The Vet Said Gus Is Fat. I'm Still Processing.

Took Gus for his checkup last week. Annual shots, whatever.

The vet tech weighs him. Scale says 82. I don't know if that's pounds or what but it sounds heavy.

Dr. Martinez comes in. Nice lady, has a sticker on her laptop that says "I vaccinate therefore I am." She feels Gus's ribs and goes "hmm." You know that hmm. The bad hmm.

"He's a bit..." she pauses. "...fluffy."

Fluffy. She called my dog fluffy.

Ideal weight is apparently 75. I don't know what that means in real life. Is that a lot? A little? I nodded like I understood.

She said cut back to two and a half cups. I was giving him three. Plus treats. Plus the occasional piece of cheese when I'm making sandwiches and he does the sad eyes.

So now it's 2.5 cups. And green beans instead of Milk-Bones. The vet suggested green beans. I thought she'd lost her mind. But Gus eats them? Like, actually eats them? I don't get dogs.

It's been... I want to say four days? Maybe five? I lost track. He stares at his bowl after. Just stands there looking at me like "that's it?"

I feel guilty every time.

I don't know if this will work. I don't know if 75 pounds is even achievable. I don't know if I'm doing this right. The vet gave me a pamphlet but I left it in the car and it's probably covered in coffee now.

I'll update if anything changes. Or if I give up. Both seem likely.

If you're dealing with a chunky dog, check out our dog BMI calculator. Also, here's how a slow feeder helped Gus stop throwing up (even if he's still fluffy).