As soon as I met Toby, I could tell he was significantly overweight. A little research revealed that he's at the tall end of the range for an Italian greyhound (15" at the shoulder), but should still weigh no more than 15 pounds. He weighs almost 20.
That means he and I are doing a lot of walking. I usually only walk my 3.4 mile route 3-4 days a week, but Toby needs the exercise and routine, so now we're walking the route daily.
He walks at a brisk pace. I experimented with jogging a little on this morning's walk and he had no problem going faster.
There's a saying, "If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise." I have a feeling that his exercise program is going to slim us both down.
Everyone I meet thinks he's a puppy. I guess his smallness is a more noticeable attribute than the grey hairs on his muzzle. All of the extra "baby fat" around his ribs probably contributes to the impression.
One of the only things his previous owners shared about him is that "he likes treats." Yeah, no kidding. I, however, am not a treat-giver. Just ask the cats. Instead, my plan is to keep him well supplied with chews to help keep his teeth and gums healthy, and also make him think he's getting treats.
I'm also measuring his food and giving him one portion in the morning and one in the evening. That seems to be holding him and he has thus far failed to make good on his threat of eating the cats' food.
Once the weather gets cold, I know Toby isn't going to want to go on long walks. I think it's important to make swift progress getting some of his extra fat melted off before he spends the winter mostly indoors.
Does all of this sound like we're keeping him? Yeah, it sure looks that way.
He hasn't won any cat friends yet, although Velvet is willing to sleep on the bed by my head while Toby is sleeping by my legs. Dr. Jones is still stalking him, Xena is hissy yet possibly interested in playing, and Trillian has more or less vanished. I'm taking some cat food and water down to the basement to make sure she can survive her self-imposed exile.
Still, it's only been a couple of days and I think the cats will get used to him. He hasn't done anything scary at all, and they'll realize that sooner or later.
Now I need to head down and make myself a breakfast shake. All that walking works up an appetite!
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