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56 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2017 Five Steps to Fight Pet Obesity: Keeping your pet fit is one of the best ways to keep your pet healthy. Here is a five-step plan for recognizing and tackling pet obesity. 1. Look and feel – Real scientific measurements such as the body condition score (BCS) is a great diagnostic tool, but you can start by doing a quick assessment at home using your eyes and hands. Start by feeling your pet's ribs. You should be able to feel each individual rib with a slight layer of fat over them . You should not need to work at finding those ribs. Then look at your dog or cat from above. You should see a waist behind the rib cage of a cat or dog in the healthy weight range. 2. Talk to your vet – a trip to the vet will obviously give you a very clear picture of your pet's ideal weight, but with blood and urine tests you can also rule out other factors that may be causing weight gain, including issues related to the thyroid, metabolism or hormonal problems. 3. Tackle the nutrition issue – A highly processed, grain-based diet of carbohydrates fed to animals designed to thrive on a meat-based, fresh food diet is very likely to produce overweight pets. Talk to your vet about switching to a diet consisting of more meat and nutrient rich fruits and veggies, or consider a dehydrated raw pet food which is high in protein, digestive enzymes, amino acids and essential fatty acids. 4. Meal timing and portions – The next step is to look at how often and how much your pet eats. It's a myth that pets can always self-regulate their diets, so no more free feeding. Also, you'll want to limit the amount of treats and no more unhealthy table scraps for your pet. 5. Get moving – Taking your pet out for a short walk to do his or her "business" is not enough. Exercise needs vary based on a dog's age, breed and size, but in general, dogs should be active between 30 minutes to two hours every day. It's a great opportunity to engage with your pet, introduce some fun new fetch toys and get moving yourself. A healthy, fit pet is a happy pet who will live life longer and enjoy life more. It is up to us, their masters, to set them up for success. Weekly Pack Walks (no retractable leashes please): Saturdays at 8 am, meet at Lodge parking lot; Wednesdays at 7 pm meet at Summit parking lot. Info., Patrick Gerety, captain Dog Owners Group, dog_ owners@yahoo.com. ~ Patrick Gerety D.O.G. Hi, I'm Piper Joy Wood, a much-loved Chinese Shih Tzu. My mom, Barbara Wood, says I'm as all American as apple pie and ice cream, and the 4th of July. That always makes me smile, but I'm proud of my noble Chinese heritage too. We celebrated my 12th birthday recently, but every day is a celebration for me. My mother, a published author, says I was the inspiration for her latest book. We collaborated on the story which was written through my eyes and features a picture of me on the cover. My breed is famous for our loyalty, affection, companionship, versatility, and alert nature. I'm all these things and much, much more! Mom says, "Piper loves everyone. When love is all you get, that's all you know how to give." Some of my favorite pastimes are visiting my charming and handsome canine cousins, Charlie and Cooper, accompanying Mom on book signings, socializing at the local pet store, and soaking up the sunshine on the patio. My favorite color is red, which in Chinese culture symbolizes good fortune and joy; a befitting tribute to my rich heritage. I've been told that I can "rock the color red like nobody's business." Since the day Mom and I met, the words of the late French poet, Anatole France, have special meaning: "Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened." We believe every animal lover reading this will agree with us. ~ Alex Woodcock Did you notice our change from Dog of the Month to Pet of the Month? If you have a pet you'd like to see featured, please contact our amazing photographer, Alex Woodcock (909) 705-9540. Photo by Alex Woodcock, Alexpressions Photography PET OF THE MONTH: PIPER