As in humans, obesity in dogs is an increasingly common problem.The causes are similar to those of obesity in humans: too much food, too many treats and too little exercise.
A quarter of overweight dogs have serious joint problems: for example, osteoarthritis, which hinders certain aspects of daily life such as walking, sitting, lying down; In addition, excess accumulated fat puts pressure on the lungs and diaphragm, making breathing difficult.All problems related to being overweight, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, cause a decrease in the quality of life of the dog, which can not move so easily or play and enjoy his life to the fullest.
In this ArticleAnimal we’ll give you some tips to find out how to make your dog lose weight, read on:
To find out if the dog is overweight, an easy test is to touch his ribs: normally the ribs are not visible but he should be able to feel them easily to the touch, if he does not feel them, his dog is probably overweight .
Another option is to weigh the dog and compare it with the average weight of the breed: an excess of 10 to 20% is considered overweight and is also already obese.
Ideally, a visit to the veterinarian is to establish the ideal weight of the dog and, thus, take into account a goal to be achieved. In addition, the veterinarian will be able to determine whether the cause of the overweight is a disease such as hypothyroidism..
Once the situation is assessed and a goal determined, the most important thing is that the whole family makes the decision to put the dog on a diet and that everyone stays, otherwise the efforts will be in vain: if one of you continues to give treats while the others resist the dog’s begging eyes, the diet will not work.
For your dog to lose weight, the whole family must help him, from the smallest to the oldest.
Diet is, of course, one of the first parameters that must change: with the help of the veterinarian, determine the amount of food that the dog should eat per day.
If you decide to switch foods to a “light” diet, you should do so gradually to avoid digestion problems: start by mixing a small amount of the new diet with the previous one and gradually increase the proportion of the new diet.
An adult dog only needs one or two meals a day, so avoid leaving food always available, it is also important to have fixed meal times and a specific place for them.
The dog should be alone at lunchtime: if you have other pets, avoid giving food to everyone at the same time and in the same place, the presence of other animals makes the dog eat faster, out of anxiety and fear of having your food stolen.Puppy eating too fast is useful for better digestion and avoids unnecessary stress.
You should not give treats and snacks at any time: to educate our dogs we must use the snacks as a reward, since giving too much can contribute to their overweight.There are other ways to reward the dog: petting or playing with your favorite.Toy.
You have to learn to recognize the rewards your dog is most sensitive to: if the candy reward is what he prefers and you don’t want to steal that pleasure, choose the less calorie options or just give him a small piece of ration.
You should always avoid giving leftovers from your food: a dog should not order food while eating, it is bad not only for education but also for its health.
To ensure physical and mental health, the dog should exercise daily.To stimulate it, you can take walks and various games. Exercise is essential for the dog.Some breeds require less exercise than others, but in general, exercise is critical to the health and well-being of all dogs.
Exercise should be done gradually to avoid muscle problems: if you have a sedentary dog and not used to exercising, you should get used to it gradually, if you have a puppy do not do long walks with it until you have an old year, to avoid joint problems.
There are different types of exercises for obese dogs: throwing the ball or stick, experimenting with canine sports such as agility, hiking, cycling, running, etc.
There are many ways to make your dog exercise, from the softest to the most intense sports, in addition to helping the dog lose weight, physical activity will strengthen his complicity with him.
As beautiful as your dog may seem when it comes to ordering food, you have to resist and it won’t always be easy.
If you don’t have treats at home, it’ll be easier.When preparing food for yourself or your family, don’t let the dog walk, close the doors if necessary: it’s unlikely that the dog likes to change the diet and tries to steal food or lean on you by making pretty faces so you don’t resist and give it something.
The overweight of dogs is usually due to the lifestyle of caregivers, increasingly sedentary, luckily, after ruling out possible health problems with the veterinarian, recovering a good quality of life will allow your puppy to reach his ideal weight, live longer and healthier.
If you would like to learn more about your dog’s obesity, read our article with tips to prevent obesity in dogs.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any type of diagnosis, we suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to How to Lose Weight for a Dog, we recommend that you visit our Other Health Problems section.