Week 5 Day 1

Congratulations on reaching your first milestone!

You’ve now completed a full month of doggy dieting! How will you reward your dog and your efforts? We’d love to see! Share the celebrations with your WAGSTA community 🙂

It’s time to find out how your WAGSTA is progressing! Pop your dog on the scales and get your measuring tape out. Then update your WAGSTA stats.

By Milestone 1 expect to see a reduction in your dog’s weight and a possible reduction in body measurements.

Your dog’s portion plan will automatically adjust to promote and maintain a healthy rate of weight loss. Your dog’s fortnightly weight check is crucial for calculating these calorie & portion adjustments. Please ensure an accurate weight is uploaded each fortnight.

Most dogs will undergo at least one calorie adjustment during the first few months of their WAGSTA diet plan. So please check your dog’s calorie allowance and portion plan (on your dashboard), after every weigh-in. 

Remember, success is yours for the taking so long as you are diligent with your dog’s feeding and weight checks.

Weight Loss Setbacks and Sabotage

It’s important to realize all dogs respond differently to dieting. Some dogs drop weight more readily than others and some owners are more stringent than others!

Have you been keeping to your dog’s calorie plan and are you remembering to accurately portion every meal?

If you’ve been relaxing a little here and there, it’s time to tighten the reins.

If you are not achieving the results you set out to, do not feel disillusioned! Instead identify any hiccups you may be experiencing with this short guide to Trouble Shooting Stalled Weight Loss.

This week’s video on overcoming setbacks will also help you keep to your game plan!

(Jump to 00.17 to skip intro. Tap cc for captions)

Paw Care

Carrying excess weight can have long term effects on our dog’s paws. Inflamed, painful phalangeal, carpal and tarsal joints (toes and ankles) are common, as is remodelling of the foot pads. Such changes often result in lameness and chafing of pads. Which can create a vicious cycle of reduced exercise, further contributing to weight gain.

To keep your dog’s paws in tip top condition please check out: Paw Care Tips in your resource library.

Game of the Week: Healthy Treat Hunt!

This is a fantastic mental exercise relying your dog’s superb olfactory skills. A great game for indoors and outdoors.

• Show your dog a small handful of treats or kibble (from your dog’s daily food allowance)
• Make your dog sit and stay
• Hide a couple of treats out of sight of your dog
• Invite your dog to seek their treat.

Now watch your dog enthusiastically sniff away! Spread your dog’s treats far and wide to increase the level of activity involved.

Woofs and wags,

Your WAGSTA team.