WHY IS IT A PROBLEM FOR DOGS TO BE OVERWEIGHT?
It’s important to prevent your dog gaining too much weight because obesity puts dogs at increased risk of developing a wide range of health problems including heart disease, respiratory problems, joint disease, and metabolic problems such as diabetes. Overweight dogs pose a greater risk for anaesthetic and surgical complications when having operations.
HOW TO SPOT IF YOUR DOG IS OVERWEIGHT
One of the key signs of obesity would be if you can’t feel your dog’s ribs or spine easily when you run your hand down their side or along their back. As a rough guide, you should be able to feel their ribs, but not see them. In an overweight dog, you will also have difficulty defining their waist. You may also notice that your dog has a sagging tummy, finds it difficult to get up, is reluctant to go for walks, and isn’t able to manage to go very far when they do get out and about.
Unfortunately, we have become too used to seeing overweight dogs, so they are actually seen as a normal size by many people. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to get help from your vet.
HOW TO HELP MANAGE YOUR DOG'S WEIGHT
The good news is that many of the problems associated with obesity are reversible, if you help your dog to gradually and safely shed their extra pounds.
Firstly, you can monitor their weight and body condition at the vets. Your vet, or a veterinary nurse will be able to assess their body condition, weight and level of general health and offer you advice. It’s important to take weight loss gradually (especially for severely obese dogs) and to do so under the guidance of a vet, as rapid weight loss can lead to even more problems.
However much weight your dog needs to lose, your vet should be able to help you formulate a bespoke weight loss plan, and with regular weigh-ins and encouragement, help your dog to achieve it.
EXERCISE
Make sure that your dog is getting the right amount of daily exercise for their age and breed. Taking them for regular walks and play games with them – both inside and out. As well as keeping them active physically, exercise and games are brilliant for your dog’s mind, helping them to feel more alert and energetic.
DIET
By choosing healthy, nutritious dog food with a high digestibility and only feeding the recommended amounts with no extra table scraps or titbits, you can help to control your dog’s weight.
Feeding two smaller meals a day rather than one large one helps your dog to digest their food better – and gives them the joy of looking forward to two meals!
Measure the amount of food you feed them each day, rather than guessing. And if you are feeding several dogs, be sure to feed your overweight dog separately, to avoid them stealing any leftovers!
Lily’s Kitchen could be an ideal choice of food to manage your dog’s weight. Delicious, naturally wholesome and made with proper ingredients, our nutritionally complete recipes are full of goodness, to help lay the best foundation for a healthy diet and happy weight.
Remember, always speak to your vet before you make changes to your dog’s diet or start them on any weight loss regime. Follow the advice of your vet regarding how much to reduce your dog’s daily rations by. In more extreme cases it may be necessary for your dog to go onto a weight control diet such as a prescription diet, usually just in the short term until they have reached their target weight.