My Friendly Pets

Most of us had New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more or just get leaner, but what about our dogs? Have you looked at your dog lately? Is he/she pudgier than you believe he/she should be? If so, it could be very unhealthy for your dog. Obesiety casues similar problems in canines as in humans. There can be strain on the organs, as well as on the dogs’ legs and joints. As a result the dog exercises and moves around less because of the pain or discomfort and the obesity can get worse.

So why does obesiety in dogs occur? According to PetCenter.com a dog simply is overweight because the dog takes in more calories that he/she needs. If your dog is overweight, which your vet will be able to tell you as a result of a basic exam, preliminary tests should be done to insure it is not heart or thyroid related or that there is no metabolic causes for the weight gain.

Vets concur that there are several excuses they hear from pet owners regarding their dogs’ weight. The excuses are catagorized and labeled as follows. There is what is known as “the nibbler” and the owner probably complains that the dog hardly eats at all. This might be true, because the dog hardly eats about 15 times a day with food that is left in his dish throughout the day. Then there is “the beggar” whose owners think that it is o.k. to allow the dog to beg until it is rewarded. The owners feel guilty if they don’t reward this bad behavior and the dog continues to beg and to gain weight! How about the owners who show their affection to the dog through food? The dog that gets fat from this is is known as “the good dog”, because every time the dog does something good they receive a treat. What most family memebers don’t realize is that everyone in the family is sneaking the dog treats for his/her “good” behavior! And finally accoding to PetCenter.com, there is what they refer to as “the gourmet dog” who gets so used to “people food” that they will determine their preferences and eat only what they want. This can be anything from favorite table scraps to actual cookies and ice cream!!!!

Unless there is a medical cause for the dog’s obesity, we have not far to look to see the culprit - simply gaze in the mirror. Yes, it is our behaviors with our dogs, in reference to food that can make them fat and eventually sick. We’ll talk tomorrow about ways to slim your dog now. In the meantime, don’t feed them more than they need and don’t give them all that they want!!!

For more information about caring for your dog and the looking into pet insurance, see a previous entry by clicking here.