Molly is on a Diet
^{by Tracy Smith}

I took the doggies to the vet a few weeks ago for a well check, and was shocked to find out that Molly weighed 22 pounds. Now, I have acceded to Molly's need to be her jolly weight which is about a pound more than the maximum allowed in the JRTCA standard. This is because she was so thin when I adopted her. It was obvious that she had gone a long time with no real feeding schedule. She behaved as if she did not expect food to be part of a daily routine. Changing that expectation took time and I don't want her to feel deprived again.

How it Happened

What happened is I gradually changed Jake over from puppy food to adult food a couple of months ago. Molly was in very good, muscular form at that time so I thought that I could take her off the light food and cut her snacks to keep her in shape. That way I only had to purchase one Science Diet formula. Well, it seemed to work, then I noticed she was gaining but it wasn't much. I just didn't realize that she was on a gradual gain swing. So gradual that I didn't notice just how much she had gained after several weeks had gone by. In fact I'm sure that she was still putting it on the very day she went to see her veterinarian.

After we got home from our appointment I looked her over more objectively. She is the most wonderful girl to my eyes so I always see her as beautiful. She was big and beautiful, I had to admit. Quite big, with noticable rolls on her hips and even over her shoulders. She had put on a thick layer of fat. It was time to put her on a new nutrition and exercise program. Less calories and more play was what was needed.

Molly's Program

So, back to the light formula and fewer snacks which now consists of one dry Science Diet nugget a few times a day, plus one cookie total that is broken up to make two treats.

She is happy and feels well taken care of, plus she has lost about 2 pounds in the three weeks since we started her new program. She is also more active. I hadn't noticed that she was slowing down a little bit, due to the excess weight, until her normal energy levels had started to return.

She doesn't feel deprived because I can give her the same amount of the light formula as she has become accustumed to for her meals and the tiny snacks please her as much (well almost) as a full cookie snack. She has noticed the change. She quickly learned to anticipate the two times of the day that we give the dogs a half cookie. She is food focused, there is no doubt about it. Any routine of ours that has to do with food seems to get programed into her body clock instantaneously. She has taught me to be more self aware because she notices food routines that are basically unconscious on our part.

The increased exercise part of her program was easy and automatic. Her energy level has been going up steadily. If she's got the energy, Jake has got the time. He's making sure that she's got something to do whenever she feels like playing. They are best buds and most all projects, whether it be to find the hidden ball or see if they can get away with starting a dig in the back yard, are partnerships for them. There is no doubt that Jake loves Molly thick or thin. She's just a lot more fun when she isn't lazy from being overweight.

I will still let Molly keep her jolly weight. I feel that it is important for her emotional health because she is much more nervous when she is at a working dog weight. She tends to worry about when she'll get her next meal when she is at the standard weight. She's not a working dog anyway. Well, she is the bed warmer and she does take her job seriously, but athletic ability isn't part of the job description. In fact, a tiny bit of fat is desirable in the winter time.