Post by Joelle on Jun 26, 2009 15:18:33 GMT -5
So, a little background. I own two Australian Shepherds, a brother and sister, named Ozark and Dakota respectively. Both were fixed at 6 months, which left Dakota a tad on the roly-poly side. Vet says that's pretty common after being spayed, so we don't worry about it too much.
However, while Dakota is happy to play the submissive wet noodle most of the time, she LOVES her dog chow and is rather food dominant. She has no problems with humans, but she will chase the cats and her brother away from the dog bowl until she's had as much as she wants, and occasionally gets into rip-roaring fights with Ozark for especially tasty tidbits.
Well, we've noticed this spring that our not-so-dainty girl has been getting a tad chunkier than usual. She lays around a lot, and when she goes running with us she pants heavier than usual and just doesn't have the same pep. I got a good look at her the other day and she is HUGE. I mean, seriously obese. Enough to make me worry about her health.
Funny thing is, we've not been feeding them all that much. No more than usual, anyway, and the cats usually steal some of it. I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out if they could somehow be sneaking off to a neighbor for food, or something, but nothing made sense. So I cut back on the feed rations, vowing to help the poor thing trim down.
Well, yesterday I was walking back from the chicken pen with Miss Piggy tagging along, and I noticed she's got some winter fur kind of fluffing out from under her overcoat. I pulled it out, and there was more underneath. So I start plucking out winter fur. And plucking, and plucking, and PLUCKING.
For some reason, she never shed her winter coat. I go running for a brush and a pair of scissors, and by the time I was done my poor dog looked like she'd lost 8 pounds and was much happier. Seriously, the pile of hair was as big as she is. Poor thing had been overheating, and I thought she was fat.
Moral of the story: Don't judge a book by its cover, and don't judge a pooch by her fur.
However, while Dakota is happy to play the submissive wet noodle most of the time, she LOVES her dog chow and is rather food dominant. She has no problems with humans, but she will chase the cats and her brother away from the dog bowl until she's had as much as she wants, and occasionally gets into rip-roaring fights with Ozark for especially tasty tidbits.
Well, we've noticed this spring that our not-so-dainty girl has been getting a tad chunkier than usual. She lays around a lot, and when she goes running with us she pants heavier than usual and just doesn't have the same pep. I got a good look at her the other day and she is HUGE. I mean, seriously obese. Enough to make me worry about her health.
Funny thing is, we've not been feeding them all that much. No more than usual, anyway, and the cats usually steal some of it. I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out if they could somehow be sneaking off to a neighbor for food, or something, but nothing made sense. So I cut back on the feed rations, vowing to help the poor thing trim down.
Well, yesterday I was walking back from the chicken pen with Miss Piggy tagging along, and I noticed she's got some winter fur kind of fluffing out from under her overcoat. I pulled it out, and there was more underneath. So I start plucking out winter fur. And plucking, and plucking, and PLUCKING.
For some reason, she never shed her winter coat. I go running for a brush and a pair of scissors, and by the time I was done my poor dog looked like she'd lost 8 pounds and was much happier. Seriously, the pile of hair was as big as she is. Poor thing had been overheating, and I thought she was fat.
Moral of the story: Don't judge a book by its cover, and don't judge a pooch by her fur.