OWNING A PET SCALE

By Thursday, February 8, 2018 13 No tags Permalink

Not until recently have I ever given much thought to owning a pet scale. But after realizing I had an overweight Doodle in the house, I decided it might not be a bad idea.

Unusually frigid temperatures in our region this year has caused winter weight gain in my Boys – sort of…

OWNING A PET SCALE

I say “sort of” because after I purchased a pet scale – I’m began to think otherwise.

LOVE HANDLES –

OWNING A PET SCALE

During the months of December and January, Jaxson “acquired” a few extra pounds – and it was my fault.

All on my own, I started giving him a little more food with each meal because the recommended amount on the package just didn’t seem to be enough. #don’tjudgeme 

After several weeks of over-feeding him, Doodle Doc’s scale told it all –

  • Dec 6th Jaxson weighed 63.8
  • Jan 5th Jaxson was 66.4 #gasp

Her interrogation was brutal. Immediately – like a prison snitch, I sang like a canary. I gave a full confession, accepted my tongue lashing like an adult and left feeling like crap!

SCALES CAN BE WRONG –

However, while Jaxson’s new (extra) weight on 66.4 was believable, Harleys weight gain? Not so sure….

OWNING A PET SCALE

Harley never gains weight! He’s been in the same weight bracket his entire adult life. He’s that dog, who doesn’t over eat and always remains in his weight range. #whatshissecret

On Dec 6th the vet tech said Harley weighed 45 lbs. I didn’t think much of it then, due to my obsession about his allergies and discomfort. 45 lbs is low for him, but he didn’t look or feel thin.

But on Jan 5th his weight was 49.2. Doc said she preferred him at the 45 lbs because of the weight calculated allergy medication dosage she’d prescribed.

Harley hadn’t been eating any more than usual AND he’s averaged between 49 – 52 lbs since he was 2 years old! –

  • Jan 20th Harley weighed 49.1

WEIGH THEM MYSELF –

After our Jan 5th follow-up I promised Doodle Doc I would weigh them regularly, and concluded it was time to purchase a scale. Weighing them from home on a regular bases made sense to me. The Redmon Precision Scale is the one I selected.

Reasonably priced, sleek design, not too heavy and super easy to store, yet I was a tad disappointed with the size of the scale.

Listed as a “large pet scale” could be left up to interpretation when exploring the definition of “large.” 

While Jaxson had no problem sitting on it, I had to fight that huge back paw to see the scale numbers…

OWNING A PET SCALE

Harley kept trying to use it like a bed with a 1/4 of his body oozing off the edges…

OWNING A PET SCALE

A feature I really like –  once they’re on, I press the “hold” button and it will calculate, record and hold their weight on the display screen for a few seconds.

  • Feb 7th Harley’s weight is 49.2.

That validates to me, the weight recorded on Dec 6th at the Vet’s office was incorrect. #hastobe

  • Jaxson now weighs 63.3.

This is news worth celebrating – sliced apples for everyone!

FOLLOW DIRECTIONS –

The past two months have taught me a valuable lesson:

Follow the freaking directions on the package Cathy!

Nowhere in the directions did it say “two HEAPING scoops!”

I plan to continue to have mid-week weigh ins with the Boys.

Owning a pet scale has turned out to be a smart investment. Using it will also be a fun training tool. Harley must learn to sit and not lay – for a correct reading the first time.

Can’t wait to send these new numbers to the vet! #whoo-hoo

Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it’s the courage to continue that counts ❤

 

13 Comments
  • Monika & Sam
    February 8, 2018

    Congrats on making progress. If only it were as easy for us uprights.

    • Cathy Bennett
      February 8, 2018

      Girl don’t you know it! I refuse to get on any type of scale – bad enough the doctor makes me do it LOL

  • DashLilly
    February 8, 2018

    Harley lying on the scale made me laugh. These doodles!! Aren’t they so wonderful? Dash and Lilly have always benn in the same weight range EXCEPT when we moved! Dash gsined weight then. Stress eatimg? Fewer walks? Yep. But also I’m realizing new vet! new scale! Probably all part of it. Thanks for the post!

    • Cathy Bennett
      February 8, 2018

      Harley stayed there as if I was painting his portrait. I just don’t know about my doodle dog, he cracks me up everyday!

  • Emma
    February 8, 2018

    Oh no! We don’t want a scale at our house. Mom says she can tell by looking at us if we are putting on any poundages, but at the vet, we are always the same weight within a pound. Hope you boys get enough to eat. Exercise more, then you can eat more. That is how it works around this boot camp.

    • Cathy Bennett
      February 8, 2018

      All their hair makes it a tad difficult to read by looking. I’ve never had a problem with their weight before – and I don’t think I will again now that I am feeding them correctly LOL But I think I’m going to like having a scale here at home.

  • Lindsay
    February 8, 2018

    LOLOL! Harley spilling off the scale is hilarious. And so is Jax’s paw hiding the truth, the numbers!!
    I’ve been feeding my guys a bit more lately because Baxter has lost some, he feels bonier and Charlie, well he works off calories in the tank so I’m not too concerned about him. Although, I think tonight when we go for hydrotherapy, I’ll get him to hop on the scale as we walk by.
    It definitely would be handy to have one of these at home….

    XOXOX

    • Cathy Bennett
      February 8, 2018

      I never thought I would want one but now that I have it – I’m happy I made the decision to buy one. How’s Charlie doing by the way?

  • Kimberly Gauthier
    February 8, 2018

    We have the same scale and we love it! In fact, I need to weigh the dogs today to see where we are – I’m hoping that Sydney and Zoey have dropped at least a pound each.

    • Cathy Bennett
      February 8, 2018

      It’s still new to us, perhaps once I get them to stay still when their up there, it will be easier. I’m trying to train them now – so this should be fun. Talked with the vet today – both boys are at their optimum weight again, so we just need to maintain.

  • Shadow and Ducky's Mom
    February 8, 2018

    And don’t forget that the time of day effects the weight numbers, too. If you weigh the boys in at the same time each time (at home), you’ll have a much better idea of their true weight. I don’t have a home pet scale so I have to rely on the vet’s scale; but we always take into account the time of day, amount of exercise before the weigh-in, and the food intake when comparing the weights from one visit to the next.

    • Cathy Bennett
      February 8, 2018

      Excellent suggestions! I actually weigh them after our evening walk because I started weighing them during the middle of the week and I don’t have time in the morning.

  • Jan K
    February 12, 2018

    Great job with Jaxson!!
    I’ve always thought I was pretty good at judging the dogs’ weight by eyesight. But I missed Cricket losing 2 lbs recently, pretty significant for a small dog like her. It turns out that’s pretty normal for a dog with a heart condition, but we are now trying to get her to put on some weight while her appetite is still good (she’s totally on board with that). At least she’s small enough I can pick her up and weigh her on our human scale, but I’d like to track Luke’s more closely too and we’d definitely need a pet scale for that!