Hi Cathy, I wanted to let you know that I just finished writing and published my book Dog Health Care: 7 Simple Ways To Keep Your Dog Healthy on Amazon.

My book is all about preventative health care for dogs. In it I share the knowledge that I have acquired in over sixteen years as a practicing veterinarian. Even people who have had dogs for years will be sure to learn something new in my book. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me get my book discovered by reading and reviewing my book?…

I was honored to receive this email from my blogging friend Rachele Baker, DVM

Rachele and I met through our websites, and I find her methodology and knowledge of veterinary medicine informative, engaging, and easy to comprehend.

Once I accepted her invitation to review this book, I was “assigned” to Chapter 2 –  Part 1: Keeping Your Dog at a Healthy Weight.

OVERWEIGHT DOODLES IN THE HOUSE –

A few months ago Doodle dieting was the priority in our house.  Due to my ignorance (yes I said it) both Boys had become slightly overweight in just a few weeks.

After a stern talking to from their Veterinarian, portions, treats, and exercise consumed me.

My primary motivation was driven by their allergy medication.  I was frightened. If they couldn’t shed the extra poundage, their doses would increase. #pleaseLordno

Progress began to show quickly (wish I could lose weight like that) and I’m still working super “doodle” hard to help them maintain their boyish figures.

Having dealt with slightly overweight pups, I was intrigued to read this particular chapter of Rachele’s book. She addresses many of the subjects that were of interest to me.

CHAPTER TOPICS –

• Consequences of your dog being overweight
• How to determine if your dog is overweight
• What can you do to help your dog lose weight?
• Designing a weight loss plan for your dog
• Determine your dog’s ideal body weight
• Determine your dog’s current daily caloric intake
• Select an appropriate dog food and treat
• Allowance for your dog

DO YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR DOG’S WEIGHT? –

Then this is a chapter you would appreciate!

Part 2 of Chapter 2 deals with Exercise Options for Your Dog – but this isn’t my assignment for the book review #sorry #stickingtothescript

Here is an excerpt on the chapter I was asked to review: “Keeping Your Dog At A Healthy Weight” –

How to determine if your dog is overweight –

There are two ways that you can estimate your dog’s ideal body weight. The most accurate way is to visually and physically inspect your dog. If your dog has a thick hair coat, it will be easier to determine if your dog is overweight by physical inspection than by visual inspection.

 First, put your hands on the sides of your dog’s chest and slide your hands over your dog’s rib cage towards your dog’s tail. You should be able to easily feel his or her rib cage. Then look at your dog from above. He or she should have a discernible waist (an hourglass shape). Finally, look at your dog from the side. The abdomen (belly) should incline upwards from the rib cage to the hips. This is called the “abdominal tuck.” The belly should not sag or form a straight line from the rib cage to the hips.

What can you do to help your dog lose weight? –

Obesity in dogs, as in people, is usually caused by excessive food intake and/or insufficient exercise. The most effective weight loss plans involve increasing activity as well as feeding fewer calories. Helping your dog to achieve and maintain an ideal weight requires a commitment by all members of the household to provide a healthier lifestyle for your dog.

Make sure that everyone in the household understands that you are trying to help your dog lose weight so that your dog will be healthier and live longer. Both the amount and types of treats fed should be appropriate for your dog’s weight loss plan. Your weight loss plan for your dog is not going to succeed if one or more people in the household are feeding your dog extra food or high calorie treats.

If your dog begs for extra food or treats, try substituting low calorie treats or things that he or she enjoys such as playtime or brushing. Begging for food usually has more of a behavioral component than an actual hunger component. Your dog will be happy to receive more attention and playtime.

It is easy to substitute low calorie treats for high calorie treats. Many dogs love fruits and vegetables. And most dogs cannot tell the difference between high calorie dog biscuits and low calorie dog biscuits. Examples of low calorie treats for your dog include:

• Apple slices
• Baby carrots
• Green beans
• Melon chunks
• Pear slices
• Low calorie dog biscuits

It is important to note that the calories that your dog receives from treats should not exceed 10% of his or her total daily calorie intake since most treats do not provide the complete and balanced nutrition that he or she needs.

If you use treats to hide medications or supplements that you give your dog, make sure those treats are also low calorie. Avoid things like hot dogs and cheese which may contain a lot of fat and calories. If you feel that you must use hot dogs or cheese, look for low fat versions of these foods. A very effective way to get your dog to eat medications and supplements is to use a low calorie canned dog food to form small meatballs and mix or hide the medications in the canned food meatballs.

The weight loss plan for your dog may include feeding a reduced calorie dog food. Reduced calorie dog foods are formulated with greater amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals to compensate for a decrease in the amount of food consumed. These foods are usually low in fat and may contain more fiber to help your dog feel full with a smaller amount of food.

To help decrease your dog begging for food, try using a slow feeder dog bowl or food puzzle toys that make a dog work for his or her food. These will make mealtime last longer and make your dog feel like he or she is getting a larger quantity of food.

It may also be helpful to feed your dog three or four small meals a day rather than one or two large meals.

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR –

This virtual book tour started on June 4th and will last for one week. If what I’ve shared with you thus far is of interest to you, then you can continue to read more reviews and excerpts through the 10th.

It’s easy –

Rachele has invited other writers/bloggers to review specific chapters and provide “excerpts” from those chapters.

Here are the websites and publishing dates of each scheduled review –

• Room With Books June 4th roomwithbooks.com
• Turning Another Page June 5th thurninganotherpage.com
• Australian Dog Lover June 6th http://www.australiandoglover.com
• Groovy Goldendoodles June 7th groovygoldendoodles.com
• McSquare Doodles June 8th mcsquaredoodles.com
• My Dog Likes June 9th mydoglikes.com
• Cute Dog Addicts June 10th cutedogaddicts.com

WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR OWN COPY? –

Then visit the official event page on FaceBook and enter her giveaway…

It’s Thursday – or as I like to call it – Day 4 of my hostage situation❤