Show Off Your Dog's Waistline: Jack

by Jack's mom

Jack ate everything! 

Stuff kids threw on the floor, licked the dishwasher clean, left overs on the plate. 

We called him the Hoover. He literally would eat anything.

I never measured his food or really knew what was in it. 

In fact, he ate dog food available at grocery stores and Walmart. I honestly never thought twice about it. If they're selling it, it must be good for dogs, right?

The other thing I thought, as he got bigger, was that all labs are fat. Fat and lab went together.

Jack got up one day at the cottage and screamed in pain from his back leg. He limped all day. I knew we had to do something, he was only three and he was limping???

I brought him in and Dr. Brian tested his thyroid to rule out anything that might be adding to his weight gain. He came back clear. Dr Brian then put Jack on a medical calorie control diet.

I used the Best Doggone Diet app on my iphone to monitor Jack's food intake and made sure I wasn't over or under feeding him. The app did all the work for me.

We stopped allowing Jack in when we were eating and I gave him an apple and some carrots in the afternoon to tie him over. He reminded me at the same time everyday to get his apple and carrots. Still does!

Jack was too fat to walk. 

We live in a rural setting and he couldn't do it. He would overheat and lie down and couldn't be moved. He would, however, chase a ball, take it, and stand in the creek so that I could get him and make him chase after it again. So I started at the cottage to make him swim.

Jack was so fat he didn't swim. 

In the beginning he'd come out once, circle around us, and go back to shore. Soon, though, he was able to come out for longer periods of time. As he's black, and hard to see in the lake water, the kids call him affectionately the "water moccasin". All you can hear is him snorting water. Look out he's coming to rescue.

Today, Jack is enjoying life again! 

He chases rabbits, squirrels and the tennis ball for hours. He loves to play in the snow.

An interesting side effect of his weight loss (or the new diet), is that he smells less. He used to enter a room and without looking up I knew he was there. I took him constantly to the groomers but could never get rid of the smell.

He is also losing less hair and his hair is shiny. His ears and breath smell less.

It's your turn!

Take a photo of your dog's waistline (and dig up some old "before" photos for comparison, if you have any!), and share your story about how you're keeping them fit. If you have a blog, blog it, if not, email me and get your story featured on Dawg Business.

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