Same activity, opposite goals

TJ was very thin when he came here and he didn't have a lot of appetite. He legs muscles were weak and wasted, underdeveloped from lack of activity while living on a chain. I de-wormed him on general principles, just to eliminate that as a cause of the weight loss. Getting him out hiking has begun to build up his legs again and it has also stimulated his appetite.

He carries that tail like he's parading a flag around to show
that he owns the place. 

I walk to lose weight, but I'm walking TJ to help him gain weight. When we came back from today's five miler, I ate yogurt and fruit. TJ had a bowl of dry dog food mixed with a generous portion of satin balls, the raw meat mixture that I had made up for the last skinny dog we had around here.

I ran my hand over his rib cage while we were out walking today. You can still feel them, but they are smoothing out, indicating that he's beginning to put on some weight. He's a senior dog and he doesn't need any extra weight, but he needs maybe 10 pounds of good solid muscle. After our very first hike, he seemed tired and sore the next day. That's not the case any more, he's ready to go again, which tells me that he's getting back in shape quite quickly, remarkably quickly for a senior.

He has a happy smile all the time now.

With a few more weeks of good food and exercise, plus a bath
when it's warm enough, he will be a great looking dog by spring.