What Does the Vet Say?

Dottie had a visit to the vet this week to get updated on vaccinations before going to the kennel during my family's Cabin Weekend (a post for that later). The veterinarian said that her teeth were in excellent shape for a nine-year-old border collie. Dot did not, however, get approved on her weight--what does a girl have to do to catch a break these days? 


She weighs 75 lbs, and they would like to see her be closer to 60 lbs.  I've been observing/scrutinizing her eating routine ever since, and I've grown concerned with how fast she wolfs down a cup of food once it's in the bowl.  She is only allowed to have 1 cup--doctor's orders--twice a day, but she seems so hungry at other times that I've given her another half cup or given her treats, so I suppose I'm much to blame for her weight. 

I remembered a tip that my aunt gave me about feeding her border collies: put the food into a Kong and let them fish it out throughout the day.  It forces them to eat slower and keeps their minds stimulated--for those of you with high-energy dogs, you understand that they need a job or something to figure out. Dot has never been destructive when bored, but she will drink a ton of water and throw herself very dramatically onto the ground. There always seems to be a toy sitting very nearby when she does this, just in case someone didn't take a hint. 

Anyway, today, I took her to PetSmart to get a Kong and some dietetic food. Since she is going to be a good girl and stick with this diet--or since she has no choice in the matter--she got a few new toys and bones as well.  For the Kong, I put about two tablespoons of peanut butter on the inside to keep the food from falling right out, which happened the first time I gave this a go. Then, I filled it the rest of the way with food--currently, Dot is eating Authority Dog Food. I think that this method is going to be helpful with getting her to feel "fuller" after eating.

 

Toys of the Week:

1. Dentley's Cheese and Bacon-filled Bone--these are why her teeth are so good!

2. KONG Extreme Dog Toy--Dot has the XL size for 60-90 lbs dogs

3. Jels Hippo--has a great squeaker

4. Frisbee--we have had many of these over the years