You may have seen OUR FACEBOOK POST about Momma Dog, the Schnauzer that comes to visit us at Dogville. Momma Dog’s weight was starting to cause some lameness in her front legs and shoulders and her mom Jennifer decided to start her on a new dog food from Hills that actively helps with weight loss. Well, here’s a 30 day update for you. Momma Dog had her first weigh in at the veterinarian last week and here are the results. Her starting weight was 20.8 pounds and her goal is 15 pounds. At her first weigh in, she weighed 19.4 pounds, a weight loss of 1.4 pounds. Only 4.4 pounds to go! GO MOMMA DOG!!So, was it as simple as making a change in her diet? NO. Mom Jennifer has had to make some serious changes in her own feeding routine for her four dogs in order to make this work for Momma Dog. Her work schedule included early nights and long days, so she just put out food for the dogs, trusting them to eat what they needed, when they needed it. This is a pretty common way for owners to feed their dogs. Unfortunately, some dogs can be like people, eating more than they should when bored or when tempted by easy access to food. Jennifer had to start measuring out food and putting it down twice a day in order to control the amount of calories Momma Dog was getting. And, that’s not all. They started walking more together, getting Momma Dog some extra exercise (and Jennifer, too!) to help her get back in shape.Have we seen the difference at Dogville? We just boarded all four of the dogs a week ago and the extra energy that Momma Dog is feeling was obvious to me. When we went outside, she followed me all around the back yard several times. Her front leg lameness has all but disappeared. Even her little tail is more prominent.Obesity in dogs is really no laughing matter. It creeps up on them just like it creeps up on some of us. It adds stress to joints and can ultimately shorten their lifespan when they become seniors and lose mobility. We applaud Jennifer and Momma Dog for taking these steps to get her back to a healthy weight. Please join us in supporting them as they continue their weight loss journey!
