The Biggest Loser

It's official: everyone in the Scottie Mom household is now watching their weight. Scottie Mom and Dad are just doing the responsible thing and trying to eat right. No real diet or plan to it. So far, Scottie Mom's down six pounds and Scottie Dad...well, it's hard to keep up! He's definitely ahead in the game. Heather, who has lost a whopping three pounds since she was adopted two years ago, is being monitored to make sure she maintains her weight of 25 pounds. Mr. K, on the other hand, is the last to join the Scottie Mom biggest loser team and as of today, has been instructed by the V-E-T to lose a few pounds even though he weighs exactly the same as Miss Heather...25 pounds.

When he was adopted in 2010, Mr. K was a little underweight at 17.5 pounds. The shelter told me they thought he had been the runt of his litter. His first V-E-T at Pet Friends Veterinary Clinic (whom Mr. K actually loved to visit because he thought it was a personal massage appointment every time!) asked Scottie Mom to put a little meat on his bones. For a few years, he stayed steady at 23 pounds. Since his horrific health scare shortly after we moved into the condo, however, he has slowly packed on a couple extra pounds. Today, he weighed in at his heaviest at 25 pounds. So, where do we go from here?

Much to Mr. K's dismay, it starts - or rather, ends - with treats. (Sorry, Mr. K. Scottie Mom has had to cut out some favorite foods, too...) I've asked Scottie Dad to support me on this one since he is my treat-giving accomplice. It is so easy for the Scottie face to win us over and to see just how happy they are when they taste something scrumptious...especially those homemade doggie blueberry muffins we tried a few times. Heather and Mr. K go nuts for them! But, we must be strong and get Mr. K down to the weight the V-E-T says is healthiest for him: 23 pounds.

Next, per the V-E-T'S instruction, we are to cut his food down by 20 percent. Right now, Heather and Mr. K are fed twice a day. Each gets about a half cup of Blue Basics (which we chose to help with Mr. K's allergies) at both meals. The biggest change - and the one I'm most excited about but couldn't tell anyone until I knew for sure it was going to happen - is the reintroduction of long morning and afternoon walks into our schedule! Currently, that is not always possible giving our city locale. However, in just about a week from today, Heather and Mr. K will be closing on a townhome to call their own - complete with a very walkable neighborhood! More details to come.

And so - I'm sure our friends at Scottish Terrier Health Network will appreciate and support this - Mr. K would like to propose that his fellow Scots (and other four legged friends, of course) join him on this quest for optimal health and fight against pet obesity by dragging their Scottie Moms and Dads out for more walkies and playing extra long games of fetch. Send your pups' photos and success stories to thescottiemom(at)gmail(dot)com or just add them to our Facebook page as you watch those pounds drop!