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I was at a veterinary conference when I heard this statement: "By the time your patient is limping, he's already at Stage 4 Osteoarthritis. The single most effective tool to slow the progression is weight loss."

Whoa. Stage 4 is just scary no matter what disease it's attached to. That means it's there to stay. Can't cure it. Intellectually, I knew you couldn't cure arthritis, but I never thought of it this way.

Then, hearing that weight loss is the most effective tool — more than any medication or drug — to keep a dog moving and healthy really convinced me that I had to get Tango, my yellow Labrador above, in tip-top shape.

He's an older boy now and we all know how hard it is to take weight off when you're older. It's true for people, it's true for dogs. My terrific veterinarians were happy to hear I was serious about Tango's weight loss and analyzed his food intake. They gave me the specific amount of food he should be getting to lose weight.

What Worked
Find out how much food your dog really needs. Your veterinarian can tell you how many kilocalories your dog needs every day.

Stick with that amount. Yes, your dog would probably eat more food if you gave it to him. I have Labradors. They'd eat six, even eight cups of food if I let them. So yes, they always look at me as if "Is that ALL? I'll just wither away to nothing with just that."

Measure the food. I got measuring cups. Like the kind you have in your kitchen. If your veterinarian says 1/2 cup of food, make sure it's just 1/2 cup of food.

This is a scant 1/2 cup of food.

Just a little rounded scoop of food at each meal can contribute a couple of extra cups of food per week for your dog. Take an extra second to look at the scoop to ensure that it's a level (or a little less) scoop of food.

This is a rounded 1/2 cup.

Limit the treats. My dogs still get frozen stuffed Kongs. But instead of stuffing those Kongs with peanut butter, I now use canned pumpkin and fat-free yogurt with that peanut butter. That addition alone resulted in significant weight loss for Tango.

Increase physical activity. If your veterinarian clears your dog for physical exercise, get out there and do it! Tango loves to swim and that's super-kind to his joints, so the veterinarian cleared us for all the swimming Tango wants!

Tango is now at an ideal weight for a dog with osteoarthritis. He's on the light side of normal and would be scored at a 4 on Purina's Body Condition System.

Wondering what your dog's ideal weight should be? What a normal weight dog looks like? Check out this really nice chart by Purina. You can download a full-size version at Purina's website.

Weight-loss (for overweight pets) can benefit them in so many ways. I'm looking forward to spending time with Tango for many years — I'd like for him to be pain-free as long as possible. And if leveling a scoop of food can help, you can bet I'll be doing it. It's so easy and doesn't cost a thing!

Of course, always check with your veterinarian before putting your dog on a weight loss program.

I recently wrote about Tango’s and my journey to shed a few pounds. We both need to lose it for health reasons.

And speaking just for myself, there’s some vanity in my quest to lose a bit of me. I am 10 pounds over my “never go over” weight. Seems this aging thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I remember eating two full Reese’s cups every day when I was younger. And never gaining even an ounce. Those days are far behind me, unfortunately. And from what I hear, it’s easier to take it off now than wait for another decade to pass…

THE PROBLEMS
I got the jolt I needed this morning when I tried on all the pants in my closet. And the number that don’t fit now exceeds the number that do. Depressing? No! Maddening? HELL, YES! For me, mad is good. Mad is motivating. Mad is “get your a$$ out of bed and workout this morning and every morning, missy.” [Which, by the way, I’ve done for the past few days. Yay for mad!]

Anyway, back to Tango. Tango’s goal is to be between a 4 and 5 on the body condition scale. I say that as if he and I had a conversation and he chose that goal. Not really — MY goal for Tango is to get him to that condition. But he’ll be happier there, for sure, because his joints will have less pressure and weight on them. To get there, Tango needs to drop about six pounds. Adding exercise to his routine is a little harder because of his osteoarthritis (OA). Too much exercise and he’s in pain.

In addition to Tango, we have an older Labrador, Lily, who just turned 11 years old. In an effort to keep her healthy, she’s joined (been drafted, if I’m being honest) into our exercise and weight loss plan. Walks thrill Lily. She’d walk 10 times a day, if that was an option.

THE SOLUTIONS
Exercise: So this morning, after my workout, I leashed up the two Labradors and set out for a neighborhood walk. I’ve been doing this at least once a day for the past week. It’s good for all of us. Why is this new for us? Doesn’t everyone walk their dog everyday? Here’s my confession: we don’t walk our dogs every day. We live out in the country, we have a big fenced yard, and the dogs get a lot of exercise out in the yard. We have cows, pastures and horses way out here, not sidewalks and street lights. So walking in the dark (at this time of year it’s dark more than it’s light) isn’t a good option.

In a perfect world, those leash walks would happen two or three times a day. I know how to modify behavior, therefore I’m setting myself up for success. Success = 1 leash walk a day. Once we get really good at reaching that goal, I’ll up that goal to 2 leash walks at least 2 times a week. And we’ll progress steadily from there.

Diet: I’ve been cutting Tango back on his food. He gets 3/4 cup of food each day [1/4c in the morning, and 1/2c in the evening]. He also gets two pork rawhides and 1 – 3 filled Kongs every day. I’ve since added pumpkin to the mixture to reduce the calories even further. The dogs frequently get a taste of what I’m eating, but now that taste is really just a smidge, something pea-sized: a pinch of the crust of my sandwich, a tiny tidbit of the waffle. They get lots of the healthy stuff like apples and carrots, of course. Veggies are good! [As for me, I’ve started eating more whole foods, have eliminated as many processed foods {like the frozen diet lunches, frozen waffles, store-bought cookies, etc.} as possible and am now officially snacking between meals. Hard to believe, but when I snack on healthful things (yogurt with blueberries and walnuts, cottage cheese, etc.), I eat less overall. Wouldn’t have believed it…]

THE PROGRESS
I haven’t taken Tango to get weighed yet, it’s only been a week since we’ve started our program in earnest. It’s occasionally very tempting to give the dogs (who have perfected the pathetic look) a few full-sized versions of what I’m eating, but then I remember that no matter how much I give them, they will always want more. There isn’t a point at which they’ll say “Oh, I’m full” and turn and walk away. They’d eat ’til they burst, so it’s a game I can never win. They’re just as happy, I tell myself, with a crumb as with the entire sandwich. [I have lost about a pound {I’m so not impressed by that number} and about 1% fat. Which is better than gaining, so while it’s a modest decline, it’s a decline and I’ll take it.]

Fat Dog to Skinny Dog: How We Did It

Joint Effort: Dog + Human Weight Loss — Check In #1

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