Tips for Obese Dogs
Overweight pets can be a big problem for both the animal and the owner. Overweight dogs can die earlier in life, have severe health issues and be generally unhappy when they can’t get around. Yet, 84 million dogs and cats in the United States are overweight and obese. Add to that the idea that the FDA has approved dog obesity medications to give dogs when they are overweight; the world is facing a real crisis.
Experts have pinpointed a few basic problems that cause most dog obesity. The single biggest problem is giving too much food, especially leftover human food and scraps from the table. As cute as it might be to feed your pet at the table, resist if you want to help their health. Human food just can’t be handled properly by dogs, nor does it really provide the nutrients that they need for their health needs.
Lack of exercise can also result in dog obesity. When the owner doesn’t get out often enough, neither does the dog. This can be a particularly big problem for indoor dogs, since they don’t have room to exercise if they’re not taken out. Try to increase walk frequency if you think that your dog might be putting on weight.
One of the best ways to address dog obesity is to look at your own lifestyle. By helping your dog keep healthy, you’ll also be helping yourself stay healthy. Make sure you make time for a walk every day. Try to get the rest of your family to agree not to feed the dog food from the table. Make sure that your dog just eats dog food, not people food as well. Based on how heavy your dog is, feed accordingly and wait to see if your dog appears hungry before feeding more.
The dog obesity issue will stop when people recognize the health of their animal should be a way of life and the behavior of the dog reflects the owner. The first step always needs to be taken by the owner.
As well as writing pet care advice, Taylor Martinerin also writes about picking a good xlarge dog bed, like a ceder dog bed.
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