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IS YOUR DOG TOO FAT? If you love your dog and want it to live a long, healthy life, it's important to keep an eye on your dog's weight. Sadly, obesity is quickly becoming one of the biggest medical problems vets see right now. Dogs with weight problems live shorter lives, have more joint and breathing problems, and are prone to develop diabetes. A dog of ideal weight will have an hourglass shape with its chest and hips being slightly wider than its waist. Take your hands and gently press in on your dog's rib cage. You should be able to feel the ribs with gentle pressure. If you can't feel the ribs without pressing hard, then your dog is probably overweight. Your veterinarian will weigh your dog during its annual exam, but to keep things under control, you should weigh your dog at home too. If your dog is too big for your bathroom scale, weigh yourself first, then pick up your dog and stand on the scale. With really large breeds, you can run by the vet's office once a month to use their scale. If your pet is on the chubby side, the best thing you can do is to increase its exercise. You don't want to suddenly start jogging with a dog, if your dog has been inactive. Check with your vet before you start your dog on an exercise regimen. Don't let your dog have free access to food all day. The majority of dogs will gobble up every bit of food they can. If you give your dog regular meals and food is leftover, take the food away and use it another time. Everyone in the family should know that treats or table scraps are off limits. Learn how much your dog should weigh, then come up with a weight loss plan. Measure food carefully. Don't just scoop some food out of a bin and toss it into your dog's bowl. Older pets no longer have the same caloric requirements they did when they were active youngsters. It is also a myth that after a dog is spayed or neutered that they will automatically gain weight. If you keep your dog on a regular exercise program, it won't gain a pound after neutering. Never forget that the more you exercise your dog, the healthier both of you will become. ~ Vivian Walker, vivr@sbcglobal.net 38 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2021 Tails & Trails - All Pets Pets Without Thumbs Why not find something special to celebrate this year?! March 3rd is "If Pets Had Thumbs" day. Unless you have a pet monkey, panda, koala, or a special species of frogs, your pet does not have a thumb. The thumb is our only opposable finger. We are going to take this special day and not only spend the first half of the day like our pets, without access to a thumb, we will also try to teach our pets to do some tasks that usually require a thumb. We will attempt to teach our pets how to text, turn a doorknob, zip a zipper, button a shirt, and, if we have time, drive a car. Unless you have a Great Dane, they probably won't be able to reach the pedals, but at least they will learn how to steer. The other night I superglued my thumb and forefinger together… don't worry, everything is okay. We will be doing this on a Zoom call on March 3 at 8:30 am. Please email nothumbsupforyou@yahoo.com for login instructions.