Congratulations!! A Shining Example!

I wanted to share this very inspiring story of weight loss of one of my patients, owned by some very dear and caring people!  They deserve BIG kudos and they officially win my admiration for a job well done!  Proof positive that hard work DOES pay off!  Congratulations Mr. Tom and Mrs. Eve Vonne!

Lexi The Amazing Doggy!!!

Best Friend of: Tom and Eve Vonne

Lexi is a six-year-old cockapoo that brings us nothing but love and happiness. It was during those puppy-training years that we found ourselves “giving in’ to her big lovable brown eyes and  “playful but begging” facial expressions. Like many dog owners, we thought the only way to return her unconditional love was to reward her with lots and lots of treats and large portions of dog food during meal times!  

We would give her store bought treats every time she went outside to do her duty, did her tricks, after every meal, and at bedtime.  During those years we thought she was so active, loving to constantly play, and therefore would not have a weight problem.  What were we thinking???  Lexi eventually started to slow down as she grew a couple of years older.

It was during her annual check ups that Dr. Debbie began to tell us that she was gaining weight and needed to loose “a few pounds”. Of course we were in denial; not believing we were over feeding her. Surely her weight gain was not our doing.

It was at this point that Dr. Debbie gave us a plastic measuring cup and told us that Lexi, considering her breed and body type, should only be eating ½ cup of dry and ½ cup of can dog food at mealtime.  As if that shock was not enough, on our way out the door to go home, Dr. Debbie clearly stated, “Remember for every treat you give Lexi is like a “Snicker's Bar” to us!  Wow!  Finally for whatever reason, her statement stuck with us. We talked and decided right then that it was time for action.

We started to reduce her food intake like Dr. Debbie advised and cut out all of her store bought treats.  We replaced those treats with “Mini Rice Cakes”, cut up baby carrots, cantaloupe, watermelon and ice cubes. She still likes us to think she is starving but we stick to our guns and do not give in to anything else.

As you can tell by the attached photos, Lexi is not a big dog and should not weigh more than 25 lbs.  However, at one point she weighed as high as 38 lbs.  Since we have cut out the treats, she is now 23 lbs., a perfect weight for her size.  Her body has slimmed down enough that we can now see her slimmer ribcage and tapered down waist. Her energy level is “over the top” again.  She’s going to be 7 years old this November and we are looking forward to many, many more years of sharing her love and loyalty.

We will never be able to thank Dr. Debbie (and her staff) for all they have done to help us get Lexi back to her perfect weight.  We’ll be forever indebted to her for showing us how healthy Lexi should be.

Thank you again.

Rabies!!!!

I seriously am seeing FAR too many people bringing their pets in without a current rabies vaccination.  IT IS A REAL THREAT.   Just this week I had SEVERAL people tell me they "never bothered with a rabies vaccine" for their dog.

Well, first of all, it's a REQUIREMENT by the State of CA to keep your dog current on rabies vaccination.  You can be fined, you can be forced to pay for quarantine, and you can and will be held responsible if your pet exposes any one else to the disease because you didn't take the time or spend the money to keep them current on the vaccine.  Cheap vaccine clinics have taken away all excuses for not doing this!

While it's not required for cats - it's HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you also keep ALL of your cats current on rabies vaccine.  Yes, EVEN THE INDOOR CATS.

WHY?  Well, because we have rabies here in the desert!  Rabies kills PEOPLE!   I say this until I am blue in the face but until someone here actually dies from it, I suspect people will still refuse to follow this simple, life saving rule:  VACCINATE ALL DOGS AND CATS FOR RABIES!!!

A person was just exposed to a rabid bat here in the Mojave Desert and they are trying to find that person because he may have been exposed.  Point being that if the bats have it, then there is GREAT potential for a dog or a cat (or other animals!) to also be exposed.

How do you avoid it?  How do you avoid DYING from rabies?  Well, one way is to make sure your dogs AND cats are kept current on the vaccine so they don't expose YOU to the deadly disease.

And please do not argue with me about this vaccine because it's not a winnable argument.  :)

Here's the link to the news article that came out just this week:



RABIES IN THE MOJAVE DESERT

Don't Leave Your Dog in the Car!

Some very important info considering we are now starting to have warm, sunny days.