I think Bear is loosing weight!!! WOOHOO!! maybe?

We all swear Bear has lost about 10p+ in the week we've had her. Not sure if loosing that much is a good thing or not.

It is VERY VERY VERY important that she looses atleast 70p min within the year, as shes horribly over weight & her health is at major risk. But how much weight should she be loosing in a time frame?

Shes taking Hypothyroid Medication... Is on a diet kibble (Science Diet - Diet) & is getting a lot of excersize compaired to her past (Short walks & a run every couple of days).

She even started to play the other day... Bouncing around, putting her chest towards the ground (shes still to fat to do it right) & prancing around like a nut (OMG it was funny as heck!!!)...

She is even walking better, as in less tripping, less being unballanced & she can hop onto her couch without her legs giving out & doing a face dive into the couch. She seems happier & more willing to do things & more willing to walk around the house (she was scared of walking inbetween close objects)...

I'm hoping to find a nearby vet(that we can walk to) that'll let me bring her in weekly or bi-weekly to just get her weighed for free (I want to keep a log)...

Well- the medication is regulating the thyroid- just have the vet keep an eye on it. It its not a " diet" pill- its a regulator. ..

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Originally Posted by borzoimom

Well- the medication is regulating the thyroid- just have the vet keep an eye on it. It its not a " diet" pill- its a regulator. ..

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I know its not a diet pill. Its allowing her tyroid to function properly. I know without it she'll put on weight (she lost 20p at the shelter when they started her on it, 3 months ago, with a tiny walk every day), as her motablisim functions too slow.

She has to see a vet every 4 months for blood work (it'll be sooner for that, as she only has enough pills for about 2 1/2 months), a check up & more pills. I know with my old dog that he would get fatter during the winter & then after a few weeks of running him in the spring, he would be his usual toothpick size. But he would only gain about 10p & loose that 10p.. But with Bear shes lost a lot in a short time, but is being walked & run 100x more then shes use too (she LOVES it).

I have a thing with vets.. I don't trust them all the time, as my sister & I have been burned baddly in the past (my sisters cat is permently traumatized to the harm the vet did to her.. amoung other things). Thats why I get peoples experiences & advice here first... Then I can go to the vets office with some knowledge & have less of a chance of being burned or having them screw up my pets life.

GREAT news! (Imagine Tony the Tiger saying, "GGGGRREEEAAAATTTT!")

Like us, I imagine she has been building up some muscle strength and that is helping with her balance. Isn't it wonderful to see some progress?

Keep it up, Bear, you can do it girl!

Keep it up Bear!! Woohoo!

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Originally Posted by king2005

I have a thing with vets.. I don't trust them all the time, as my sister & I have been burned baddly in the past (my sisters cat is permently traumatized to the harm the vet did to her.. amoung other things). Thats why I get peoples experiences & advice here first... Then I can go to the vets office with some knowledge & have less of a chance of being burned or having them screw up my pets life.

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I can totally sympathize with you there, my cousin took her cat to a nearby vet who vaccinated the cat for EVERYTHING a cat could be vaccinated for (including ringworm and giardia) all on the same visit!!! Needless to say my cousin ended up spending big $$ at the ER clinic, almost lost the cat, and now has a fear of vets, not that I can blame her totally.

Vets like that just make me see RED!! All they're doing is trying to get your $$ and not taking care of the pets which is supposed to be their first priority! And I often wonder how much $$ they actually get, because clients don't usually return to a vet like this after one visit. While another less costly, more caring vet would get more $$ long term by having a regular client that wasn't afraid to bring their pet in.

I'm sorry you and your sister had a bad experience with a vet like that, however not all vets are like that. It may be difficult in certain areas to find one you trust, but it's well worth the time looking and possibly a longer drive if you trust the dr. taking care of your pets.

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Originally Posted by Catlady711

I can totally sympathize with you there, my cousin took her cat to a nearby vet who vaccinated the cat for EVERYTHING a cat could be vaccinated for (including ringworm and giardia) all on the same visit!!! Needless to say my cousin ended up spending big $$ at the ER clinic, almost lost the cat, and now has a fear of vets, not that I can blame her totally.

Vets like that just make me see RED!! All they're doing is trying to get your $$ and not taking care of the pets which is supposed to be their first priority! And I often wonder how much $$ they actually get, because clients don't usually return to a vet like this after one visit. While another less costly, more caring vet would get more $$ long term by having a regular client that wasn't afraid to bring their pet in.

I'm sorry you and your sister had a bad experience with a vet like that, however not all vets are like that. It may be difficult in certain areas to find one you trust, but it's well worth the time looking and possibly a longer drive if you trust the dr. taking care of your pets.

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My sisters cat was really good at the vets office before this one vet. Spliff would cry a little during her shots & kick the vet a little when being poked.. but she never attacked or hissed ever. This one vet scruffed her HARD & grabbed her poor little body HARD... he roughed her up really bad for nothing!! My sister was crying not knowing what to do, & poor Spliff was so traumatized my sister couldn't get near her for nearly 2 hours.. Poor thing was trapped in the little vets office all scared & hurt. My sister said she couldn't pet Spliff for a couple weeks as Spliff would scream in pain. Needless to say that vet no longer works there, but the damage is already done.. The cat now fears the vets & cannot get a normal checkup anymore, just shots & thats it... Her new vet knows what happened & my sister & the vet both agreeded, that unless Spliff is showing signs of being ill, shes not to be poked by the vet. This vet is trying to win Spliff over, but its not going well & its been about 5yrs now.

Did you know that you can replace some of her kibble with a whole, raw carrot? They have no calories and are a GREAT filler. Just break it up in bits with your hands because they like to crunch ~ it makes them feel like they're eating more.

Carrots DO have calories, but not as much as cookies. A few baby carrots a day are good for them, but too much of a good thing can work against the weight loss. Carrots also show up in the yard!

It sounds like you're on the right track. Congratulations to both of you!

Great work with Bear. Keep it up!!

I've been lucky to have found a few of the very best vets in Calgary. I have run across a few bad ones too. One substitute vet told me my Sami (RB) had foot cancer - it turned out to be a food allergy. I also had one vet who would not do adrenal surgery on my ferret, I trusted her and medicated instead and my ferret lived 10 months. 2 weeks after his passing another of my ferrets came up with symptoms of the diesease, again she refused the surgery so we changed vets, had the surgery and he lived another 2 years and just passed away this past December. There are good ones out there, word of mouth is the best way to find them.

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Originally Posted by Queen of Poop

Great work with Bear. Keep it up!!

I've been lucky to have found a few of the very best vets in Calgary. I have run across a few bad ones too. One substitute vet told me my Sami (RB) had foot cancer - it turned out to be a food allergy. I also had one vet who would not do adrenal surgery on my ferret, I trusted her and medicated instead and my ferret lived 10 months. 2 weeks after his passing another of my ferrets came up with symptoms of the diesease, again she refused the surgery so we changed vets, had the surgery and he lived another 2 years and just passed away this past December. There are good ones out there, word of mouth is the best way to find them.

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What sucks is that I don't know anyone here in the city with a dog. If I had the cash I'd go to Kingston & use my sisters new vet.. but thats a 3hr drive & involves going through Toronto (which I'd rather not do every 4 months.. once a year sure)

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Originally Posted by king2005

What sucks is that I don't know anyone here in the city with a dog. If I had the cash I'd go to Kingston & use my sisters new vet.. but thats a 3hr drive & involves going through Toronto (which I'd rather not do every 4 months.. once a year sure)

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Could you ask your sisters new vet to recommend someone closer to you? I've found that the truly good vets tend to know each other.

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Originally Posted by Queen of Poop

Could you ask your sisters new vet to recommend someone closer to you? I've found that the truly good vets tend to know each other.

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Hmmmm thats a good idea... Typing a message to my sister now :D