Don't be embarrassed - it's super easy to let happen! (I can't speak - my dog is in way better shape than me, lol)

Sounds like you are on the right track! Even 15 mins extra of activity a day and you will likely begin to see the difference.

My dads dogs are both overweight but they don't even try to help them so they're a lost cause lol

He is looking better already. He really liked his Honest Kitchen samples. I am going to try to switch him over to it. I would have fed both dogs that, but it is just too expensive for a German Shepherd.

Do you guys do monthly heartworm, and what do you use? I have been getting my boys the injection, but now I have read some scary things about it so I will probably be switching once Tasey is due again. I put flea and tick prevention on him during about 6 months of the year, although our vet has had me use it a bit longer the last few years because the weather in Michigan stays warmer longer now.

And Tasey and the cat are really warming up to each other. The cat hated our German Shepherd (he adored her), and now that he is gone she comes downstairs all the time. I was worried about him alone all day, but I think they keep each other company somewhat.

Thanks for all of your help! I am really enjoying Tasey.

Yes, I do heartworm all year round here in AZ. I've used either Ivermectin, Heartguard or Heartguard+. I've never used the injectible bc of the concerns you mention above. :)

Chewie also was in a position where we were told she HAS to lose very recently. She was so thin and not eating at one point so we've kept an eye on her. She's been losing, slowly. I joke we cut out the icecream at night and it's working. We simply carefully measure her portions now and cut back on treats. I've taken to giving her fresh veggies and giving her a quarter of her usual treats, and much less of them. Also cut off my daughter from the trick training they were doing because of how liberal she was with the treats. It's worked, she lost almost half of a pound in a month. I understand that your little guy might not be physically up for exercise so this is what is working for us. She's now back down to an ideal weight but we'd like her back to her 5.9 pounds which was where she was at a 3/5 instead of her 4/5 (as vet stressed 4.5/5)just at the end of December. I never thought a pound would DO that, but with these guys they can. Even though she was almost down in her weight by the time she got hurt, I still believe that had a helping hand in it. Her waist is back to dipping in and her gait is corrected- she was starting to waddle. I hope you can get him down!!! OH- P.S. Chewie IS on wet fromms. We gave up, and the vet also was fine with her on wet food. Yes, I know. Kibble is best. But she would NOT EAT ANYTHING FOR MORE THAN A MONTH before this, and we simply got tired of having her have to go back on a boiled diet which wasn't healthy at all. That also had a hand in her weight gain being so rapid, and it's why we are so very careful now. She eats like a champ, she's healthy (with some issues, but it could be so much worse) and that's what matters. She's also sitting still for her teeth brushing- which was my reason for giving in to husband's request that we just count our blessings. Wet food would equal teeth decay, and I wasn't having that.

Heh, Ann, my husband and I got into a massive fight about this. He won. She's on the injectable and I get sick every time she has it. All 3 times. Literally, sick. I didn't want to bother any one about it, but since it was mentioned.. Sorry for the thread hijack, OP! I hope this works out!

Wet food is actually better for dogs then dry. It is a myth that dry food helps with teeth. That would be lick me eating coco puffs and not brushing my teeth because it’s a hard food. Food really has no effect persay on teeth.

I think me and you talked about how dangerous the injectable is. I would never ever give it. It had been pulled off the market once before. It has killed dogs and made them extremely sick. It is just as dangerous as trifexis! Both should be pulled and never brought back.

Here is a story of many dogs deaths from the injection https://keepthetailwagging.com/the-v...-dog-deaths-2/

I've seen that, and I've spoken with the vet, and also the owner of the clinic who owns yorkies. they've told me all the "pros" and I still don't agree. I know that this is mainly with labs. I don't give a crap and I have to say that I'm not arguing. If I sound upset, it's because I'm very upset about this shot, and just thinking about it makes me want to hurl. I brought it up two days ago and he put it off about a "later" discussion. He says we forget t he pills sometimes. Yep, that's nice. I don't think I'll allow it the next time, even with a drag out yelling match. I get the eye rolls from our vet when I express concerns about vaccines, so I gotta say, it's good to see people who actually understand it's not a good shot.

It's her history with her breeding line. I know that even though I'm human, I have a very small mouth and easily can get cavities. I like to think of it like that- especially with a ding on the guy's record with one aged 10 months from her line. Missing teeth and some that were badly off. I don't like that it's sticky and can get caught in small and hard to reach places.

Heart guard has an app you can get on your phone to remind you or there are many other apps you could get to remind you as well. I personally would not risk it with the shot. But luckily I’m the only owner of my pups so my decisions stand but even if I wasn’t I would risk a break up or divorce then do something that would hurt my pups they are my babies and come first which is probably why I’m not married lol

Dry food pieces get stuck too really anything can. I have found many things stuck between puppies teeth. Right now Penny thinks she can floss her self by getting strings from toys in between her teeth ugh lol

:thumbup:
If I could afford to feed my big boy solely wet food, I probably would!

JennaPenny - Tasey has had the shot probably 4 times, with no problems as far as I could see.

Does anyone use Revolution? I am not doing the injection again (he just had it at the end of February so he won't be due until until end of August). I used to use Revolution for my lab for heart worm, fleas, ear mites etc.

His Honest Kitchen came, and he ate it great last night and this morning. I am trying 1/4 cup twice a day, then I will have to weigh him to see if that is enough/too much.

I would also like to feed him Freshpet Select sometimes. I don't want to complicate his diet too much, but I like him to have a little variety.

We are in the process of deciding if we want to add another dog once we have Tasey straightened out in his weight. It would be another small dog, probably a rescue Yorkie. I would like to get one around the same age as Tasey. I love German Shepherds, but our home/lifestyle seems more suited to a small dog. Plus my husband really disliked all of the shedding. I worry so much that Tasey is lonely, although he seems to be bonding with the cat.

I use the alarm on my cell phone. I set it for times I have to take a pill and if Cody needs meds I put his time in also, but, my cell is always on me or near me. Just a thought I wanted to share :)