remains firm with big brown eyes pleading at you I do not know, but good luck.
Curator, as I said to Happy, Penny is gaining lots of walks in return for the loss of treats and extra food. So I think she'll be okay about it all. However, she did disappear outside this evening and was gone so long I went to see why this unusual disappearance. She was chewing on an old bone she had dug up. She must have a good memory, because I don't remember when she buried this one.
Johann, your comment makes me think of a saying by an old dog expert here. He said, if your dog gets fat, you're feeding too much, if thin, too little, so check them regularly. I'll take your advice and weigh her more often.
I'm popping over to your blog to ask you whether the beans should be raw, and, if so, should they be mushed up in the juicer.
theregatha, you are spot on with your comment. I'm eating (a little bit) less because I feel guilty that the big brown eyes are watching.
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