Saturday was a big day for the very fat dog and her people. We went to the vet.
Perhaps we, her people, were more excited than she was because poor Miss Princess has spent more time at the vet lately that she prefers. I think she's made three trips in three weeks, and she, of course, would prefer no trips at all. But this was special because it was the first time she met "our" vet.
We have used the same veterinary practice, Aalatash Animal Hospital, for 15 years or so. At first, there was quite a succession of young doctors, mostly recent graduates of the University of Florida vet school. Then came Dr. Jang, and he has been with us for the lives and deaths of our last couple of pets.
Getting Princess in the car on a cold, rainy Saturday morning was the first order of business, and it was quite a feat. I opened the back door of the four-door car and encouraged her to jump in. The very fat dog gave me a look of pure skepticism.
After several seconds of indecision, she gave it a try. The front paws went up, but the back ones did not follow. I had to give her rear end a boost.
Naturally, being a dog, she managed to immediately remove the blanket I'd used to protect the back seat so she could get her wet, muddy paws all over her mom's leather upholstery (hopefully, Jeanne won't read this...).
Getting her out of the car was easier, thank goodness, and she trotted willingly into the vet's office. When the sights and smells of the place greeted her, Princess wasn't so sure she'd been wise to cooperate.
Next came the moment of truth: The weigh-in. She walked right up on the scale and sat willingly. The verdict was 114, a loss of three pounds in about a week.
Princess was a trooper as Dr. Jang poked and prodded her, eventually pronouncing her sound and healthy.
We discussed the weight-loss program I had devised -- 2 cups of Nutra MAX and 2 half-mile walks per day. He suggested that diet might be a bit extreme and recommended we give 3 to 4 cups of food each day.
I said our goal is to get her down to 85 lbs in a year. Dr. Jang said that was a good goal, but she probably should lose even more weight than that -- she ultimately should weigh more like 70 lbs.
The very fat dog gave him a look of pure skepticism (and so did I).
Sunday, February 28, 2010
8 Miles High; 3lbs Low
The mostly affable Princess has walked 8 miles in the past week. Every one of them, at least the uphill parts, has been a struggle for both of us.
For her, it's just a matter of conditioning, and each trip is just a teensy bit easier than the last one. To her credit, Princess looks forward to these walks, even though I can tell they are difficult for her.
For me, it's mostly frustration. I walk for exercise, and plodding ever so slowly up the "hill" is hardly what anyone under 80 would call exercise.
Still, we're getting along well. She's beginning to understand what's expected of her in this new, adoptive home, and I'm beginning to understand that it's going to take a good while for her to be able to walk at my speed.
We are making progress on her weight. When Princess was surrendered three weeks ago to the Golden Retriever Emergency Assistance Team, she weighed 121. When we got her from a foster home on Friday, Feb. 19, she weighed 117. Yesterday, she weighed in at 114.
For her, it's just a matter of conditioning, and each trip is just a teensy bit easier than the last one. To her credit, Princess looks forward to these walks, even though I can tell they are difficult for her.
For me, it's mostly frustration. I walk for exercise, and plodding ever so slowly up the "hill" is hardly what anyone under 80 would call exercise.
Still, we're getting along well. She's beginning to understand what's expected of her in this new, adoptive home, and I'm beginning to understand that it's going to take a good while for her to be able to walk at my speed.
We are making progress on her weight. When Princess was surrendered three weeks ago to the Golden Retriever Emergency Assistance Team, she weighed 121. When we got her from a foster home on Friday, Feb. 19, she weighed 117. Yesterday, she weighed in at 114.
Monday, February 22, 2010
A walk around the block
Taking Princess for a couple of half-mile walks each day is a hoot. At nearly 120 lbs, she is such a tub of lard that the poor pooch can hardly make it up the hill to our house.
Please understand that I use "hill" in the Florida sense of the word, and Florida is a state in which the highest point is 345 feet above sea level. That's lowest in the U.S. If you live in Colorado, or even Kentucky, a "hill" might sound challenging, but this involves an elevation change of perhaps 50 feet in 400 yards.
Climbing that hill, wimpy or not, is no easy feat for Princess, our newly adopted Golden Retriever. By the time we reach the top, we've rested twice.
It's pathetic. But the amazing thing about physical conditioning is that we, the two people who adopted this very fat dog, already can see improvement on just the fourth day. This evening, I barely had to pull Princess at all in the last 200 yards of that hill!
Please don't interpret the above to mean that we, the two people, think we are holier than she (or thou). Hardly. We are far from being in fantastic shape ourselves. We don't run marathons on a whim (or even with extensive premeditation, for that matter). We're both past 55, and I'm fat. But fat is a relative term.
Princess has a 38-inch waist. So do I. But I weigh 90 pounds more and am about 3 feet taller.
Our goal still is to get Princess down to normal weight, about 85 lbs, in a year. We'll let you know how it's going in a week or so when we get her on the scale at our vet's.
Meanwhile, Princess seems to be settling in pretty well.
Please understand that I use "hill" in the Florida sense of the word, and Florida is a state in which the highest point is 345 feet above sea level. That's lowest in the U.S. If you live in Colorado, or even Kentucky, a "hill" might sound challenging, but this involves an elevation change of perhaps 50 feet in 400 yards.
Climbing that hill, wimpy or not, is no easy feat for Princess, our newly adopted Golden Retriever. By the time we reach the top, we've rested twice.
It's pathetic. But the amazing thing about physical conditioning is that we, the two people who adopted this very fat dog, already can see improvement on just the fourth day. This evening, I barely had to pull Princess at all in the last 200 yards of that hill!
Please don't interpret the above to mean that we, the two people, think we are holier than she (or thou). Hardly. We are far from being in fantastic shape ourselves. We don't run marathons on a whim (or even with extensive premeditation, for that matter). We're both past 55, and I'm fat. But fat is a relative term.
Princess has a 38-inch waist. So do I. But I weigh 90 pounds more and am about 3 feet taller.
Our goal still is to get Princess down to normal weight, about 85 lbs, in a year. We'll let you know how it's going in a week or so when we get her on the scale at our vet's.
Meanwhile, Princess seems to be settling in pretty well.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
"Like a sweet potato on sticks"
There was quite a bit of email traffic between GREAT, the foster family and us as we discussed adopting Princess. I can't resist sharing these bits from the GREAT volunteer who works to place the homeless dogs.
Feb. 4: "Princess (the 5-1/2 year old red Golden) weighs 121 pounds! Our vet is not sure if it's a thyroid issue (which is quite easy to control with an inexpensive med) or if she's just a chow hound and they let her eat everything she wanted. He is running a thyroid test today and checking for other possibilities for the weight and will let us know. She is spayed, heartworm negative, and has a very pretty coat."
Feb. 11:
"I just talked with the foster, and she says Princess looks like a sweet potato on 4 sticks!!! She did say that this is one of the sweetest, most laid back dogs she’s ever fostered, and that you will fall in love with her."
We did -- in about 5 minutes flat.
We are going to check with our vet for her recommendations for Princess' diet, but we are starting out feeding Nutro MAX adult formula at the rate of two cups once a day at dinner time. That and at least two half-mile walks per day should begin to take the weight off.
Feb. 4: "Princess (the 5-1/2 year old red Golden) weighs 121 pounds! Our vet is not sure if it's a thyroid issue (which is quite easy to control with an inexpensive med) or if she's just a chow hound and they let her eat everything she wanted. He is running a thyroid test today and checking for other possibilities for the weight and will let us know. She is spayed, heartworm negative, and has a very pretty coat."
I'm not sure any picture can show what a "wide body" Princess has, but you won't see any hip bones or ribs on this dog.
"I just talked with the foster, and she says Princess looks like a sweet potato on 4 sticks!!! She did say that this is one of the sweetest, most laid back dogs she’s ever fostered, and that you will fall in love with her."
We did -- in about 5 minutes flat.
We are going to check with our vet for her recommendations for Princess' diet, but we are starting out feeding Nutro MAX adult formula at the rate of two cups once a day at dinner time. That and at least two half-mile walks per day should begin to take the weight off.
Finding our Princess
This is the story of two people and a very fat dog.
The two people love Golden Retrievers, so I guess it will be no surprise for you to learn that the very fat dog is a Golden Retriever, and since this compendium is entitled "The Princess Blog," it's likely no surprise that the Golden Retriever is named "Princess."
That is not, frankly, a name the two people would choose for a dog, but as you will learn, it was not our choice. Princess is adopted. She is the third Golden Retriever in our 30-year love affair with the breed. The first one was named Wayne. The second was Pooka (yes, like Harvey in the Jimmy Stewart movie). All have been rescued in one way or another.
We met Princess through a wonderful organization called G.R.E.A.T Rescue of Northeast Florida, the Golden Retriever Emergency Assistance Team, based in Jacksonville. GREAT accepts dogs who, for one reason or another, are not wanted by their current owners. It places those dogs with foster families, ensures that they get the health care they need and, once they are healthy, places them with adoptive families. That would be us, the two people. I'm Dave, the dad, and Jeanne, my spouse of 25+ years, is the mom. We live in Gainesville, Fla.
We met Princess on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. We picked her up the next afternoon at a foster home on the southwest side of Jacksonville. She waddled willingly to the car for the two-hour ride to meet her future.
Normally, I wouldn't blog about life with a dog, although it seems a suitable enough subject. I'm blogging about this dog because Princess has a problem, a weight problem. She is 5 years old and weighs 118 pounds -- about 30 percent more than she should. Her "waist" is 38 inches, the same as mine. She has the body shape and lumbering gait of a bear all fattened up for winter. But she is as sweet a dog as you ever met, maybe sweeter.
So, this is intended to be a chronicle of The Princess Diet. Our goal is to get her down to 85 pounds in a year. That's 33 pounds in 52 weeks. Why not stop in now and then to see how we're doing?
Princess on her first day at our house. Weight: 117.
The two people love Golden Retrievers, so I guess it will be no surprise for you to learn that the very fat dog is a Golden Retriever, and since this compendium is entitled "The Princess Blog," it's likely no surprise that the Golden Retriever is named "Princess."
That is not, frankly, a name the two people would choose for a dog, but as you will learn, it was not our choice. Princess is adopted. She is the third Golden Retriever in our 30-year love affair with the breed. The first one was named Wayne. The second was Pooka (yes, like Harvey in the Jimmy Stewart movie). All have been rescued in one way or another.
We met Princess through a wonderful organization called G.R.E.A.T Rescue of Northeast Florida, the Golden Retriever Emergency Assistance Team, based in Jacksonville. GREAT accepts dogs who, for one reason or another, are not wanted by their current owners. It places those dogs with foster families, ensures that they get the health care they need and, once they are healthy, places them with adoptive families. That would be us, the two people. I'm Dave, the dad, and Jeanne, my spouse of 25+ years, is the mom. We live in Gainesville, Fla.
We met Princess on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. We picked her up the next afternoon at a foster home on the southwest side of Jacksonville. She waddled willingly to the car for the two-hour ride to meet her future.
Normally, I wouldn't blog about life with a dog, although it seems a suitable enough subject. I'm blogging about this dog because Princess has a problem, a weight problem. She is 5 years old and weighs 118 pounds -- about 30 percent more than she should. Her "waist" is 38 inches, the same as mine. She has the body shape and lumbering gait of a bear all fattened up for winter. But she is as sweet a dog as you ever met, maybe sweeter.
So, this is intended to be a chronicle of The Princess Diet. Our goal is to get her down to 85 pounds in a year. That's 33 pounds in 52 weeks. Why not stop in now and then to see how we're doing?
Princess on her first day at our house. Weight: 117.
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