Paloma and the Junk Food Quandary

Some time back, my aunt got a new dog, a tan and white chihuahua named Paloma. She was raising a litter of puppies, and once they were weaned, my aunt would take Paloma home. We got the impression she'd had multiple litters and was getting tired of it all, because she seemed in a hurry to wean those pups as soon as possible.

She was also a shameless beggar. I mean, sometimes the dog was absolutely pitiful. Especially when someone had fast food. You'd be eating a burger and fries, and she'd whine and cry like she was starving to death and the sight of you eating was torture. A bit dramatic there, dog.

Fast forward a few years, and Paloma started having some issues. A visit to the vet revealed that her heart was enlarged, and she had some fluid around her lungs. We kind of wonder if having so many pregnancies in her previous home may have taken a toll on her body. They gave her some medications to help with her heart problems, and she wasn't allowed as many treats. Much to her chagrin, because why doesn't she get as much of the good stuff any more? 

A little while later, Paloma somehow got into her beef-flavored medication and ate a bunch of it. My aunt didn't get much sleep that night because she was staying up with Paloma, worried her dog might have some adverse reaction from eating a billion doses at once. She seemed to be okay, though. After that, they decided to keep her medication well out of reach, to avoid repeat performances. That's one way to cheat on your diet, I guess.

After that, my aunt noticed that Paloma wasn't quite as enthusiastic about taking that particular medication. Much like binge-eating ice cream, then finding it less appealing because you ate yourself sick, I guess. Eventually, my aunt had to start hiding the pills in food.
However, Paloma was still a greedy gut otherwise. I went to my aunt's house later, and the poor dog made a big production of suffering during lunch. Such cruelty in our family, eating sandwiches in front of her.

 

Well, at least there's bones.