Fat Boy

I know fat when I see it. I'm not one of those dog owners that says "It's muscle!" I'm fanatic about keeping all my dogs on the light side of the normal weight ranges. Especially Tango because he's got a bad shoulder. The less weight he carries, the better it is for his shoulder.

I knew he'd picked up some weight over the winter. Don't we all? But imagine my shock when he tipped the scales at 70.1 pounds on Friday!

He's now got the nickname "Fat Boy" in this house.

It's my fault. I can't blame anyone but me. I'm the one that feeds him. A few months ago, I noticed he was a bit, shall we say, rounder. So I cut him way back on his food. Clearly, I didn't cut him back enough. (For the record, he was getting 1/4 cup of food for breakfast, and 1/2 cup food for dinner. When I noticed the absence of his ribs, I cut his morning feeding down to just a few pieces of food and cut his dinner to 1/4 cup. Clearly, that wasn't enough, Mr. 70-Pound Labrador.) We feed them "Taste of the Wild" a grain-free food that is high in protein, as well as fat. Well, not anymore, we don't.

I went immediately to the food store and picked up a new food: Innova Low Fat Food for Adult Dogs. I hope that next month at this time, I can report a weight loss for Fat Boy.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, almost 40
percent of US dogs (17 million) are considered overweight. If your dog is on the heavy side, buckle down and slim that dog down! It's better for them, better for you.