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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The Dog's On A Diet

stock vector : Refrigerator with chain and lock - diet symbolHolly, the resident Lhasa Apso, went to the vet this week.  She has had the same vet since she was born, twelve years ago last month.  Suddenly, because we have recently moved, enter a new dog doctor and the poor pooch is wrecked. The new doctor is a bit blunt - or to put it more clearly - she said Holly is too fat.  Period.  Not chubby, not chunky, just
 plain old  f-a-t.

This is just pitiful, because it obviously is not the dog's fault.  She isn't tall enough to reach the cupboard where her food is kept.  And it cannot be mine, as I am not the one who feeds her; not to mention that I have been largely absent for the past several months.  That only leaves one other potential culprit:  the *LOC.  Oh, dear, this is does not bode well for either him or Holly.  (*Lovable Old Coot)

He came home from the trip to the vet looking mildly non-plussed.  He took her in for an allergy shot, but he came home carrying a little measuring cup the vet had thoughtfully provided.  She suggested that he measure Holly's food; that is measure the amount he would normally give her, then cut that in half.

In telling me this sad tale, the LOC says woefully, "Well, we don't want her to starve, do we?"

I try not to smile and decline to point out that this seems highly unlikely, since she is carrying enough extra cargo on her little frame that it could see her through a six-month stint on the frozen tundra.  She could bunk with polar bears and not have to borrow from their food supply.

Okay, so now the dog is on a diet.  I sympathize with her.  I have personally tried a few of those voluntary food deprivation experiments from time to time and it was no fun.  Some worked fairly well, but most made no appreciable difference; unless you counted the difference in my daily mood as I fought the calorie curmudgeons.

The LOC and I try not to eat in front of Holly right now.  If we do, she sits up and begs quietly and politely (although she has a hard time balancing her rotund little body on her bottom).  She reminds me of a Weeble-Wobble.  Remember those?

If the expression in her eyes could be verbalized, I suspect it would be saying something like, "Please, people, how much harm could just one french fry do?"

I don't know how much longer we are going to be able to hold out on her.   And it has only been two days!  She may be pitiful, but we are the pathetic ones.

Wish Holly luck; because with the two of us taking care of her, she is going to need it.  I'm just saying ...
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Hope any diets you are managing are going better than Holly's.  Until next time ...Marsha

9 comments:

  1. Since when did dogs start getting allergy shots? I've been dealing with stuffy-runny noses as a result of pesky allergens for a few decades now, and I've never gotten an allergy shot. Does such a thing actually exist? Something is definitely wrong with the world we live in when dogs receive better medical care than some humans. Just saying.

    The best of luck to you as you starve the cutest little fluff of bark I've ever met - and that is saying something considering the fact that I am exclusively a "cat person." (I'd be tempted to feel sorry for the pooch if it weren't for the shot thing.) :)

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  2. Humph! Find a new doc and give her a french fry.
    Life is too short - she's 12.
    She's not fat she's fluffy! :-)

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  3. Mmm I sympathise with Holly as I'm trying to eat half, after stacking on FAT on holidays.But I know it is unhealthy to be fat and unfit. So it is with LOD (loveable old dog). Take her for long walks at a pace and feed her half. Good luck Holly I hope you can resist making doleful eyes at your owners.

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  4. I sympathize with you all. Our baby golden/lab was put on a diet at a very young age the vet said her food allergies were making her fat. We've since reworked the plan so she gets a different food from what was first suggested and thus more. It's pitiful...but she's lost 20 lbs over the last year. She has hip issues so she couldn't run run run to get the lbs off. We do take her swimming to help increase her exercise but it's getting too cold for that now...All this and she's only going to be 3 in Feb. Our oldie lab/pointer Holden is going to be 15 in March and she can't keep weight on her. No happy mediums...

    Best wishes, it's not easy...

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  5. Everyone should relax and take a deep breath. Since it is too darned difficult to make OURSELVES diet, let's pleasantly experience the diet process through our pets. They will be healthier and we will know we are participating in a diet.

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  6. Oh, dear ... we are all over the board on this one, aren't we?

    Denise, sorry about that shot thing. Wish you could find an allergy shot that would take care of your stuffy nose.

    Sweet Tea - I'm with you!

    Diane and Sush - enjoyed your comments so much!

    Clint - you made me laugh out loud. :) Thanks !

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  7. So sad that your sweet little dog has to bear the brunt of what the rest of us seem to struggle endlessly with! Just think about it, it would probably settle most weight issues if we all ate half the amount measured in a little cup provided by a caring, thoughtful, tacky, heartless medical person! :)

    I've been using 'that cup' lately, and I don't like it either!!

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  8. Laughing and yet, I wished someone would hold back food from me...maybe after I lost a few pounds I would be so grateful that I would bite their hand off.

    Poor dog...so sorry...at least you aren't eating in front of her

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  9. We have the same problem here...poor us, ALL of us!!

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