Obesity in dogs: here's how the diet works
Obesity is becoming a widespread problem in dogs. Affected animals often suffer considerably from the consequences of their obesity and in many cases have serious health problems.
It is therefore very important that you take prompt action to counteract existing excess weight in your dog. The following section explains how you can best do this and what is important for a successful diet.
What causes dogs to become overweight?
Basically, obesity in dogs occurs for the same reasons as in people. In most cases, the dog simply eats too much and does not move enough. In this case, the responsibility for your dog being overweight is clearly yours.
After all, your four-legged friend can only eat what you give him. If you mean well but regularly serve your dog too much food and dog snacks or even leftovers from your own food, you shouldn't be surprised if they end up weighing too much.
In addition, the following factors can also contribute to obesity in dogs:
- Changes in hormone levels associated with a dog's castration slow down the dog's metabolism.
- Due to their genetic predisposition, some dog breeds have an increased tendency to become overweight.
- Various diseases can lead to weight gain, among other complaints.
Why obesity is so dangerous for dogs
Obesity in dogs is much more than a harmless aesthetic problem. Obesity can cause serious health problems in the long term and can have a lasting negative impact on the well-being of your four-legged friend. So even if your dog is currently doing well, you should never ignore the fact that he is overweight.
Overweight can cause, or at least promote, the following health problems in dogs:
- Skin problems
- Joint Diseases
- Breathing difficulties
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular diseases
- A weakened immune system
Apart from these things, obesity in dogs often leads to a lower life expectancy. So if you don't tackle obesity, you may well have to say goodbye to your beloved dog much sooner.
How to avoid overweight in your dog
Ideally, you should avoid obesity in your dog from the very beginning. To this end, regularly check the weight of your four-legged friend and ensure that he gets enough exercise and is fed according to his needs.
Physical activities to combat obesity in dogs
It is important that you give your dog the opportunity to exercise sufficiently. Of course, the urge to move is not the same for all breeds. In principle, however, you can assume that appropriate physical activity will help to promote your dog's wellbeing and prevent overweight.
In addition to taking long walks, you can also engage in dog sports for this purpose. There is a wide range of activities on offer, so from mantrailing to obedience and agility, there is sure to be a suitable discipline for your four-legged friend.
As long as you always take the physical requirements of your dog into account, the sport is guaranteed to be good and fun for your four-legged friend.
Obesity in dogs and nutrition
If you want to avoid obesity in your dog, it is important to ensure that you get the right portion sizes from the start. To avoid excessive amounts of food, we recommend that you weigh your four-legged friend's meals using kitchen scales.
Apart from this, it's essential that you take into account the calories of the dog snacks that your four-legged friend receives as snacks between meals when he eats his main meals.
However, we strongly advise against feeding your dog with leftovers from your own food. If you do so, you will not only be helping your dog to become overweight, but some foods may even be putting his health at risk.
Recognising obesity in dogs
As you know, there are sometimes big differences in the physique of different dog breeds. However, in addition to body weight, there are some clear signs that your dog may be overweight.
These include a barely visible waist, a widened back and a thickened base of the tail. In addition, the ribs are difficult to feel in dogs that are overweight.
Overweight dogs can be a case for the vet
If your dog is very overweight, it may be advisable to make an appointment with the vet first. The vet can examine your four-legged friend and rule out disease as a possible cause of obesity.
He can also check your dog's general condition and, if necessary, help you to draw up a diet plan.
How to make the dog’s diet a success
As soon as pre-existing conditions have been ruled out as a trigger for obesity, you should put your dog on a diet and gradually reduce his body weight.
To this end, we recommend feeding your dog wet food. Wet food has a much lower energy density than dry food, so your dog can still eat relatively large portions despite their diet.
In addition, it is advisable to keep the amount of dog snacks to a minimum and to let your four-legged friend work for his treats.
In addition, an appropriate exercise programme will ensure that your dog burns extra calories and that the effects of the diet are supported by the physical activities. However, make sure that there are no health restrictions that stand in the way of exercise.
Shiimun Slim for overweight dogs
For a healthy and lasting weight reduction, we recommend that you give your overweight dog not only a change of diet and more exercise but also a dietary supplement containing Shiimun Slim.
Shiimun Slim is our easily digestible diet powder, which, with its carefully selected natural ingredients, can help you make optimal progress in losing weight.
Our conclusion on the subject of obesity in dogs
As you can see, being overweight poses a serious risk to your dog's health. Ideally, you should make sure that your dog does not get too fat from an early age. If it's not already too late, a personalised diet will help to prevent your dog from becoming overweight.
The sooner you take action against obesity, the sooner you can avoid health problems as a possible consequence of being overweight. So it's important to be consistent and don't let begging soften you up.
In addition to reducing the amount of food and an accompanying exercise programme, a dietary supplement of Shiimun Slim can also help to control your dog's weight.
Leave your comment