WARNING: Spoiling Your Dog Could Do More Harm Than Good

When Spoiling Your Dog Backfires

We all love spoiling our dogs—but sometimes too much of a good thing can backfire.

Case in point: our Gizmo. She had a tough beginning—four homes in her first year, abuse, and a history of being bred. When we adopted her, we were determined to give her the love and care she deserved. That meant treats every time she came in after going potty and a little bit of human food at the end of our meals.

She was living her best life—but apparently, her stomach wasn’t loving it as much as we thought.

The Scary Moment

It started small. We noticed a little blood in her stool, nothing too crazy—or so we thought.

Then the bloodgates opened: blood everywhere. Gizmo soaked a towel and two diapers before we even had time to blink.

Vet visits confirmed she had an issue with a scent gland—and as if that wasn’t enough to worry about, there was also concern she might be developing pancreatitis. Thankfully, tests showed she wasn't. But the scale showed she was FAT!

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Thank You to Gizmo’s Vets

We can’t thank Dr. Evan at CNY Vet in Westmoreland enough for stopping the bleeding after hours on the weekend when this all went down.

And a huge shout-out to everyone at CNY Pet Vet in Clinton, where we adopted Gizmo from, for taking such good care of her after the scare. You all went above and beyond, figuring out what really happened and how to stop it from happening again.

READ MORE: Dog Escapes Kennel and What He Does Next Will Make You Smile

Looking at her first picture in her new home, it's easy to see how much weight she's gained in the last several months.

A New Routine for Gizmo

So now, Gizmo’s living a very different kind of life.

She’s on multiple medications for the next week, and her diet has been completely overhauled.

No more fatty dog treats. No more human food. Low-fat meals only, starting after four days of chicken and rice.

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Watching her pout at the counter like she’s been personally betrayed is… painful. Not as bad as knowing we did this to her.

Lesson learned: sometimes love means saying “no” to the treats—even if they give us all the puppy eyes.