by Guest Sun Feb 10 2013, 20:18
| Frequently Asked Questions |
As owners we love to pamper our dogs. But when does pampering become abuse? If your dog is a bit pudgy, you may find it endearing and not think about the implications of this on your dogs health and lifespan. Too many feeds a day, kongs stuffed with peanut butter, meaty bones, tid-bits, food scraps and dog treats all add calories. If a dog is not burning the same amount of calories, they will put on weight.
Health Implications
Being overweight can have several negative ramifications on your dogs health. Here are a few:
• Joint problems
• Breathlessness
• Heart problems
• Liver problems
• Diabetes
• Early death from complications
How Can I Tell If My Dogs Overweight?
Weight will vary greatly from dog to dog depending on their breeding and height, so a more accurate way to tell if your dog is overweight or not is by sight and touch.
Look at your dog:
• Can you make out a waistline if you look down on your dog?
• Can you see any definition of the ribcage?
• If you look at the baseline of your dog (along its belly) does it go up towards the back?
Feel your dog:
• Can you make out the shape of the ribcage and feel the ribs under a small layer of fat without effort? (you don’t need to see the rib bones visually)
• Can you feel your dogs shoulders/withers under a small layer of fat without effort?
• Can you feel the bones in the base of your dogs tail easily?
If the answer to these questions is no, you may have an overweight dog.
Examples of overweight staffies:
What they should look like:
What Can Be Done?
If you think your dog is overweight, the first thing to do is go to the vet and make sure that the weight is not being caused by any underlying issues such as a thyroid problem. If there is no underlying issues then a few simple changes will help your dog lose weight.
• Switch to a lower calorie food
• Feed a smaller amount at each meal
• Increase exercise e.g. add 10mins to a walk or introduce an extra walk/play session
• Cut down on high fat treats and instead use carrots or pieces of chicken/turkey
• If you feed a kong, use something lower calorie such as pureed vegetables and meat (use an egg to make it more adhesive)
• If you give a bone, be sure to adjust the meal size to accompany the eating on the bone
A healthy dog is a happier dog!
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Thank you.
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Is My Staffy Overweight? 