Well Done, Hudson!!
This past winter, we noticed Hudson, the Palmer’s now 7-year-old Portuguese Water Dog, was looking a little chunkier – at 61 lbs (27.75kg), he was losing his ‘waist’ from both a side and top view and his ribs were difficult to feel. We also noticed he seemed to be a little stiffer and sorer after exercise. Because of his age (approaching his 7th Birthday and becoming a senior dog) we performed some screening blood tests and checked Hudson’s thyroid gland function (low normal results – we will retest him periodically as we suspect he may become hypothryroid).
To keep Hudson and his joints as healthy as possible as he approaches his senior years, we decided to feed him Hill’s Metabolic + Mobility Diet to control his calorie intake and provide nutritional supplements for his joints.
Now at 56 lbs (25.45kg), we think Hudson looks great! He has his ‘waist’ back, we can feel his ribs with light pressure, and we are seeing an overall improvement in his mobility. We think he feels better overall.
5 lbs (2.25kg) might not sound like a huge weight loss but if you compare Hudson to a 175lb man that would be equivalent to a 15lb weight loss – ie going from 175lbs to 160 lbs. Enough to make a difference – especially on the long-term wear and tear on his joints.