Good News For My Ol' Pal

Last evening I received a phone call I was dreading, however
that dread was unfounded. The call was from out vet and he had wonderful news
regarding Chester's biopsy of the melanoma, it was benign! My old pal is cancer
free! We still have to try and help him lose some weight and watch his heart,
but the vet is confident if we can get some of this weight off of him it'll
help his breathing and make walking easier. Thankfully, he still loves his
walks but cutting his food back will not be high on his list of favorite
things.

I've noticed a correlation between a pets weight and it's
owner lately. I'm not a skinny woman and never have been, but I am overweight
and I've noticed that many people who have overweight pets are usually
overweight themselves. I haven't done a scientific study this is my observation
from trips to Petco or Petsmart. I’ve also read and seen reports on similar
findings. So where am I going with this, well I'm revisiting my weight issues
and part of my weight loss program is tied to my dogs. Just like human’s dogs
need to stay fit and healthy. Just like us they need exercise and they need to
eat right to stay in proper shape. Dogs like people develop health problems
like diabetes, thyroid and heart problems and I'm going have my dogs work with
me to continue to lose weight. In return they benefit from the exercise to keep
their doggy shapes and they get to spend quality time with me while I work on
my weight loss.

In a few months Chester and I will be a few pounds lighter
and healthier and my puppies will maintain their healthy shape. Chester goes
back to the vet in September for his annual shots and our goal is to drop five
to ten pounds. Right now Chester weighs in at 78 pounds and those 10 pounds if
lost will make his doggy life a whole bunch easier and that ten pounds for me
will bring me back to 50 pounds lost since March 2004 and thirty pounds closer
to my goal. Stay tuned.