Dogs on diets should lose no more than 2 pounds a month

But not in equal measure. Ward said helping Ted shed his fluff will require about 75 percent focus on his diet and 25 percent on exercise.

“You can’t outwork the food bowl,” Ward said. “So the more food you’re putting in your pet’s bowl — you can’t exercise away those extra calories.” Age can be an issue, as well. “A 5- to 7-year old dog requires 20 to 25 percent less energy than a dog 2 years of age or less. That’s considerable,” said Dr. Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinary Officer at the American Kennel Club. “And if we don’t make adjustments for that, it can be a factor.” This hit home. Teddy used to be able to eat all the extra treats he wanted without any waistline issues. But as of this month, he’s 4½ years old. So, if the dog-years math I was taught as a kid holds up, he and I are both 32 years old right now. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned since turning 30, it’s that latenight tacos don’t just disappear after a half hour on the treadmill like they used to.

It turns out, there’s more to buying dog food than just rolling through the Sam’s Club aisle, and hoisting the big green bag I always buy into my cart.

“Obese animals are more likely fed a higher volume of cheaper brand food,” Klein said. “It’s important to read labels.”

In addition to reconsidering which dog food I feed Teddy, in favor of something with a higher densities of both protein and fiber, both Klein and Ward said that I should be serious about calories — and to ignore the recommended serving amounts on the back of whatever dog food I choose. They often advocate for feeding your dog more than he needs, simply because “when you feed less food, it leads to less sales,” Ward said.

There are plenty of pet calorie calculators online. I found one at petnutritionalliance.org, which suggests that I limit Teddy to 547 calories a day to help him slim down.

Sadly, that calculator also told me that Teddy is 23.9 percent over his ideal weight.

Here’s the thing about Teddy: He doesn’t look fat. He just doesn’t look skinny. He looks like the perfect average of all the dogs we see at the dog park. And I thought that was good enough. Alas. “Most people aren’t even aware their pets are overweight. You see the other dogs at the dog park and think that’s normal,” said Dr. Lori Teller, a veterinarian at Meyerland Animal Clinic in Houston, and an American Veterinary Medical Association board of directors representative.

Thing is, the dogs at the dog park aren’t at the ideal range either. But because that’s what I’m seeing, I think the average is ideal. Teller spelled it out: “You don’t necessarily want to see ribs, unless your dog is a greyhound. But you want to be able to feel them fairly easily without having to dig,” she said. “You want to see a waistline behind the rib cage, and an abdominal tuck when you’re looking at them from the side. If you really have to dig deep to see ribs, if you don’t see like an hourglass waistline, and the sides are a straight line, that’s a sign your dog is overweight.”

Yikes. Teddy doesn’t exactly have an hourglass figure these days. My boyfriend and I joke that he’s gotten better at rolling all the way over when we trade tricks for treats — now that he’s perfectly cylindrical.

Being more mindful about Teddy’s food should help combat a lot of this. Exercise, too. But how am I supposed to increase my apartment-dwelling dog’s fitness routine when it’s 95 degrees in Houston?

“Good question,” said Teller, a Texas native. “Certainly exercise this time of year needs to be either very early in the morning or late in the evening.”

Adding a quick morning walk to our routine, which usually relies on a long, 45minute walk in the evening will help. Even just 10 minutes can make a difference.

“Swimming is also a great exercise that dogs enjoy. It helps them burn calories and stay cool,” she said. That’s an easy to-do for us, since Teddy and I live just a few minutes’ stroll from the Johnny Steele Dog Park in Buffalo Bayou Park. And for days when it feels too hot even to make it that far, Teller offered up some indoor alternatives.

“For smaller dogs, where you have the potential to play in the house, try fetch inside,” she said, while either overestimating my aim or underestimating the number of lamps I own. We might skip that one. But I liked her suggestion to take some of the preportioned kibble from Teddy’s food bowl and stuff it inside a puzzle feeder.

“That way he has to work to get the food out of the puzzle toy,” she said.

Teller also cautioned me to be patient.

“We don’t want to see a dog lose more than two pounds a month,” she said. “It’s a very slow process, but it’s also the healthiest way to do it.”