What’s the Reason for Increasing Obesity in Dogs, and How to Solve it

Dogs are adorable pets and love to eat all kinds of food. The majority of dog lovers enjoy the idea of spoiling their dogs with food, and this is very unhealthy. High consumption of calories can utterly affect dogs’ health, it reduces their ability to be lively, flexible and fast. Excessive feeding of dogs makes them lazy, inactive, and unable to run; this is what leads to dog obesity.

This disease is detrimental to dog health; it makes their body vulnerable and prone to certain dangerous diseases. When a dog is suffering from obesity, it becomes difficult for such a dog to live a normal dog life, even when the dog is moderately overweight.

This will, in turn, help the dog’s mental and physical health, and also save the owner a lot of stress.

Food may not be the only cause of obesity in dogs, recent studies show that certain dog breeds have high chances of becoming obese –this is due to their genetic make-up and their inability to resist food.

However, sickness in dogs can also inspire obesity, when a dog suffers from arthritis, she naturally withdraws from physical exercise, and when her physical activity is minimized, obesity begins to set in.

Common dog obesity symptoms

1. Addition of Weight
2. Excess body fat
3. Laziness or unwillingness to exercise
4. High blood pressure

Obesity is often a result of negligence; dog owners must make a conscious effort in placing their dogs on the right diet plan.

You can consult a veterinarian to guide you through this process or visit any pet food store near you, they will help you create a diet plan and the techniques of incorporating healthy nutrients into their meals.

The best way to keep dogs away from being overweight is by controlling what they eat; closely monitoring the dog and ensuring she does not go out of her way to eat other unhealthy meals.

Unhealthy food can get the dog sick and when they contract illness, their body becomes weak and prone to more illnesses like heart failure, diabetes, and blood pressure disease.

If your dog is currently exhibiting this lazy attitude, not to worry, there is always a way out. We have curated easy workable ways of caring for dogs and keeping them from being overweight.

Earlier, we mentioned that dogs are at their best when kept under an active exercise routine, on the other hand, they become weak, lazy and vulnerable when allowed to consume more calories.

The treatment process will help you understand how obesity can be combated. To get the desired result, you are advised to follow these steps exactly.

1. Set a daily target for your dog; to stop obesity in dogs, you need to increase their activity level, keep the dog busy with exercise and watch her burn those calories.
2. You can take the dog out on a walk every day, find the time that is most appropriate for you, you can schedule a morning walk, or an evening exercise, whichever works for you.
3. Stop the dog from eating foods that contain excess fat and carbohydrates; look for alternative meals with lesser calories.
4. Visit a vet for a proper diagnosis. Ensure that the dog takes her medication as prescribed. Your veterinarian can assist you in creating a diet plan for the dog, plus recommendations on how you can control caloric intake of the dog.

Recommended Dietary Plan

It is advised that you go for the veterinarian’s recommendations. Although, we recommend that you try dietary protein. Dietary protein has helped a lot of dogs regain wellness, this is because proteins stimulate metabolism, and releases energy to the dog.

Proteins also give this great feeling of fullness, when dogs take in proteins; they can stay a long time without feeling hungry. Fibre can also give dogs that satisfaction feeling, but they do not supply as much energy as proteins.

Exercise Plan:

• If your dog does not have any of these diseases, you can move on to the exercise level.
• We recommend that you take your dog on a Leash walk, maybe a 20-30 minutes leash walk, twice a day, this will go a long way in improving the health of the dog.
• Feel free to attempt other games like the fetch game. This game keeps the dog busy running about, trying to fetch whatever you throw at her.
• At this stage, don’t forget to monitor the progress of the dog’s health, and when you do, communicate accordingly to the veterinarian. With time, you will begin to feel the joy of watching your little puppy bask in sound health.