With six canines in our family, we visit our vet often. Frankie’s physical was due and Typhoon tagged along to do a weight check.

Frankie is looking slightly relaxed with his exam complete.

Frankie’s wellness check went as well as we had anticipated. No physical signs of any issues, a healthy weight, and all good results from laboratory tests. It is really hard to believe that Frankie is approaching senior status (he has been with us almost six years), so we celebrate good healthy results.

Ok. Give it to me. What is my weight?

As a quick background, Typhoon has gone off food a couple of times over the years, creating some serious health problems. This past spring, his weight dropped to a scary 38.8 pounds and we had to intervene medically again.

This is not a normal picky eater syndrome. We have tried all of the various diets (raw, canned, dry, etc.), none with lasting success. Attempting to just wait until he eats is futile since he will skip until he causes medical challenges. After this spring’s weight drop, we started treatment with steroids and other medicines. Today, he is getting a small daily steroid dose and is eating his regular food. He also gets to go in for an official weighing every few weeks. His last weigh-in on June 21 registered 44.9 pounds, just missing our short term target of 45 pounds and well below our long-term 50 pound goal.

Yesterday, he stepped on the scale. The numbers whirled and twirled. We all held our breath. And the scale read . . . 46.7 pounds! Cheers from everyone in the office!

While we are still working towards 50 pounds, we did reduce his steroid dose further and will test that he continues with a strong appetite. For now, he continues to look forward to his meals and happily cleans his bowl!