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I have created this site as a means to assemble all of my pet information in an organized, fun and easy to reference manor.

Of course I am not a veterinarian, so I can not guarantee the accuracy or safety of any information posted here. Before using any of the information contained in this blog, please consult with a veterinarian to be sure that the recipes, pet toys, patterns or other ideas posted here are appropriate for your pet.

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I have always loved and owned pets of all kinds. I hope that you enjoy visiting my pet blog and stop back often for lots of fun.

12/9/06

Helping Overweight Dogs

If you feel that your dog may be overweight, The first thing that you should do is have your dog checked by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian can tell you if your dog is actually overweight and what your dogs healthy weight range is.

Your veterinarian may also want to check to make sure that your dog is not suffering from any health issues such as hypothyroidism which can cause your dog to gain weight.

How can you tell if your dog may be overweight? Generally with an overweight dog it is difficult to feel your dogs ribs because they have an excess amount of fat covering them. When you look at an overweight dog from the side, the belly generally has minimal or no tuck. An overweight dog viewed from above, generally shows no indendted waistline in the front of the hips.

Keep in mind that these are general rules which can vary between different breeds of dogs. Always have your veterinarian examine your dog to determine if it is actually overweight, and if so, that your pets weight issue is not due to health issues.

If your dog is overweight, check with your veterinarian to see if these tips could help your dog get back into shape.

First, be sure that you are feeding your dog a high quality natural dog food. Some pets may over eat in an attempt to gain their daily required nutrients if they are fed a low quality food.

You may want to consider measuring your pets food each day to prevent your pet from over eating.

Be sure to exercise your dog each day. Even though you have a large yard your dog still may not be getting the exercise that he needs. Be sure to interact and provide physical activity for your dog each day. take him for walks and play games with him to be sure that he is getting the daily exercise and stimulation that he needs.

If your dog is trying to loose weight, be sure to limit his treats to small amounts of low fat healthy treats such as yogurt and cottage cheese or even carrots. Table scraps are a definate no, no for the overweight dog.

Some pet owners believe that they are pampering their dogs when they overfeed them or give them lots of treats, but serious health problems can occur from allowing your dog to become overweight.

Hopefully these tips can help you to determine if your dog may have a weight problem, and if so help you to get your dog back into the 'Grrrr'eat shape that will help him to live a long and healthy life.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like many people thought it was so cute that my kitty cat was a fat one. I really wasnt aware of how unhealthy it was. My cat is on a special diet provided by my vet... and she is is healthier than ever!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your experience! Many people think the same as you used to, that thier portly pets are cute and pampered. When actually, being overweight can cause many health problems for their pets. I'm happy to hear that your cat is healthy and looking pretty!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the guidelines...Whenever I feel that my pet is overweight, I wuld first look for the symptoms and ten take him to the veterinarian.