Newsletter special

Labrador Friends of the South

A non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and adoption of homeless Labrador Retrievers in Georgia, Alabama and the entire Southeast region

The Labrador News

Vol. 9, June 2008

Text Box: Like with humans, start slowly. Start out with a brisk 15 minute walk every day for the first week, and increase it by 5 minutes every week until you're walking together for anywhere between 45 minutes to one hour each day. If you and your dog are up to it, after the first couple of weeks you can start jogging. You can also split the walks/runs into two daily 30 minutes walks if that fits your schedule better. You will be amazed by how quickly they get in shape. Start slowly and keep an eye on your dog for signs that he had enough or if he is too hot. Do not run your dog when it is too hot outside. If it is hot, go early in the morning and bring some water with you for a water break. Look for shaded trails, there are many around Atlanta. Be mindful of the age of you dog. When they were younger my dogs would run hard 50 minutes with me, now 20 minutes are plenty. Keep in mind that dogs less than one year old should not be run for long periods of time to avoid joint damages. If in doubt, ask your vet. At the end of the run, my dogs love to jump in the kid pool I have at home. It is a great way for them to cool off quickly and to get a quick bath. Go out, have fun, and watch your dog and yourself get in the best shape of your life!

Is your dog in good shape? Would you know if he was too fat? As our lifestyles become more and more sedentary, our pets' lifestyles often follow suit. Just like you, your dog may be eating too much and exercising too little. This month we will talk about how to tell if your dog is fat, what to do about it and the rewards of seeing your dog acting like a younger dog after loosing 60 pounds. Once again, the choice and amount of food, together with exercise, is key!

News and Events

Is Your Dog Fat?

The Rewards of Loosing Weight

Dog of the Month

Deals of the Month

Dog Tips

Last Months Adoptions

Only 3 lucky Labradors found their forever homes last month, but they all have great homes: Ronde, Jasper and Tennessee all have a new home.

Help spreading the word about us. Recommend us to your friends.

Meet he new additions on our available dogs webpage. Due to the low adoption rates, we have not been able to save many dogs this month. Having more foster homes would allow us to save more dogs even during slow months. Email me if you are thinking about helping us and become a foster parent. It is easy and well worth it. Ask me or our of our experienced foster homes what it is all about.

All about food— Part 2: Food and Weight.

In 2007 we started the Friends Fund to recognize all the people that are helping us saving more and more dogs. Even with the slow down in the economy people are still donating, thank you! We thank the following people for their generosity last month:

Bronze Bone level: Sara Nicol, Mike Cornelia

Silver Bone level: Marcelo and Isabel Falcon on behalf or Tinkerbell

Gold Bone level: Patricia Epstein with condolences for Eddie Ryan's father

Platinum Bone level: Patricia Porter in honor of Chad’s birthday, Simon Tildsley and Chelsea.

Diamond Bone Level: Elena Pesavento as Wiley’s virtual foster mom, Trish Carpenter and the many dogs she has fostered.

To Trish Carpenter a very special thank for having her company match her donation.

Where is your money going?

The money you generously donated so far went to:

· Spay, neutering, vetting and boarding of all our dogs. Each dog costs us on average over $500 (this year about $700 due to lower adoption rates). This is more than twice the amount we ask as adoption fee so your donations are essential for us to stay alive and help dogs ...thank you for the help!

Don’t let your summer pictures sit in your computer, make sure you and your friends can enjoy them. Here are some great photo deals for your summer memories. Click on the below images to start shopping or go to our affiliates link. For dog lovers, click here to get a free leash plus 20 free prints from Snapfish or click here to get 50 Free Prints + Free 8x10 Print at Snapfish. Or click on any of the images below for some free prints from the photo company of your choice:

Don’t forger to use our affiliates link if all your shopping needs. This is the easiest way to make a donation to us without spending any extra money.

http://www.labradorfriends.com/affiliates.htm

Pumpkin is an awesome 4 year old dog. He is well behaved, housebroken, and affectionate. As you can see he absolutely loves and is wonderful with kids. Unlike most labs he is actually picky about his food so in his case we are trying to get him to gain a few pounds. Mr. Pumpkin is one of our special needs dogs as he has some kidney damage. This really does not affect

his daily life: he just drinks and pees more than other dogs, but as long as he has access to a doggie door you would not know the difference. He loves to snuggle and he is a very loyal dog creating a strong bond with his owners. Pumpkin would be a great dog for any kid to grow up with: Every kid should have a Pumpkin to look over him! Don't let his "special needs" label stop you. He is one of the best dogs we have and he deserves the best family out there. Open you heart to Pumpkin and the payoff will be huge.

Here is one of our chocolate boys Crawdad (formerly known as Houston) with the rest of his family in the “winners circle” after winning the Richmond Hill, GA "See Spot Run 5K" in April. He won a silver looking food bowl with "See Spot Run 1st Place" written on it. The whole family ran the event and even though mom and his best friend foster brother, Biscuit, didn't win any prizes they still had fun. Congratulations to the entire family for staying in shape while having fun at the same time!

To tell if your dog needs to lose some weight, get familiar with your dog's body. You should be able to count your dog's ribs when you run your hands along his side, pressing very lightly. You should not be able to count them by sight. If you can see your dog's ribs, he's too skinny. If you can feel them, but not see them, he's a good, healthy weight. Finally, if you can't count individual ribs when you run your hands along them, your dog is overweight and you should do something about it sooner rather than later.

Just as with people, extra weight on dogs can cause health problems. It's important that your dog maintain a healthy weight, neither too skinny nor too fat. Very few dogs can regulate their food intake and Labradors in particular are not known for their self control when it comes to food. You'll have to help your dog lose weight. Just as with people, there are two separate facets of weight loss for dogs; eating less, and exercising more...Sound familiar?

Except for some severe cases, I am personally not a big fan of "diet" food to promote weight loss. Diet food does not contain essential nutrients, and your dog's health may suffer and his coat may not look as good as usual. Instead, feed him less or cut back his treats (see our Dog Tips section in our August 2007 Newsletter for great ideas on lean treats). If you have been free feeding him, switch over to feeding him small amounts twice a day. Your dog, I am sure, will not be happy at first but he will get used to the new routine in no time. In the meantime be strong; a live, healthy dog who pouts because he isn't getting as many treats anymore is better than a fat and sadly, eventually deceased one who gets all the treats he wants. Be ready as it will probably take a few weeks for your dog to adjust to these changes. These few weeks will be the hardest for you but don't give up. A few hard weeks are nothing in exchange for a few more years with your dog!

Exercising more will be the hardest thing for some of you. We all know how much we humans hate exercising. But it's essential if you want your dog to be healthy. Because dogs love to spend time with their people, going on long walks with your dog is the best way to get him into shape and increase his bond with you at the same time. Start slowly and work your way to one hour each day (read our Dog Tips box below for more on how to start training with your dog). If exercising is not for you or you are not allowed for health reasons, find a dog park near you and play fetch or let him run with other dogs.

I am sure the idea of taking an hour a day to walk your dog may at first seem abhorrent, or even impossible. But make the time. In addition to your dog losing weight you will see some rewarding side effects like a stronger bond between the two of you, a stronger leadership role for you, and better behavior from him since he will now be physically and mentally tired. If you have more than one dog, walking them together will increase the bond between the two of them as well. Finally, you may also get in shape and both of you will be happier, healthier, and live longer.

At times in dog's life they too need a little help with weight management. Two years ago we adopted Colby who weighed in at 160 lbs. He was morbidly obese and had to lose 60 lbs. First off was a thorough examination by our vet, Sam Adams. Working with the vet we formulated a plan to slowly lose the weight. Here are some steps that we used:

1- Diet – use a weight loss food and feed the correct amounts. You can supplement meals with things like green beans which don't translate to dogs as calories.

2- Treats – use fruits and veggies instead of typical treats. Colby goes crazy for bananas. Carrots and Sweet Potatoes are also favorites.

3- Exercise – In the begging Colby could only go to the mailbox. If that is all they can do then encourage that. Today Colby can walk a couple miles.

4- Medication – Colby had a thyroid problem. Medical problems can result in weight gain and are usually easily managed.

Colby is now at 100 lbs. He is able to lead an active life, which is the best way to keep your dog healthy. We allowed Colby to judge how much exercise he could handle, but continually monitored his food intake. Weight loss for dogs is very similar to people. The keys are to work with a doctor, eat right and exercise.

Before Colby lost his weight he laid on the floor panting at all times, it was extremely difficult for him to get up off the floor, and he had to be picked up to get into a car. He was so unhealthy it was scary. Eventually he was able to get up on the sofa then walk the stairs. Today Colby is our lead squirrel chaser. He can run, play ball (one of the new tricks he learned), go for hikes, swim and even get up on the bed. Colby went from a dog that couldn't move to an Alpha that keeps 2 puppies in line. Even now when he walks to the bus stop to pick up Owen he is so proud...why; because this is a new trick for an old dog.