What is a Keeshond you ask? Well I have an Amazon ad for an owner's guide for Keeshond because there are ZERO books in the normal bookstores and local pet stores available on Keeshonden. Nothing cute for Keeshonden is available anywhere here in the Midwest that I can find. If you had ever read an owner's guide about Keeshonden before you got one, you would find they are prone to being overweight, which I didn't know.
So anyway, my dog is fat. He's so fat he was having a hard time walking. Yes he's torn both ACL's in his back legs at different times (chasing rabbits) which makes walking more difficult than it would be normally BUT being fat is the biggest issue for him. Why he's fat is a long story that would involve finger pointing so let's not go there. Let's just say he was getting entirely too much food and I was not the one feeding him.
At a recent vet visit I had his thyroid checked and it's very low. So in addition to getting too much food and gaining weight, he has a thyroid problem and along with his allergies he's a lot of work and takes lots of pills. Something had to be done about his weight because in his present state he was headed for an early death or becoming crippled. In either case I felt guilty that I had let things get to the point where I was contemplating giving him away to someone who would be better able to care for him. The thought was breaking my heart.
I had to take control in a way that would not create more tension in my household. So, a shopping trip to the local Walmart yielded a daily pill box with slots for medicines Sun through Sat and with AM and PM boxes for each day, and 20, 1 cup Pyrex bowls with covers. "HUH?", you say. Let me explain. The pill box which is clearly intended for adults who have a hard time keeping track of their medicines is now being used for the dogs twice daily allergy and thyroid meds, plus benadryl twice a day. Confusing? Perhaps. Not anymore. Remember those bowls? The dog is fed twice a day and now he gets pre-measured amounts. Every 10 days I now fill his Pyrex bowls with a measured scoop of light dry food and then a measured scoop of wet food and refrigerate. Feeding him is as simple as opening a bowl. No can to open, no dry food to measure, just open and serve.
As I fill his Pyrex bowls I am amazed by how much "light" dry he was getting before this. It was easily 3-4 times what he needed, daily. Unbelievable. I'm surprised the dog wasn't fatter. But now about 9 days in he seems to be slightly more active and he looks like he might have lost a little weight. He goes back to the vet for a weigh in soon, perhaps 10 days. We'll see how it goes. I can only hope he's making some progress.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
It's been a while since I blogged...
It's been just over a year since I put anything in this blog. Wow! A lot has transpired, but do I really want to try to remember all the important things and squeeze them into one blog? More importantly do you want to read it? Probably not. So I'm left with trying to sum up the last year blog-style. My son had to have knee surgery last summer and now he's ok. I can't remember the fall or Christmas season, which is most likely my brain's self defense mechanism kicking in to keep me sane.
Then the spring-time house improvement/repair bug kicked in. I had the entire deck floor replaced in the early spring, which was under warranty thank goodness and should probably get an entire blog unto itself, but not today. We pushed back the fence in my yard over the useless berm to reveal 26 feet of previously unused backyard. It's not good for much, but it makes the yard look open and spacious. We added ceiling lights to bedrooms that didn't have them and added recessed lights in the family room and den. I got landscaping and trees for my birthday and recently added a battery back up to my storm sump pump. Oh, and updated all my insurance needs. It's not very exciting but it's necessary to keep things in good repair and to do the small things that make a big impact.
On an entirely different note, I found a restaurant a while back called Mimi's Cafe. The food is decent homemade fare done by someone who has a bit of a gourmet in him. They also do fresh breads and muffins and they are decadent. I, personally, adore the spiced buttermilk muffin. If you warm it for 30 seconds then add some fresh sweet butter on the inside, it's simply divine.
I wish I had one now.
Then the spring-time house improvement/repair bug kicked in. I had the entire deck floor replaced in the early spring, which was under warranty thank goodness and should probably get an entire blog unto itself, but not today. We pushed back the fence in my yard over the useless berm to reveal 26 feet of previously unused backyard. It's not good for much, but it makes the yard look open and spacious. We added ceiling lights to bedrooms that didn't have them and added recessed lights in the family room and den. I got landscaping and trees for my birthday and recently added a battery back up to my storm sump pump. Oh, and updated all my insurance needs. It's not very exciting but it's necessary to keep things in good repair and to do the small things that make a big impact.
On an entirely different note, I found a restaurant a while back called Mimi's Cafe. The food is decent homemade fare done by someone who has a bit of a gourmet in him. They also do fresh breads and muffins and they are decadent. I, personally, adore the spiced buttermilk muffin. If you warm it for 30 seconds then add some fresh sweet butter on the inside, it's simply divine.
I wish I had one now.
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