I wanted to check in and let you know how Chuy is doing on his weight loss journey. We had a six month vet visit last week and Chuy weighed exactly 10 lbs! In fact, a different vet tech saw him (that didn’t know about his weight loss journey) and said, “Wow, Chuy is classified in the system as overweight but he definitely doesn’t look overweight to me!” That was validation that all of our efforts are paying off!
Last December at Chuy’s 6 month vet visit, he weighed 12.6 lbs! We started feeding him Hill’s Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution in late February and really started to notice results with the change in his diet. I’m blown away by the results and so happy and proud of where Chuy is today. He’s down almost 3 lbs from his starting weight. I know that may not seem like a lot but with toy breeds like Chihuahuas, every ounce of extra body weight counts.
This was a pic of Chuy from last December that shows how much difference 3 lbs can make for a small dog.
Check out this stat from Hill’s:
Just like the human epidemic, almost 50% of the pet population is overweight. Even a little extra weight can lead to serious health problems. The pet’s quality of life and relationship with family is also impacted because that extra weight can reduce play time, impact mobility and affect the lifelong general health of your dog.
I Felt Hopeless and Devastated
When I first found out how much weight Chuy had put on and heard the vet diagnose him as “overweight”, I was devastated. I felt personally responsible for allowing this to happen to my baby. I felt like I failed him as a pet parent. If you are going through this, please know that it’s not impossible to get your pet back to a healthy weight. There is hope. Once Chuy started on Hills Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution, my hope and faith was quickly restored. I recommend reading my post, Five Tips for Dog Weight Loss, to see what steps we took to get Chuy on the right track.
Noticeable Changes
You know when you’re trying to lose weight but you don’t notice the changes immediately in your own body? But, when a friend or coworker says “have you lost some weight?” it almost immediately validates all of your hard work? It’s the same way with your pets! Since I see Chuy every day I didn’t notice some of the changes in the beginning as quickly as my friends and family did. Almost everyone I know has remarked about how wonderful Chuy looks now! Even people that didn’t know he was on a weight loss journey!
Now, I can definitely see the following changes in Chuy:
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I can actually see Chuy’s collar where as before it was hidden under the fur and fat around his neck.
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He has a noticeable waist line again!
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I can feel his bones but not in a “too bony: way. Does that make sense? Prior to the weight loss, you could feel an extra layer of fat around his rib cage.
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He has increased energy and cannot wait to go out for a walk or romp at the park!
Most importantly, I’m thrilled with the changes you can’t see. Getting the weight off will improve the longevity and overall quality of life for Chuy. Ultimately, the vet would like to see Chuy right around 9-10 lbs. He is a larger framed Chihuahua, so that will be a healthy weight range for him. We are more than pleased with the progress Chuy has made and will be forever grateful for Hill’s Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution. If you are interested in trying this food, please contact your vet to schedule an appointment!
Read All of Chuy’s Weight Loss Posts
- Chuy’s Journey to an Irresistible Life in Photos
- How Chuy Chihuahua is Losing Weight With #HillsPets
- Five Tips for Dog Weight Loss
- MY Binge Eating Disorder Made My Dog Fat
This post is sponsored by Hill’s and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic Food, but Irresistible Pets only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
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