This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Science Diet® Perfect Weight 10 Week Turn Around, but "Pixel Blue Eyes: Her Tails of Adventure" only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know I've been sharing with you about how important consistency, balanced nutrition and a healthy routine is for your pet to maintain #perfectweight and have good overall health and wellness. It's sad to say that up to 50% of pets today are overweight, and that can cause all kinds of health issues and decreased quality of life for pets. The struggle of overweight pets is real my friends. I've been there myself. I see where I've been and I know where I'm going. So don't worry if your pet is overweight right now, I know of a fantastic plan of action that my friends at Hill's Pet created to help your pet get back to where they need to be. In fact, I'm going to share a very special success story hat will make you smile like no other about a dog who succeeded when she tried that very plan!
But first, let's take a look at this brief video showing how the overweight struggle can be for pets:
Hill's does a great job at making the above video light hearted, but being overweight is no laughing matter for pets. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. Pets all across America are doing something to better themselves, including the dog you are about to meet.
One Dog's 10 Week Turnaround Success Story: Keira's Perfect Weight
Meet Keira. She and her Mom took the Hill's 10 Week Turnaround Challenge and had phenomenal results! Her mom changed how she fed Keira by measuring her food portions, setting a strict feeding schedule and feeding her Hills #PerfectWeight Adult Dog Food. They also made some lifestyle changed to benefit Keira, and they both got more active to get Keira "moving" in the right direction. Keira went from weighing 88.4 lbs. to weighing a perfect 75.1 lbs. Doesn't she look amazing?
Watch this wonderful video that Keira and her Mom put together that documents her weight loss journey. You can also read more about Keira's amazing weight loss success on her blog Trendy Pet.
This journey of success is possible for you too!
4 Things To Do to Get & Keep Your #PerfectWeight:
As a reminder, here are 4 things that Mommy and I do to help keep me at MY #PerfectWeight. YOU can do it too!
1. Set specific feeding times and stay on schedule. Everyday. Even when we go out of town together or if a family member watches me while she is away, I can't miss my scheduled feedings, so if we travel, an alarm is set for the times and we stop at rest areas to feed me. Routine is routine.
2. Measure the right amount of food for pet size. Mommy always measures my food. Period. This is critical. You must measure for the proper size your pet should be, not what they currently weigh. Refer to the side of the dog food bag/can or speak to your veterinarian. Do NOT free feed your pet. They can easily become overweight when the amount they eat is not regulated.
3. Exercise and Play with your Pet. Mommy and I both get moving together, and she doesn't just exercise my body, she helps exercise my mind with fun games where I have to think and "find toys" or solve simple puzzles like "find the treat". Practicing my tricks and commands is another excellent way to exercise my mind and body.
4. Use the Hills 10 Week Challenge Calendar. Write down your entire routine on the calendar. It helps you stay on course, schedule things out, mark successes, see where you've been and where you're going. 5. Be patient and take things slow. Anything new can be hard, such as a new diet, a new exercise plan or routine, or even learning a new trick. So be patient and take it slow. If you choose to do the Hill's 10 Week Turnaround Challenge, remember it isn't a fad diet or "race against the clock". Every "body" is different, and the steady pace wins the race.
The very best thing you can do for your pet is feed them proper, well balanced nutritional food. The Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Formulas are available at your veterinarian's office or favorite pet specialty store such as Pet360. If your pet is a small breed like me, Hill's now has a new line out this year for Small and Toy Breeds. The breakthrough nutrition in Hill's® Science Diet® Small and Toy Breed Formula, including prebiotic fibers for gentle digestion, is formulated to achieve & maintain a healthy weight & improve quality of life in small & toy breed dogs. After all, 40% of the dog population is small and toy breeds.
Want to give it a try? Hills is giving it away!! That's right friends. Hill's will be giving away bi-weekly prizes of a 10-week supply of Science Diet Perfect Weight pet food. Enter today for YOUR chance to WIN! Simply select the Hill's 10 Week Turnaround contest link that will bring you to the official contest page with the "Enter Now" button. And make sure to read the full Terms & Conditions found on the entry form.
Remember, you have nothing to lose...except the weight! Keira did it, and so can you! Over 70% of dogs and cats who try the Hills 10 Week Turnaround Challenge lose weight with the Perfect Weight adult pet food, so don't wait another minute. Go to the Hill's website contest URL (http://blogp.ws/1Ded0VZ) right now and enter for your chance to try Hill's #PerfectWeight Pet Food today!
This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Science Diet® Perfect Weight 10 Week Turnaround, but 'Pixel Blue Eyes: Her Tails of Adventure' only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
Keeping in shape and making sure I am at my optimal #PerfectWeight is a top priority for me and Mommy at all times. Healthy weight for your pet adds to a better quality of life and a possible higher life expectancy, and that is very important. A healthy pet is a happy pet!
We agree with our friends at Hill's Pet, makers of Hill's Science Diet, that consistency is a key factor in a pet's life. We need and crave routine! And that routine should not be changed if something changes around us. So, if Mommy has to go away and I am watched by a family member, they still feed me at the same time each day. Even when we are away on vacation or on a business trip together, we do not deviate from the food we eat, our feeding routine or our schedule. Let me give you an example...
Our family went on a big beach trip this year and we travelled for two days to get there. In addition to my doggie camera, extra harnesses, lots of duckies and a couple of hats, Mommy made additional preparations for how us girls would be fed while on the road. In preparation for the trip, all our food was prepared/packed special beforehand specifically for the travelling portion of the trip. We packed a "doggy bag" contained the needed bowls, measuring scoops, etc that were needed for each meal for each dog (there's four of us girl dogs).
We are little dogs that love to eat, so we get four mini meals a day that (when you include our allowed treats) add up to our total food intake for the day. Mommy and Grammy both have alarms on their cell phones programmed in to our feeding times. Grampy kept watch for the closest places we could stop and Auntie headed up the food distribution with Mommy at each meal time. We never missed a meal time on the road!
It was also important that we not miss potty breaks and daily exercise. That was easily remedied on the road by stopping at rest areas with pet friendly sections, and of course staying at pet friendly hotels allowed us the chance to run free in designated areas.
**Always remember that a measurement of food is not a random scoop of loose food. Always refer to either your vet's instructions or the instructions on the food bag/can/container for the proper amount of food to give your pet to ensure they are not getting either too much food or too little food.**
Once at the beach house, it was "business as usual" for us pups. We figured out where the kitchen was pretty fast, so when we heard our food alarm go off, all four of us would come barreling in to stand and wait for our meals. Here we are looking all cute and "doe-eyed" for Mommy while she prepared our lunch.
Mommy sneaks us one little lick of her fingers on occasion when preparing meals. It's hardly anything, but makes us feel special. Some people give a lot of treats to make a dog feel special, but too much can add up to an unhealthy weight. Mommy always thinks on the fact that more than 50% of pets today are overweight to some degree, so she is very careful what she gives me.
While staying in the hotel and while staying at the beach, we went to bed at the normal time, got up at the same time, and always made time to play inside or outside or go exploring (my personal favorite)...all in an effort to keep our routine as normal as possible. While it might sound like a lot of extra effort, if it is part of your everyday routine, making a few adjustments for vacation or other changes shouldn't be a big deal. Here are some ways you can keep a consistent and fun routine for your pet:
1. Set An Alarm!
Set the feeding time(s) for your pets on your watch or cell phone to ensure you don't miss a feeding time no matter what your daily activity schedule might entail.
2. Download the Hill's Perfect Weight 10-Week Challenge Calendar:
You can track your pet's weight, take notes, and post photos. It includes information on how to introduce the Hill's Perfect Weight pet food into your dog's diet.
3. Check out the cool Hill's "Tips and Tools" page that has excellent information on various kinds of exercises for your cat or dog, including levels of effort from light to 'resistance' and 'enhanced' plus fun things like 'ab' workouts for your cat! 4. Visit the petMD 'Healthy Weight Tool' Online - helpful question and answer tool to see where your pet might be weight-wise.
Just remember that a healthy pet is a happy pet. But take any kind of a new exercise or weight loss plan slow and steady for both you and your pet. If your pet has any kind of a weight issue, especially a little dog like me and my sisters, Hills has an excellent new Adult Perfect Weight for Small and Toy Breeds that could help. It can be purchased at Pet360 or at your veterinarian's office. ENTER TO WIN!!
I have some exciting news to share...For families that need a little help kick starting their pet’s weight loss, Hill’s Science Diet has a sweepstakes going on where you can enter to win 10 Weeks of Perfect Weight pet food! Enter the sweepstakes today http://blogp.ws/1Ded0VZ for your chance to win friends. Don't wait another minute...go enter now!
This post is sponsored
by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Science
Diet® Perfect Weight 10 Week Turn Around, but 'Pixel Blue Eyes: Her Tails of Adventure' only shares
information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is
not responsible for the content of this article.
As a proactive pet parent, Mommy is constantly working to keep me at my #PerfectWeight. She's not alone. I know many of you are trying to do the same for your pets. But how do you know what the #PerfectWeight is for your pet, especially when more than 50% of pets are overweight? And if your pet is in need of shedding a few pounds, how can you make it happen?
First thing you should do is talk to your vet. I can tell you from experience, a lot of factors go into what my perfect weight is, and each pet is different. The vet factored in my health, body structure, my breed, and activity level, and came up with my #perfect weight of 11.5-12 lbs.
If you and your veterinarian find that your pet needs to lose weight, my friends at Hills Pet have a great weight loss pet food called Hill's® Science Diet® Perfect Weight dog and cat food. Their 10 Week Turnaround Challenge will help get your pet on the path to their #perfectweight. They understand that pet weight loss is a struggle that can be hard to do on your own, so Hills Pet wants to help! But whether your pet needs to lose weight or just maintain their #PerfectWeight, there are some great tools available to help make it a success.
Back when I needed to lose a couple of pounds, the very first thing we started with was a healthy daily routine that Mommy and I follow each day. We use a daily calendar and each of my feeding times are scheduled out to the hour. Instead of getting one huge meal a day, Mommy breaks my meals up into four little meals, which is better for my metabolism and keeps my energy up throughout the day. She just divides my total food for the day by four and I get fed all through the day. I love it! I can even tell time and I start reminding Mommy at a quarter til when it's time to eat.
Hills Pet has a great 10 Week Challenge calendar that you can download and use. Here's a few ideas to get started with the calendar: 1. Track progress of weight loss 2. plan your weekly outings with your pet - list the location & set a time each week to go 3. List your feeding schedule like the one I have below. 4. Post photos of your pet & how he/she is doing before, during and after the 10 week challenge. 5. Celebrate victories! Document that new trick they learned or the extra pound they lost. Remember: Having a healthy routine and sticking to it is critical to the success of your pet. A Typical Day for Pixel = A Typical Week *NOTE: Times are approximate 7:30am - Wake up snuggles and cuddles with Mommy, then play tug of war or wrestle 8:30am - Breakfast together 9:00am - Work with Mommy 11:30am - First Lunch for Pixel 12:30pm - Exercise Break of a walk or playing fetch in the hallway 2:30pm - Second Lunch for Pixel 5:30pm - Mommy's off work - SERIOUS PLAYTIME (includes running for Pixel)! 6:30pm - Dinner for Pixel & Mommy Evening is free to go out together, play, groom, watch TV, cuddle, be together.
Exercise and physical activity is very important as part of your pet's routine. Every day Mommy and I take time together to make sure I exercise and play. It doesn't matter whether you are inside or outside, there are lots of fun activities, games, and activities you can do with your pet to stay active and help them keep fit. The Hills Pet site has a wonderful list of fun activities and interesting ways to make exercise more exciting and adventurous for both you and your pet. Some of them Mommy and I already do, like chasing each other around the house, and playing hide and seek and dog tag, but you'll love some of their other unique ideas too! I bet some of them you've not heard of before. Pixel's Favorite Doggie Activities: 1. Playing "Chase" with Mommy - either she chases me around the house while I'm holding a toy or I chase her while she's holding one of my favorite toys. 2. Going for a walk. 3. Go Fetch! Mommy can throw any toy down the hallway or across the back deck and I go running after it to bring it back to her. 4. Practicing and Learning Tricks - I love practicing my tried and true favorites, but I've just started learning two new ones, "Jump" and "Under" where I walk under Mommy's legs or a stick. Here's a video of me and Mommy playing and exercising outside. It's a fun way for me to maintain my #PerfectWeight and spend time with Mommy:
A Healthy Routine is More Than Just Exercise & Food:
Hills Pet agrees that activities like grooming, training, socialization, affection and cuddling your pet are all important for your pet's overall health and well being. For example, Mommy grooms me weekly. She brushes my hair almost every day, she washes my ears when they need it, she washes my paws when they get dirty outside, and every evening she washes my face with a warm soapy washcloth or warm unscented baby wipes because I tend to "wear" my supper on my whiskers and I get distressed because my mouth is dirty. Mommy and I love practicing my tricks together, plus we have cuddle sessions all the time. I'll role on my back pretty much anywhere for a belly rub and kisses!All of these things are a part of our overall routine to help me stay healthy, they are activities that I love and that helps me feel secure and happy.
Hills Science Diet Perfect Weight Dog and Cat Food is available for adults. And in their latest news, Hills Pet has created breakthrough nutrition formulated to achieve & maintain a healthy weight & improve quality of life in small & toy breed dogs like me: Hill's® Science Diet® Small and Toy Breed Formula. With it's breakthrough blend of natural ingredients and prebiotic fibers for gentle digestion, it is made for the sensitive systems of smaller dogs. And if I know anything about the taste, it'll surely be a hit with your dog! So, if you think your dog is in need of a pet weight loss program, talk with your vet about the Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight 10-Week Turnaround Challenge. You can find Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight at your veterinarian's office or order it online at Pet360 with an additional discount if you Autoship. Don't wait until there's a weight issue. You can start creating a Healthy Routine with YOUR pet today. Download the calendar, try some of the ideas I suggested, and have fun! Do you have some healthy routine activities that you do with your pet already? I'd love to hear about them!
This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Science Diet® Perfect Weight 10 Week Turnaround, but 'Pixel Blue Eyes: Her Tails of Adventure' blog only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
"Being a pet parent is one of the greatest joys in the entire world!" Mommy said that to me just this morning when we were having our special morning time before breakfast. There is so much love shared between a pet and their human. I know Mommy wants to spoil me like crazy, but I also know she wants what is best for me, so I can imagine that being a pet parent can also be a challenge, as she balances her need to spoil me with doing what is best for me. Keeping me at a perfect weight is one of the greatest and most loving things she does for me. It's also one of her biggest challenges. Thankfully she, and many other pet parents, don't have to tackle that challenge alone.
Many pet parents may ask, "Is my precious little one overweight?". I've shared with you in the past that I had a bit of a weight issue a few years ago when I was 2.5 pounds over my ideal weight. Now, that may not sound like much, but 5 lbs on a small dog is like 30 lbs on a human, so I was carrying the equivalent of 15 extra pounds on me. Watch this "Is your pet overweight" video by Dr. Ashley Gallagher:
It turns out that over 50% of all pets are overweight. Excess weight can cause many issues for pets, but it's difficult to shed those extra pounds, whether you are human or canine. It is very important to address a weight issue as soon as possible. Talk to your veterinarian and set up a plan to help your pet shed the pounds. There are things you can do, tools you can use, and products that can help overweight pets. The most important thing to do is to make an appointment to have your pet(s) evaluated by your veterinarian. They can best identify a plan of action for your pet.
If your pet is overweight, your vet might suggest the Hill's® Science Diet® Perfect Weight pet food. Yes, my friends at Hills have done it again! They are always concerned about pets being at a healthy weight, and continually strive to create pet foods that help pets successfully lose weight. Hills strives to work in partnership with pet parents to get their dogs and cats to a healthy weight so their pets live longer, healthier, happier lives. I'm super excited about their breakthrough nutrition formulated to achieve & maintain a healthy weight & improve quality of life in small & toy breed dogs like me: Hill's® Science Diet® Small and Toy Breed Formula. You can read all about it here: http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-canine-adultperfect-weight-small-and-toy-dry.html. 70% of cats and dogs who used Science Diet Perfect Weight lost weight within 10 weeks.
Tips and tools to help you and your pet succeed in achieving and keeping a perfect weight:
1. Always measure out your pet's food each time you feed them. Find out what the total amount of food is they can have for the day, then split it out to the number of meals you want them to have for that day. For example, I have to take medicine 4 times a day, so I get my total amount of food split into 4 meals. I LOVE getting all those mini meals from Mommy throughout the day.
2. Exercise your pet. Even in the dead of winter, your pet can still get exercise. We love to play in the snow, even if we get cold quickly. You could try incorporating several small indoor or outdoor play times, or small exercise/activity times throughout the day. Even 5 minutes of throwing the ball down the hall with your pet is excellent way to keep you both active, happy and a little healthier.
3. Learn a new trick together. It will keep both the mind AND the body active.
4. Check out your pet's weight using the petMD Healthy Weight Tool - Enter in some basic information to get the answer.
5. Discover just how negative an impact "people food" from your plate can be on your pet by visiting the Treat Translator Tool - You only think that "one tiny bite of cheese" isn't much.
Being a pet parent is both rewarding and challenging, but we're all here for each other. A healthy weight for your dog or cat is one of the most loving thing you can do for them. Achieving a perfect weight for your pet is possible. If you'd like to read some success stories of cats and dogs who have achieved their perfect weight with the Hills 10 Week Turnaround, visit the Hillspet website. Hills Science Diet Perfect Weight pet food is available at your licensed veterinarian or at Pet 360.
