HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLUE!

Blue is SIX today!

For the average dog that equals about 42 years of age in a human. right? 6 x 7 = 42

I found THIS info at http://www.dogster.com
A popular misconception is that dogs age 7 years for each calendar year. In fact, canine aging is much more rapid during the first 2 years of a dog's life. After the first 2 years the ratio settles down to 5 to 1 for small and medium breeds. For large breeds the rate is 6 to 1, and for giant breeds the rate is 7 to 1. Thus, at 10 years of age a Great Dane would be 80 years old while a pug would only be 64.
Use this chart to calculate your dog's age:

Last month I took Blue into the vet to run some blood tests just to check. I was told that since he is a Giant Breed, he was considered a Senior. So they did Senior Blood work. Everything came back fine, except his weight. In May he was down to 150 lbs but since I had been leaving him home all summer, his weight was back up to 171. (His all time high being 174 last year).

The vet was concerned about the huge weight gain but then I let him know that Blue had been eating "bread" for treats and "vacuuming"  the floor after the little dogs had finished their dinner. AND I had read on the dog food package to give 1 cup per 10 lbs. So I had cut that in half and had been giving him 8 cups a day. The vet said he only needed Half of THAT. Now he's down to 4 cups of special expensive holistic Fish and Sweet Potato food. The special food is an effort to help with him licking his paws and the chronic skin problems. (all very common in white, pink skin dogs).

So he's down to 151 lbs. a 21 lb weight loss in a little over a month.

(Maybe I should measure out fish and potato's for myself).

Anyway...

Why did I take him in for blood tests to begin with?

Well....he's been kinda cranky lately.

Grumbling when someone when get on the sofa with him.

(except Twinkle of course)

and barking at the other dogs and sometimes curling his lip.

Of course when any of this happened, I would immediately grab his face and yell with big exaggerated gestures (since he can't hear) and then vehemently gesturing "NO" at him.

and then I would put him in the backyard to cool off.

He would go outside and walk around the yard and then come back

and lean against the door.

LET ME IN, I'M SORRY.

So in he would come, ignoring his miserable little housemates and go back and lay on his sofa.

After the this weight loss, he's been much less cranky.

I guess that was his problem.

Feeling Fat and Old.

I can sympathize.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLUE!
XOXOXOXO