My Name is TaraBear and I'm a Chubby Doodle

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

 Don't let this happen to your doodle!

Last time you saw Tara she was partying hard on her 4th birthday. Well all that has come to a quick end. Yesterday I posted a video in the Grooming Group for a DK'er who was concerned about her doodle's weight. After watching it I gave Tara the exam. OMCD! (Oh My Cubby Doodle!) I'm guessing she is about 2 pounds overweight which is quite a bit for a 20 pounder. The equivalent of your 100 pound doodle being 10 pounds over. She has lost her hourglass figure and her ribs have disappeared.  So the diet started yesterday, right in time for the Holidays! :(

Here's the video (please ignore all references to Purina!!):

Then I received a Newsletter from Tara's vet today which contained this article (excerpts as I removed the parts about having your vet advise you about diets and food :) stressing the importance of proper weight for our dogs. Also giving me a jab for killing Tara with too much food!!!!  So "we" at least the "me" part of  "we" are determined to find Tara's ribs and get her hourglass figure back. Tara on the other hand is threatening to rehome herself! I see I have my work cut out for me!!

 

Obesity in Dogs

Is Your Dog Overweight?

Obesity is on the rise, and not just for humans. Dogs are increasingly overweight and even obese. In the United States, an estimated 43 million dogs are overweight or obese - that’s over half of all dogs! And it is not just dogs in the United States that need to lose a few pounds - canine obesity is also a problem in Canada, Europe, Australia and other countries worldwide.

Canine obesity increases the risk for osteoarthritis, insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and respiratory problems, kidney disease, some types of cancer, and cranial cruciate ligament injury. Thanks to these increased health problems, overweight dogs face a decreased life expectancy of up to 2.5 years.

Even if your dog is just a couple pounds over his ideal weight, those few pounds could make a big difference to your dog's health. For example, a 7lb Pomeranian is considered to be a “healthy” weight and the equivalent of a 145lb, 5’ 4” human female. An extra five pounds on the Pomeranian, however, is the equivalent to a 249lb female, which is more than 100lbs over the female’s ideal body weight. Just a few extra pounds really will make a big difference for your dog’s health.

Why are so many dogs overweight? Unfortunately, some pet owners are literally killing their dogs with too much food and too many treats! For example, only one ounce of cheese for a 20 pound dog is the equivalent of 1.5 hamburgers for the average woman! While dog owners may never intentionally mean to hurt their pet, overfeeding, lack of exercise, and poor dietary choices have led to a pet obesity crisis.

A lack of outdoor exercise is also a problem. Busy pet owners who work long hours simply don’t have the time to take their dog for longs walks, runs or play fetch. Together, too much food and a lack of exercise is the perfect recipe for dog obesity.

Early intervention will help overweight dogs get healthy. 

 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yesterday I talked with DH about cutting out the daily afternoon Cheesefest with Tara. Today he confessed the he gave her 5 pieces...What do I do? Will I have to rehome him?

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

OMD, your husband is weak  - I use to be weak with my old dog (he was not fat for some reason) and DH never treated him. Zach would sit in front of me with those beautiful tragic starving eyes and I would feed him human food (bad bad). I was determined never to do that again so Daisy never gets treated human food, at least not by hand. We will occasionally throw a tidbit onto her food when she is not looking.

Daisy gives us the stink eye when we sit down to dinner and goes and lays on her bed. The stink eye is because she was usually playing with one of us before dinner.

I would take him off your hands to Ricki but he may make Daisy Chubby too.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yes, he is a danger and I doubt that anyone here on DK will be willing to give him a new home and risk their doodles health.  Maybe we can start an Over Treaters Anonymous Group.

You are doing right by Daisy. It sounds like she is hooked on playtime which is a good thing to be addicted to!

[Christine & Camus]

Camus will join GBA Group, though perhaps not willingly!  He just weighed in at whopping 86.4 lbs?  Ribs?  Well, they are there just not prominent enough.  I took him to the dermatologist for his checkup and more antigen and while there asked for an opinion about his weight.  I thought he was a bit pudgy and the vet confirmed - he needs to lose ~ 5 lbs.  He was only getting 2 1//4 cup of kibble daily so I started his new diet of 2 cups daily of kibble supplemented with green beans.  I don't want him to end up with joint problems due to his weight, sure hope it works.  He definitely does not have body dysmorphic disorder, maybe if he did I would not have to worry!    

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Sorry to hear that Camus is in need of a support group too! These high quality kibble dog foods can be deceiving because they need so little of it to get a day's worth of nutrition. Makes it easy to overfeed them! :( Good luck!!!