Overweight and obesity in dogs.
As a responsible dog owner, you should get a weighing scale at home and make sure to check the weight of ur dog regularly. You should endeavor to know the standard weight of the breed you have so u can tell when it’s overweight and obese
Owners often incorrectly believe their overweight dogs are at a healthy weight.
The formula for reducing weight in dogs is is to decrease in the calories consumed and increase inactivity.
Obesity is when dogs who are at least 30% heavier than what their normal weight should be.
Excess weight on dogs worsen their arthritis and slow them down. Have you seen a baby outrun a full-grown dog? 😁. It has significant financial and medical implications in the event of an emergency or illness as well.
These are some of the health issues that overweight could cause in dogs.
Pancreatitis: Meaning inflammation of the pancreas. this disease often results in decreased energy and appetite, with concurrent vomiting and diarrhea. While pancreatitis can be fairly mild, it can also be much more severe and can be fatal (due to the triggering of a body-wide inflammatory cascade set off by the pancreatic inflammation). We have talked about this in previous articles. Giving your dogs too much fat can also cause pancreatitis.
Heat Stroke: Bcos of both the insulating properties of their excess fat and the additional strain such excess weight puts on their joints, overweight and obese dogs are at increased risk of developing this debilitating, expensive, and (often) fatal emergency condition.
Diabetes: This condition typically require life-long management and frequent monitoring at your vet, but it also carries with it the additional risks of a severe metabolic emergency condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, recurrent urinary tract infections, etc.
Others: Excessive weight and obesity also predisposes a dog to recurrent skin and urinary tract infections, worsens the pain associated with arthritis and other orthopedic conditions, and increases the likelihood that a dog with a pre-existing respiratory or heart condition will suffer an emergency related to their condition.
How can you tell if your dog is at his ideal body weight?
You can use a combination of your dog’s weight and individual body condition score (BCS) to determine if your dog is overweight, underweight, or right. You should look primarily at the waist, ribs, and any fat deposits on the back or near the base of the tail.
When you view your dog’s waste from the back his abdomen should tuck up as it approaches the back legs. When viewed from above, there should be a clear delineation between the back half and the front. The waist and the abdomen should not be on the same level.
You should be able to feel the ribs easily, without having to press through too thick a layer of fat. If there is an excessive fat cover over the ribs, your dog is overweight.
Your dogs back should not be perfectly flat, and there shouldn’t be a large fat pad along their sides or near the base of their tail.
Weight loss in dogs is typically far easier than losing weight ourselves. This is bcos we control what they eat. I would give you some tips to help you achieve weight loss in your dogs.
You have to reduce your dog’s calorie intake and increase his activity level (and his caloric burn).
Treats are typically the single biggest source of excess calories that most overweight dogs consume on a daily basis. You should reduce it and probably reduce the number of times you feed.
Don’t feed your pet table scraps
Decrease the quantity of food you are feeding your dog or, if necessary, change the type of food you are feeding them if they contain too many calories. Feeding a higher protein and lower carbohydrate diet can help with achieving weight loss.
Increase the number of calories your dog burns each day. Increase your dogs level of daily exercise — start slow and gradually increase.
You can take them for longer or more frequent walks, or you can throw a ball for them more frequently for them to chase.
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