The Dog Days Are Over
"The Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + The Machine (I recommend you click this, it should open in a new window, and listen to the song while reading this post. Because I listened to it while writing it.)
I took Remy to the vet yesterday. A while back he started having some discharge from his right eye. It was just discharge with no other symptoms. The vet looked at it when we went in for a new heartworm preventative prescription. No worries, but he had put on quite a bit of weight.
So I made sure I was feeding him the amount for the weight I wanted him to be, not for what he currently was. I also kept it on the lightly active side. Of course he got some treats, too. He even started asking for seconds after breakfast and dinner. Silly dog.
This week, I noticed that the discharge was now building up in both eyes. So in we went. They did a little test to make sure he produces enough tears. He aced it. So I have 2 eye gels that get used 3 times a day. One is antibiotic and the other is just artificial tears. We'll go back in a week to follow up, but even after 2 applications yesterday (one from them at the office and one before bed) there was less discharge built up this morning.
HOWEVER, he had put on another 5 pounds. In a month. That's a lot for a dog. So the doc told me to look at how much he eats in a day, all food and treats, and cut it in half. She said I can use vegetables like carrots and green beans instead of his usual treats. In a month, we'll take him in to weigh him and see how he's doing. If he doesn't lose weight, then we'll start doing tests. If he loses weight, We'll work on figuring out how much he needs to maintain a healthy weight.
Today I'm going to take him on a hike. I'm going to pack a lunch for me, and a carrot stick for him. He can have a veggie snack since we're hiking a trail that's supposed to be about 6 miles round trip. Good exercise for both of us.
Oh, you want to know about the link at the top? I was thinking of a title for this post and that song popped in my head. I'm planning and buying some Florence + The Machine songs. I love her voice and I love their sound. So that's just a share of my inspiration.
I guess I could wrap this up by saying that Project: Healthy Weight is now for my dog and me.
I took Remy to the vet yesterday. A while back he started having some discharge from his right eye. It was just discharge with no other symptoms. The vet looked at it when we went in for a new heartworm preventative prescription. No worries, but he had put on quite a bit of weight.
So I made sure I was feeding him the amount for the weight I wanted him to be, not for what he currently was. I also kept it on the lightly active side. Of course he got some treats, too. He even started asking for seconds after breakfast and dinner. Silly dog.
This week, I noticed that the discharge was now building up in both eyes. So in we went. They did a little test to make sure he produces enough tears. He aced it. So I have 2 eye gels that get used 3 times a day. One is antibiotic and the other is just artificial tears. We'll go back in a week to follow up, but even after 2 applications yesterday (one from them at the office and one before bed) there was less discharge built up this morning.
HOWEVER, he had put on another 5 pounds. In a month. That's a lot for a dog. So the doc told me to look at how much he eats in a day, all food and treats, and cut it in half. She said I can use vegetables like carrots and green beans instead of his usual treats. In a month, we'll take him in to weigh him and see how he's doing. If he doesn't lose weight, then we'll start doing tests. If he loses weight, We'll work on figuring out how much he needs to maintain a healthy weight.
Today I'm going to take him on a hike. I'm going to pack a lunch for me, and a carrot stick for him. He can have a veggie snack since we're hiking a trail that's supposed to be about 6 miles round trip. Good exercise for both of us.
Oh, you want to know about the link at the top? I was thinking of a title for this post and that song popped in my head. I'm planning and buying some Florence + The Machine songs. I love her voice and I love their sound. So that's just a share of my inspiration.
I guess I could wrap this up by saying that Project: Healthy Weight is now for my dog and me.
 |
| He was so little! Only took up 1 cushion worth of space. |
 |
| My big boy, all sprawled out. |
Comments
Post a Comment