Help, My Pet is Fat!
Silly, fat cats and dogs are wonderful, but they aren’t healthy. Depending on the size of the animal, a pet being one pound overweight is similar to a human being up to 17lbs overweight. It is estimated that about 20% of household pets are heavier than their ideal weight, with 5% being obese.
But why should we care? Our pets seem happy, right? The unfortunate truth is that, like in humans, being overweight make your pet more susceptible to health problem later in life. Fat cats and dogs are more likely to have diabetes, suffer from lameness, need vet care for arthritis and muscle injury, need treatment for non allergic skin problems, and die before the age of twelve. It’s already a shame that we outlive our pets, so why not squeeze in as many years as possible?
There are three major cause of weight gain in pets: Spayed/Neutered, diet, and exercise. Yeah, that first one right? We firmly believe that the benefits of having your pet spayed/neutered vastly outweigh (no pun intended) the set backs. However, it’s an established fact that the hormonal changes that occur in pets after the spay/neuter process increase the chances of weight gain later in life. As responsible pet owners, we must accept this and know that we must play an active role in the health of our pets.
Regarding diet, cats and dogs cannot choose their food. They are 100% limited to the food that you have in your house. That’s why you typically see healthy pets with healthy owners and vice-versa. Pet owners that choose to fill their home with wholesome, nutritious, and natural foods are more likely to do the same for their fur-babies. The body is a miraculous thing, and it take a lot of different things to help it to do everything. It needs water, protein, carbs, fat, calcium, sodium, iron, zinc, and a plethora of other vitamins and minerals. No single organism can produce enough of these things to live, therefore, it needs to eat. If the body has too much, or not enough, or the wrong kind or balance of any of these, things will not go well. You or your pet might not die or be sick, but the body will not operate at it best. You are the gatekeeper. Choose nutrition. Choose a happy, healthy pet.
As for exercise, bored and unstimulated pets will eat more — simply out of boredom (sound familiar?) This can be prevented in two ways. The first is to control the amount and frequency of meals. Smaller amounts more frequently have a positive affect on your pet. As for activity, 30 minutes of fetch or a brisk walk or playing with a toy is really all it takes to keep your pets active. Try this right before bed, and everyone will have a better night’s sleep.
Originally published at www.multimenuyeg.com