Big News--It's a Book!

I have some exciting news to share with you. I got a book deal!! I recently signed the contract with the publisher for my first book, Dieting With My Dog! (working title). The book will be released this summer. Kelly and I are both super excited.

Here is the book description:

Dieting With My Dog shares the honest and heartfelt story of an overweight woman and her chubby spaniel struggling to get fit together. When a busy mom faces the empty nest, she turns to her rescue dog, Kelly—and food. But Kelly soon becomes the motivating factor to facing down the physical and emotional reasons for her overeating, and overfeeding her dog. Together they discover that everything’s easier with unconditional love. For anyone who has ever loved a pet--through thick and thin.

Here's your chance to ask me any questions about the book. I look forward to sharing with you our various steps along the way as our dog memoir goes to print!

Monday Pet Roundup

Hi and welcome to Monday Pet Roundup!

* I'll occasionally review a pet product I think you'll find helpful, and csn stores contacted me recently with another great offer to review one of their products. At their website you can find everything from a bedroom vanity to a braided rug to a barbecue grill...but seriously, you're going to love their wide range of pet products. Stay tuned in the following weeks for my review!

* You may have heard of Ricochet the surfing dog. Now meet Outback Addie! This rescue dog was once afraid of everything, but now look at her go! Hang twenty, dude!

* Take the USA Today poll. Should dogs be allowed in restaurants?

* Neil Genlinger suggests that we may be wasting too much time watching cute pets on TV, movies and the Internet. In his New York Times article he notes that one You Tube video, "Surprised Kitty" received more than 28,500,000 views. The clip is only 17 seconds long, but this amounts to 15 years of time spent (he says "wasted") watching this. I don't know about you, but I think that 17 seconds of my life was worth it!

*Chocolate...grapes...onions. Zootoo reminds us to keep these foods away from our pets.

* My vet warned me that my dog Kelly shared many of the same risks as I due to being overweight. At Dancing Dog Blog, Mary Haight shares some authoritative insight on dogs and human diseases.

Dog Food Month-- Reading about Eating

What's better than a dog and a book? I love snuggling up with Kelly on one side, and a good book in my hand (and perhaps a nice cold drink in the other hand?) And in this case, what better than a book about kibble and canines to complete our month-long look at dog food?

A few of my favorites are:
The Dog Diet, A Memoir: What My Dog Taught Me About Shedding Pounds, Licking Stress, and Getting a New Leash on Life by Patti Lawson (2006)

Fitness Unleashed: A Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together by Marty Becker, DVM and Robert Kushner, MD. (2006)

And a new one I haven't had a chance to check out yet:
Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs are Getting Fatter. A Vet's Plan to Save Their Lives by Ernest Ward, DVM.

Also, hopefully my book on dieting with my dog will soon find a publisher. My agent has been diligently submitting and searching for just the right match-up!

Here's another dog food book. Lesley from Rmd Advertising kindly sent me a review copy of a new book Feeding Champions, by Holly Strawbridge, about "the life and passion" of Bill Kelly, founder of Bil-Jac dog food. The book was released this spring.
One of the most interesting facts I read about Bill Kelly was his experience in World War II, when he worked for a time in the kennels of bomb sniffing dogs. Right away he noticed these German Shepherds were weak and sickly. He revolutionized their diet, incorporating the same quality ingredients fed to his family's dogs back home. Bill's dogs always ate a meat based food, and that was back at a time when most commercial pet food was made mostly of grains. With the new diet, the health of the Shepherds improved quickly.

Later, Bill and his brother Jack (aha! Bil-Jac!) used their knowledge of animal nutrition and passion for dogs to develop a formula of "super premium" dog food. The food started off as frozen. Starting in the 1970's Bil-Jac used a process of vacuum drying that doesn't damage the product and helps preserve the nutrition. The company has been family-owned and operated for more than 60 years. You can find the book on amazon.com.

Dog Food Month-- Is Your Dog too Fat?

My dog Kelly had a big butt. Seriously. Most of her body looked in proportion but, like a lot of gals, she carried her weight in her hips, thighs and derriere. When I noticed her rear view seemed a bit wide, I also realized it was time to pay more attention to how much she was eating.

I also realized that my own unhealthy eating habits were contributing to Kelly's weight gain. When I ate pizza, she got the pizza crusts. Why not? But my habit of sharing treats wasn't a kindness to my dog. Not only was I putting on weight, but she was too. I finally got both of our weight in control (and wrote the hopefully-available-in-the-near-future book, Losing it with My Dog, in the process!)

Obesity in dogs is a major problem. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimated that about 40% of our pet dogs are overweight. Although it's not too difficult to spot if Spot is chubby, Purina also has a Body Condition chart to help determine if your dog is overweight. Certain breeds tend to be more likely to put on extra weight than others; two of these breeds are cocker spaniels and dachshunds. Guess what? Kelly is a mix of cocker spaniel and dachshund!

The good news: just like with us, the solution to pet obesity is less food, more nutritious food, and exercise. I've worked hard to change my diet, and Kelly's.

Here are some healthy munchies that Kelly now eats for treats:

Baby carrots or carrot coins
Green beans
Rice Cakes
Low fat cottage cheese
Quality weight management dog biscuits

Is your dog overweight? Do you have any tips?

*Win dog food, treats and gift certificates! Just leave a comment and be entered into a drawing at the end of the month!

*Join us Wednesday for more Dog Food Month.