Dealing With An Overweight Dog
Being overweight can cause as many health problems for a dog as it can a human. In fact, it can cause them more quickly and those problems can be more severe. Unfortunately, your dog can not take care of this problem on its own. Dogs are genetically programmed to eat when food is available to compensate for times when it is not. The blame for an overweight dog falls squarely on its owner’s shoulders.
Most dog owners fail to account for a dog’s small size when feeding and assume that just because a dog seems hungry, it must need more food. As a result, dog owners typically over feed their dogs by 25% or more! Usually dog over feeding consists of table scraps slipped to the dog as treats. The fact is that this small portion of table scraps often contains as many calories as the dog needs to have in a day. Extra calories will build up as fat on a dog just as quickly as they will a human. Sometimes even the dog manufacturers’ recommended amounts are too much if your dog does not get sufficient exercise.
Just checking the breed and weight of your dog against a chart is not the best way to determine if your dog is too fat. You should check your dog at the base of the tail, spine and shoulders, the ribs, the abdomen and the waist to see if there is extra fat there. Most “weight loss” dog foods have an appearance chart to compare your dog too as well. Veterinarians use a scale of 1 to 9 to describe a dog’s weight with 1 being emaciated to 9 representing extremely fat.
It is a dog owner’s duty to help their pet achieve a healthy weight. This will involve both restricting calories and increased exercise. Increased exercise will have to include more than just walking or running with the owner unless the owner is a marathon runner. Even the most out of shape dog is usually in better condition than its owner.
Calorie restriction is now fairly easy to accomplish with the advent of specially designed balanced weight loss types of dog food. This can help prevent the dog from feeling deprived while at the same time cutting the dog’s calories enough to achieve weight loss. Your dog should be able to lose .5% to 2% of its bodyweight per week without negative consequences. Weight loss dog food formulas make it easy to be sure your dog is receiving ample supplies of vitamins and minerals. Your dog needs fewer calories, not less nutrition. If you do decide to go with a commercial diet dog food, make sure to read the label, as many commercial dog foods can leave much to be desired in quality. As an alternative, you can find home made diet dog food recipes online to try, with the benefit of providing healthy wholesome ingredients for the optimum health of your dog.
Most important of all, every member of the household has to be willing to participate in your dog’s weight loss program. No slipping table scraps to the dog when no one is looking. Keep in mind that your dog’s health is at stake. If you feel that your dog’s obesity has already affected your dog’s health, a visit to the veterinarian is highly recommended.
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