I found a very interesting article the other day about the increasing problem of pet obesity, especially in dogs. As a dog and cat owner, I can understand the frustration in trying to find the right diet for your pet and keeping a regular exercise routine. It can be just as difficult for them as it is for us to stay healthy!
Facts about Pet Obesity:
Just like humans, overweight animals have an increased chance of health problems such as diabetes and joint problems, just to name a couple.
Their life span is shortened
Their problems with keeping the weight down are very similar to ours. For example, lack of exercise, increased snacking, larger food portions, etc.
Oh, and another that I didn't know was that spaying/neutering an animal increases their chances of getting overweight, which does make sense. That doesn't mean we should stop getting our animals fixed to control the pet population, but it does mean that you need to adjust their diet after surgery and reduce their calorie intake.
How to Get the Weight Off and Keep it Off:
Get with your vet to determine what type and amount of food your pet should be eating. Remember, just because there are low-calorie and diet dry foods out there, doesn't mean that is what your dog/cat needs.
Take your pet on a daily walk and/or provide daily exercise – Select Pet Care can help with that one!!! : )
Stop giving in to those sweet little puppy dog eyes when they are begging you for a treat or table scraps, though you can always change up the snack diet to fresh fruits and vegetables (make sure they are safe first).
I can speak from personal experience on this topic. My dog's weight began to get a little out of control when she had to undergo heartworm treatment (She was heartworm positive when we adopted her). She had to take a steroid for several weeks, which severely increased her appetite. She wasn't allowed exercise for a couple months too. So you can imagine, the weight packed on. We've since been able to work some off, but it's taken a lot of work and will continue to. We changed her diet completely. At first, we thought feeding her a diet dry food would help the situation, but she really didn't enjoy the flavor and eventually stopped eating it all together. We switched to an ultra premium dry dog food specially made for larger breeds and mix it with a small amount of premium canned food to keep the protein in her diet and reduce the amount of carbs. Her snacks consist of glucosamine chews, omega vitamins, bananas, and apples. She'll also eat the occasional carrot. She goes on a daily walk, sometimes twice a day, to burn off those calories too. She's definitely lost some weight since this past Summer, and her vet has no complaints. We'll just continue our regimen and see how it goes and tweak it along the way if necessary.
The article provides helpful information on how to figure out a healthy diet/exercise plan for your pet and hopefully you'll see some results too!
