Thursday, February 22, 2007
Oreo's On A Diet
Last weekend Oreo injured himself. We weren't quite sure what happened but he was favoring his back right leg, hobbling around and whimpering. Cheryl thought that he might have bruised his leg or pulled a muscle when he was playing with his pals at the dog run. Apparently one big dog ran at Oreo and just about knocked him over. In any event, our biggest fear was that this was the first sign of hip dysplasia, a condition that is not uncommon for Portuguese Water Dogs.
By Monday, Oreo seemed to be fine. He was running, walking and jumping without limping and there was no more whimpering. But since he was due for one of his many shots, Cheryl took him to the vet. Everything checked out fine, except his weight. Oreo now weighs well over 40 pounds and is a bit of a chunky boy.
The recommendation is to cut out his half meal at lunch time and to cut back a bit on his morning and evening meals. I'm not sure Oreo is thrilled about this but so far he's not complaining too much. Then again, he doesn't have a whole lot of choice. When I think of how great it would be to live a dog's life, this is one aspect I'm not so thrilled about. Imagine if your diet was restricted and limited by someone else and you couldn't just have that extra donut or piece of pie unless that member of another species let you. Maybe being a dog isn't that great after all.
By Monday, Oreo seemed to be fine. He was running, walking and jumping without limping and there was no more whimpering. But since he was due for one of his many shots, Cheryl took him to the vet. Everything checked out fine, except his weight. Oreo now weighs well over 40 pounds and is a bit of a chunky boy.
The recommendation is to cut out his half meal at lunch time and to cut back a bit on his morning and evening meals. I'm not sure Oreo is thrilled about this but so far he's not complaining too much. Then again, he doesn't have a whole lot of choice. When I think of how great it would be to live a dog's life, this is one aspect I'm not so thrilled about. Imagine if your diet was restricted and limited by someone else and you couldn't just have that extra donut or piece of pie unless that member of another species let you. Maybe being a dog isn't that great after all.
