Risha on January 9, 2012

Weight Challenge

When she arrived the first time in January Risha weighed just a few ounces more than ten pounds  which the vet and I both thought was a good weight for her.  Dogs carrying too much weight risk damaging their hips and knees, not to mention their organs.  Risha returned to foster care in late June weighing a bit over 13 pounds, and the challenge has been to get her back to her ideal weight.

It's a cliche that a dog's primary job is finding food.  Let me brag that  Risha is very, very good at her job.  When she is not inhaling the carefully measured portion in her dog dish two times a day Risha prowls the back yard seeking food.  She eats strawberries from the bush, apples and raspberries from low branches, tomatoes she can reach, salal berries, blueberries, and anything the squirrels have buried. Shortly after her arrival I uprooted and discarded any garden plants I knew to be poisonous because even though the house dogs have never sampled them, I don't trust Risha not to do a taste test. I am thankful she does not have a sensitive stomach and has never shown the slightest reaction to any of her self-selected feasts.

If I am preparing food in the kitchen, Risha stands nearby, knowing how likely I am to clumsily drop a bit now and then.  Cucumber.  Green bean.  Red pepper.  Summer squash.  Cauliflower.  Broccoli.  Cabbage.  She is the only dog I have ever known who will eat lettuce.  Plain, undressed, lettuce.  

As of this afternoon, Risha weighs 11 1/2 pounds and she is getting her waistline back!  We are halfway to our goal, despite all that sneaky snacking.  Hhhmmm, could this be a new weight loss plan?  Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, no grains.  Nope, not new at all, and it does work.

Waistline in progress