Healthy Weight and Your Dog

You love your dog and want to give your beloved pet the best life possible. Your dog loves to walk, play, run, and eat. So you indulge your dog however and whenever you can. Taking long adventurous walks in nature and having an extra helping of dog food or favorite treat โ all seems to make your dog smile. However, often many of us are susceptible to giving our dog too much of the good things. In other words, feeding our dogs too much. Just as being overweight contributes to health problems in humans, the same is true for our dogs. When your dog is overweight, a number of health problems can occur including joint health issues, mobility concerns, breathing issues, and a lack of energy. We want you and your dog to enjoy a long life together and this means you need to be proactive about your dogโs health. There are lots of factors about your dogโs health that you canโt control, but weight is one that is definitely within your control. Give your dog the best life possible โ keep the extra pounds off and watch your dog move easily and live longer. How to Know if Your Dog is Overweight Before you do anything with respect to your dogโs weight, we urge you to contact your veterinarian. Get a thorough assessment from your veterinarian and do discuss weight management with your vet. If your veterinarians suggests you monitor your dogโs weight or that your dog is overweight, you can do some simple home review to monitor you dogโs weight and shape.
- Feel your dogโs backbone and ribs. If itโs hard to feel your dogโs backbone and ribs, this can be a sign that your dog is overweight.
- Look at your dog from the side. Look for a sagging stomach โ this is an indicator that your dog is carrying extra weight.
- Look at your dog from above. When you look at your dog from above, you should see that your dog has inward curves between the back of the rib cage and hips. If you donโt see what looks like a natural waist, this can indicate your dog is overweight.
- Weigh your dog. Your veterinarian can give you guidelines on a healthy weight range for your dog. Your veterinarian will consider your dogโs age, breed, and overall health condition when giving you this healthy weight range.
- Exercise. The benefits of daily exercise for your dog are overwhelming. Integrate regular walks, play time, and games into your dogโs daily life. Your dogโs energy levels will increase. His joint health will improve by strengthening his muscles, joints, and ligaments. Your dogโs mood will improve thanks to the stimuli that comes from being outdoors and playing games. And to top it off, regular exercise can help your dog lose weight. Remember, donโt rush into an aggressive exercise routine. If your dog is overweight, you have to take things slowly and ease him into his new exercise patterns. Be careful that youโre not putting too much stress on his joints, breathing, or overall health with too much exercise. Talk to your veterinarian about the best way to get started with a healthy and sustainable dog exercise program.
- Food. Just like humans, dogs like to eat. Discuss portion control with your veterinarian and follow the recommended guidelines that will help your dog lose weight at a healthy rate. Crash diets donโt work for humans and they definitely donโt work for dogs. Remember, your dog needs to eat to have the energy to go out for walks, to play tag, and to function on a daily basis. Never ever withhold food or skip meals. Discuss the best ways to manage your dogโs food intake with your veterinarian. Donโt forget, that like humans, dogs eat when bored โ so make sure youโre giving your dog the toys and attention he needs to be engaged and interested.
- Treats. There is nothing quite like a treat. Pay attention to the number of treats you give your dog. Consider switching to an all-natural dog chew that serves double-duty as a reward and a natural joint supplement. Think about cutting treats in half โ this way your dog is still getting a reward but just a little bit less. Try substituting different types of rewards โ such as an extra cuddle, a new toy, or a nice relaxing brush.