Some of you may already know Widget, my 'little' Maltese pictured below. At his annual vet check on Monday, we learned that Widget isn't quite as little as he once was. He has gained 2lbs since his visit last year. Two lbs may not sound like a lot, except that Widget only weighed 4.5lbs to start with. Thus 2lbs is almost 1/2 his body weight. That's like a human putting on 50 to 100 lbs.
The vet said no more than 2 treats a day. (I've been guilty of giving him too many treats. Bribes and 'thank you' gifts for doing what he's supposed to do. Widget is a rule breaker. Treats help to encourage better cooperation. Then there were the extra treats he guilted me out of with that 'you love the cats more than me' face. And so on and so on.
So, now poor Widget is on a diet. No more tastes of the cat's (dry) food and only 2 treats a day max. He's not that fond of his dog food, currently Taste of the Wild grain free, so as he's probably not going to eat too much of that, he's allowed to eat what he wants of his dog food.
It's going to be tough - for him AND for me - but I'm determined to follow his Drs recommendations and help him get back his boyish, 4.5lb figure.
Edited to add that I started this thread (1) to journal our progress and (2) to share our situation with you and hear any thoughts and ideas you would like to share. Edited a 2nd time to fix some typos.
This message was edited Jul 11, 2012 4:20 PM
This message was edited Jul 11, 2012 4:22 PM
