I have a dog. I've had her for some time now. My uncle brought her as a present to me and as a way to keep me active. At this time I'd gotten ill because of my rapid weight gain, which is a different story. 

The thing about my dog is that she likes to pretend to be a vacuum cleaner and will try to get whatever she sees on the floor. She's not poorly educated but during the holidays season and with a lot of people coming, going, eating, spilling, etc, keeping an eye out for her and keeping track of everything can get a little bit difficult.

So a few years back I started thinking that there was something wrong with her stomach as she could get digestive problems for 4-7 days by eating a single potato chip. Yes, potato chips are not dog's food. And yes, she shouldn't be eating from the floor. And yes, when I'm there she doesn't do it... but when I'm not around, she might. And when I'm not around and she's with someone that may even call her to go clean the floor despite having been told not to let the dog eat that kind of food several times before, it's even harder to prevent her from doing it. In any case, a single potato chip shouldn't mean going to the vet at least two times.

I decided to do some research about dog food, specialists in my area and whatnot. To make a long story short I'll tell you all that my dog is allergic to most poultry out there. Finding some kind of kibble that didn't have any kind of poultry in it turned out to be impossible so I put her on a BARF diet, consisting mostly of raw meat. It has to have a certain amount of bones, vegetables, supplements and some other things. I consulted a specialist and he came up with a diet specifically designed for my dog and her needs.

I have been following it religiously for a couple of years now (I stumbled a little and fed her a very conscientiously chosen canned food that time that we were travelling by boat for almost 48h straight because raw meat was a no-go for that situation) and she hasn't had that kind of stomach problem again, even when eating the ocasional whatever from the floor.

It's now a recurrent joke with family, friends and even acquaintances that the dog eats better than I do. She also eats better than they do. As a matter of fact I'm still to meet someone that can go without commenting about my dog's diet.

This has led me to do some kind of reflection which, mind you, can be even dangerous when one's not used to it and I arrived to some conclusions:

• I was willing to stick to her diet and not mine (not that I've made a serious attempt about it in the last couple of years) because I love her more than I love myself.
• I'm willing to take whatever time necessary and use whatever means to keep her fed exactly as her expert intended but I won't do the same for me.
• I don't know anyone who is willing to put into their own diet as much effort as I put into my dog's.

I'm still trying to figure this one out. Maybe I find it easier because I don't feel her cravings (do dogs have cravings at all?), maybe I find it more necessary because I worry a lot about her health and not enough about mine, maybe I think that her life will be shorter than mine and I'll have time to put my health in order later, maybe I think that she depends solely on me so she's my responsibility (and I'm quite serious about thing I consider my responsibilities). But here's the kick: I'm also my own responsibility. I'm an adult. I NEED to worry about my own health (depression is a freaking bug about that one, but that's also a different story). And, let's be honest, if I kept going the way I was headed I may not even live that long.

To end this post I just want to say how grateful I am for every single second I spend with this dog. She might not keep me too active, as she really enjoys her 7 naps a day but as I mentioned in an earlier post I want to be healthier so I can spend more quality time with her and my partner. And for that, I'm quite grateful. They're the ones fueling my desire to better myself, both for them and for me.

As always, thanks for reading.