Purple and Paws I adopted Socks back in October of 2014. He weighed about 60 pounds when I took him in for his first vet visit. Fast forward two years later when I brought him in because he was limping. He hopped on the scale and the bright red numbers flashed 75.
My vet never said a word about the weight gain and I just assumed he’d reached his ideal weight, choosing to believe the last two years of steady breakfast, dinner, and snacks had been good for him. Then a few things happened.
First, my sister’s ex-boyfriend commented that Socks looked fat. I bristled and ignored the remark but then I took a closer look at Socks and realized he did indeed look quite hefty. Second, I had to research Border Collies for an article I was writing and the article mentioned most BC’s weighed 60 to 65 pounds. Uh-oh.
I had to face facts.
My dog was overweight.
So I cut back on his food.
Instead of three treats at lunch, he got two. Instead of shoving the scooper into his kibble and dumping the overflowing mess into his bowl, I carefully measured 3/4’s of a cup.
And, after a few months of less food, Socks returned to his trim form.
To be honest, I really didn’t notice his weight loss until I had to take him to the vet last week for his limping situation. We hadn’t been in since last August for his annual check-up and when he stepped on the scale, I was pleasantly surprised to see the number flash 60. After being diagnosed with arthritis, my vet even said he would need less anti-inflammatory pills this time because he weighs less than he did two years ago.
Conclusion? You can help your dog lose weight by monitoring their food intake and they won’t even notice!