The Daily Dog: guest dog Otis. And Sunny is still fat.
I’ve made a high-level executive decision, and it’s Very Important. From now on, Wednesdays will be guest-dog day. Sebastian got his moment in the spotlight last week; this week I steal (with permission) straight off of someone else’s own daily dog blog post to bring you Otis, he who belongs to Robbie at Urban Grounds:
I am in love with Otis. In a totally platonic, want-to-squeeze-his-big-ol’-face way.
So. I will be taking submissions for this awesome new feature, and may the most piquant dog win next Wednesday!
By the way, some have ever-so-politely inquired about Sunny’s morbid obesity and why she remains in that state, as she clearly does based on my last pic of her. People, I do not know. I really don’t, and trust me, I’m someone who understands in exquisite detail the math involved of calories-in/calories-out. It is why I weigh 114 pounds. I get it. But Sunny has presented a severe challenge.
She gets walked vigorously almost every single day, for about 45 minutes. We walk in the heat and we walk fast, to the point that me and both of my dogs are short of breath by the time we get home. I take her to the park a few times a week and force her to run. I feed her excellent high-quality food from The Honest Kitchen, which has helped immensely in many ways (skin, attitude, et cetera), but after dropping the first few pounds, she hit a plateau.
Therefore, for the last week, I’ve been ruthless. I give her less than half of what the label says she should get based on her weight and activity level. Less than half! I’m talking no more than two cups a day! For snacks, I continue to give her carrots and green beans, stuff like that. She gets one hard cookie after meals (they’re tiny) for her teeth, and that’s it. We’ll see how it goes but believe me, I’m devoted to fixing this problem. She’s way too fat and it’s not okay. She has had her thyroid checked and a full physical, by the way. I’ll keep you updated and I’m glad you care.
Speaking of The Honest Kitchen, oh how I love that company. Not only have they cured most of the stench from my dogs’ poo (hey! it’s important when you have to pick it up!), they have cool stuff. I saw on their blog last week that the day’s special was a free stainless steel canister with any order so I asked my go-to guy, James, what I had to do to get my hands on one of those since I already had food. So he sent me two of them.
I’m using one for myself, actually in my home office because I just like the way it looks, and I want to use the other one as a giveaway on this here blog. Which gives me a brilliant idea related to the Guest Daily Dog: how about I see how many hilarious submissions I get, and put up a vote for the best one after a few weeks. Whoever wins, I will send them the canister with some treats in it. Maybe The Honest Kitchen will send me more free stuff if I do this often enough and if you guys buy some of their food. Do it. You know your dog wants you to.
Oh Jesus. I just realized another thing I need to do with one of those buckets: put on Sunny’s head. Imagine the “I haz a bukket” caption potential! Oh just dear lord. I’m going to do it RIGHT NOW. It’ll be tomorrow’s Daily Dog. You can’t wait.
Sit on a potato pan, Otis!
May 28th, 2008 at 6:21 pmOoh, now I have an excuse to email you that pic of Cherry sittin’ on Bo. I’m off to Gmail - just dashing everywhere today!
May 28th, 2008 at 6:28 pmOtis dreams his balls are back–and cool.
May 28th, 2008 at 6:39 pmLMAO!!
May 28th, 2008 at 6:55 pmThanks for the link-love, Rachel, and for pumping up Otis’ already inflated ego.
Otis is a 5-year old, 120 lb (mostly) Lab / Bloodhound mix. He looks just like a GIANT yellow lab, but has the beautiful baying voice of a hound dog.
We rescued him from the greatest shelter ever when he was just 7 months old…Town Lake Animal Center here in Austin.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:13 pmLet me do my part to take Otis down a notch…
‘Cause when you’re that darn cute, you NEED some humility!
May 28th, 2008 at 7:47 pmDo not let your perspective be fooled! That is not a lying-sleeping-Otis-dreaming-of-chasing-rabbits-and-kittehs,it’s-a-standing-up-dancing-out-of-it-Otis at a rave.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:43 pmNow I have to go hunting for the pictures of my own family’s attempts at “The Craft”.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:03 pmI’ve seen cats contorted into that position when sleeping, but never dogs.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:17 pmAwwwww! This is why I prefer dogs to cats (only generally; I once had a cat called Missy who behaved like a puppy and would even sometimes jump into my lap and “play dead” with all her legs pointed straight up in the air).
Dogs are generally dumber though, more sociable, more loveable, and more likely to do things that you can point and laugh at.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:19 pmMy entry is on the way.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:25 pmNow I REALLY wish I had a pet!!
May 29th, 2008 at 2:11 amLovely idea.
What about cats’ own-ehm, staff? Can we send a picture of our employers or it’s a dog-only thing?
[Yes! Cats too. But they better be SUPER cute/funny. - Rachel]
May 29th, 2008 at 3:29 amRachel, I know I am new around here, and am just adding a helpful thought here. My wife and I started using Healthy Kitchen because of your commentary, and I have to say, having 3 dogs who live most of their lives indoors, the decrease in gasseous emissions has been much appreciated….but here is my thought. It seems like you might want to examine how much you give Sunny. Rather than take her weight as is, feed her per the average normal weight for her breed and reduce that amount by a significant percentage as you want her to lose weight. Anyway just a suggestion and not a criticism of any sort.
Our largest dog is an American Eskimo (not the minature or toy size) he Weighs about 30lbs and we give him a single cup (not a full or heaping cup) of Healthy Kitchen per day with maybe a bit more water in the mix than actually called for. He has been maintaining his weight fairly well. and he has really perked up (he is advancing in years) since we switched to HK foods.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:39 amWeight-loss, whether human or canine, is all about plateaus and working through them.
The actual loss of fat deposits from the body is neither a smooth process, nor one that can be predicted with the accuracy we crave.
(A very fit person can do this to a degree, however.)
Interstitial fat tends to go unnoticed superficially when it is lost from the body. Sunny IS continuing the process of burning fat, as long as you have your math right; and the result of an interstitial phase means that soon you will see a dramatic change in her superficial shape.
Don’t fret. It’s how mammals do it.
peace
May 29th, 2008 at 5:59 amNow, if I could just go on a Healthy Kitchen diet….
May 29th, 2008 at 7:30 amDoes Otis let himself back into the jail cell every night?
May 29th, 2008 at 7:46 amRachel,
I may have the reason that Sunny doesn’t lose weight.
She may just need MORE exercise. You’ve taken care of the food issue. Is there a responsible neighborhood kid (or adult) that would be willing to take her on occasional romps all day? (Free would be nice!)
Otis looks like he had a romp earlier!
May 29th, 2008 at 8:07 amAfter two weeks on the HK diet, my three feline porkers are doing awesome. The biggest difference is, you guessed it, no more stinky litter boxes! What a treat.
The kitties truthfully haven’t really warmed up to the idea of the food just yet, but since it’s all that’s available they eventually eat it. This may be because they’re all elderly and set in their ways (like their Mom). They are also eating less then half the recommended portion so I’m inclined to believe that most critters don’t need as much as the packaging suggests.
Anyway, I also got one of the steel canisters and it rocks! Thanks for the HK recommendation (and discount!).
May 29th, 2008 at 8:33 amTown Lake is a great shelter in Austin. My first dog came from there and my wife used to love to spend a morning just walking around the shelter and loving on all the dogs. She’s a bit of a nut about it, but it was still a good time.
May 29th, 2008 at 8:56 amRachel,
May 29th, 2008 at 9:06 amHas Sunny been checked for Cushing’s Disease?
I’ll have to go through my pictures. My beagle/corgi/bulldog/etc. mix likes to get up on the picnic table and take a nap in the sun. Damn, I love that dog!
I think that HK food, along with more exercise has helped out Toller get back into shape. Because she’s so furry, it is tough to tell her exact shape unless wet, but we were down at the river with her this weekend and she looks a lot better. We generally give her a few walks a day plus at least one ball chasing session at the park (usually two) per day.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:26 amThank you for bringing HK to our attention!! My dogs just finished the samples and I ordered 20lbs worth this morning (no idea how long this will last as we have a lot of dog to feed). When I was mixing the Force (chicken flavored) my husband commented ‘wow, that smells good, is that the dogs’ food?’ like he was jealous they were getting something that good! We also tried the treats (they gobbled them up) and the ice pups (it stunk really bad, but they like it cause it’s already getting hot down here).
May 29th, 2008 at 1:06 pmOh pick me!!! Pick me!!! Pretty pretty please!!! *waves hand in air wildly like the know it all kid in the front row of class!!!***
Well, not me, but Trooper. Or Kodiak. Or Quinn but the other two are more photogenic. *grin*
And we are now going into our second month with the Honest Kitchen. We started with 30 pounds worth and have gone through almost twenty of them in less than 4 weeks. That is with three big dogs who only get 1/2 the recommended amount (mixed with kibble).
I love that the Rachel discount still works and I hope I get my free container with the order I put in today!!! The boxes are nice but not so good looking on my calendar. I *think* that the two fatties have lost some weight but I don’t think it was a lot because we’re still experimenting with the right mix and amount for them. Trooper is in great shape.
Also Quinn has seen somewhat of a revival in energy. It was amazing to watch her run around a field like a pup half her age two weeks ago. She’s still old but I love that she is no longer lethargic.
And I think both Kodiak and Quinn have softer fur. Trooper has always been super soft. =)
Rachel…I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your blog. I don’t always agree with you but 99% of the time I just want to reach out and give you a big hug (and I think I’ve mentioned that I am a non-hugger). Please keep up the amazing work and don’t let the A-Holes get to you. You make my life more pleasant. =)
May 29th, 2008 at 4:06 pmHey Rachel,
Ginger was 7 lbs heavier until I started cutting her diet-sized portions of diet food in half with raw baby carrots. Not only did she drop 7 lbs but her eyes are the shinest orbs I’ve ever seen, almost creepy! haha
May 29th, 2008 at 4:09 pmI have to submit this furball for the daily dog. Every morning he hops in bed for a little snuggle time, and then he just refuses to get up, or let me get up.
I think I’m going to have to give this Honest Kitchen stuff a try. Although I’m not too sure if I want our two dogs to have more energy, they keep me pretty busy as they are now.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:08 pmHere’s my take on Otis …
May 29th, 2008 at 5:38 pmOtis, my man!!
I’m on that pic as soon as I get home. Enjoy the deluge of funny dog pics!
May 29th, 2008 at 7:29 pm