How to fight obesity in dogs - help you lose weight
It is increasingly common to see dogs with overweight or obesity, a problem that can not only be due to their genetic tendency, but also depends entirely on the lifestyle of the animal. If today people in general have a much more sedentary life, it is not surprising that it is also reflected in our faithful friends, who may not walk and exercise enough or even feed badly.
It is a condition as serious in dogs as in people, so it is good to want to learn about it to be able to recognize if our hairy has this problem and, thus, put a solution. Therefore, we recommend that you go to the veterinarian and follow their advice and we offer you in this article all the information about the causes, symptoms, consequences, prevention and how to fight obesity in dogs, with change of diet and exercise mainly.
Causes of obesity in dogs
Among the main causes of a dog suffering from obesity almost all are correctable, so it is good to know them well to detect where the origin is and take it into account for treatment.
Inadequate feeding
If the quality of the food we give our furry friend is low or not the type of food or how to prepare it is not good for him, we will be contributing to your body not working well and accumulate excess fat and liquids. If, for example, we give you poor quality feed or just eat the same food you cook for yourself and yours, including pasta, sauces, sweets, etc., you will be poorly fed.
Supercharging
Whether the type of food we offer our hairy is appropriate or not, if we exceed the amount and caloric intake is much higher than the number of calories you need to consume daily, then we will be supercharged to our partner, causing it to suffer various conditions, starting with excessive weight.
Lack of exercise
Also, if our furry barely moves, just walk just enough to relieve himself, he will not be exercising enough to be healthy. Thus, little by little, you will gain weight and feel much more tired. Like us, our partner needs to do some exercise to be healthy and wear energy that, if accumulated, can also cause anxiety problems.
Breeds of dogs prone to obesity
Apart from if a dog leads a lifestyle in which the diet and exercise are affected as we have said, it also counts its genetic predisposition to have a slower metabolism, to have more appetite, to have more difficulty to exercise and a long etcetera that, together, translates as perfect to suffer excess weight and other health problems. Therefore, with the dogs of these breeds or that are crossed with any of them, it is advisable to take special care so that they do not get to suffer them. Between these races they emphasize the following:
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- Beagle
- Basset hound
- Carlino or pug
- Teckel or dachshund
- Scottish Terrier
- Rough Collie
- English bulldog
- French Bulldog
- Boxer
- German shepherd
Other causes of obesity in dogs
There are more factors that make a dog gain weight, such as old age, the side effects of some medications and some conditions, such as Cushing's syndrome or hyperadrenocorticism, hypothyroidism, heart and bone problems.
How to know if my dog is obese - signs and symptoms
The first thing that must be taken into account is the way to recognize if our hairy is well weight or if, on the contrary, suffers from low weight, overweight or obesity. Any of these latter situations is harmful to the health of a dog, just as it happens with people, and this is why it is necessary to detect it and look for a healthy solution.
Normally, in the veterinarian's periodic check-ups, this weighs on our dog and the weight is recorded in the record to be able to keep basic control of his health status. Therefore, if you meet the annual visits to the specialist, sure that if your faithful friend suffers one of these problems he will let you know right away.
However, there are several signs and symptoms of obesity in dogs that you can detect yourself:
- In profile, you can see the bigger or bulky belly than normal
- You can see rolls or love handles at waist height, especially when the dog sits
- Has low energy, is not active, is almost always lying down and has a sedentary behavior
- Difficulty breathing well
- If you run a little, you get tired very fast
- He always asks for more food, he has a lot of appetite
- Usually eat quickly
- Have anxiety or nervousness
Diagnosis of obesity in dogs
The veterinarian is the one who can diagnose overweight or obesity in your dog . So, these are other signs of obesity in dogs that the veterinarian can tell you by doing a simple review and some measurements:
- Looking at the can from above we can see a very broad back and bulging sides at the waist, the ribs are not appreciated. There is no soft natural inward curvature at waist level.
- Palpando the area of the ribs, it costs a lot to get to touch the ribs or even you can not.
- Areas where a normal weight can be marked some bones, such as the elbows, knees or some points of the spine, if the dog is obese, can not be easily appreciated or palpated.
- The base or insertion of the tail looks much thicker than usual.
- Problems in the legs, the knees and the hip, due to supporting the excess of weight.
- Comparing the weight record and the outline of your can that the specialist has been doing over time, if you are obese or overweight, you will notice a difference in these results.
All this is because, clearly, all this body area is covered by excess fat or adipose tissue. Thus, you can already observe and know if your dog is fat, being able to differentiate between different levels of overweight to morbid obesity.
How to treat obesity in dogs
Wondering how to lose weight to a dog is the first thing that comes to mind to those who have noticed, or has told the vet, that it is necessary for your hairy to lose a few kilos. The treatment may vary in each case, so it will always be the veterinarian who indicates it in each situation. Generally, a gradual change in diet is needed. Of course, you will have to remove all kinds of harmful food, excessively greasy, like your food that you usually give silo you do or good, excess or poor quality goodies. The specialist will tell you what is the best feed now for your furry.
Also, you will have to increase the movement and exercise that your faithful companion does, for example, increasing the time and the distance of the daily walks and, little by little, making him play more and with other dogs more active than him, until reaching the point that I can run well without choking on the effort and, for example, you can go running with it.
Consequences of obesity in dogs
If we do not prevent or treat this problem, the consequences of overweight and obesity in dogs are as serious as those in people.
They appear cardiac, respiratory, metabolic, endocrine, etcetera. For example, diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, arthritis, osteoporosis, severe dyspnea, low defenses, faster heart wear, heart attacks and many more. Therefore, the life expectancy of the animal is shortened .
Also, other consequences appear at a psychological or emotional level, since an animal with excessive weight of this type will easily suffer from lack of energy, depression and anxiety .
How to prevent obesity in a dog
To avoid that your dog is overweight or obese it is vital that you bear in mind that you have a sufficiently active life, without exceeding yourself, and that your diet is the right one for him at every stage of his life. Pay attention to these tips to achieve it:
- Take it out for a walk several times a day, minimum three, and that the walks last more than 15 minutes.
- Let the walks relate, play and run with other dogs.
- Take it out to run and play for long periods one day a week, preferably more than one, something that also depends a lot on the energy level of each dog. You can go to a large park, to the mountain or to the beach. When you take it out, it prevents you from exercising or running when you have just finished drinking and / or eating. Thus, you will avoid vomiting and a twisting of the stomach.
- Offer adequate food, preferably the one that the veterinarian gives you, whether it is feed or homemade. You can vary the type of food you give so you do not get tired of the same taste and texture, in addition to providing you with the nutrients you need. Talk to the specialist to help you choose what nutritional content is most appropriate and vary between wet food, feed or granules and homemade food. Anyway, in the same intake do not mix these types of food, give only one, to facilitate digestion.
- Give him the amount of daily food that corresponds to him in 2 or 3 times and never in a single time. Also, look for a good schedule and always try to follow it.
- Reduce the amount of treats and prizes you give and / or look for healthier ones.
- Do not give him food of yours, it is better that you make homemade food suitable for dogs, without added salt.
- Make sure you never lack abundant and fresh water.
- Comply with the reviews and indications of your trusted veterinarian.
