Canine Obesity: A Silent Killer

Obesity is one of the most common health related problem to affect dogs, especially older ones. An overweight dog is generally an unhappy dog and subsequent health problems can drastically reduce a dog’s life and render his later years void of any real quality.

All dogs relish a tasty treat and they are an excellent way to reward good behaviour, but if overused your dog could end up suffering from obesity before you even realise you are spoiling him. It is important to pay close attention to your dog’s diet for many reasons, but particularly if your dog is overweight.

A balanced diet is essential to keeping a dog fit and healthy.

Modern prepared foods contain an adequate supply of essential nutrients without too many calories, as do many home mixed diets.

Complete, dry dog food is popular today, as it is an easy to prepare meal which contains a good supply of all the right nutrients - provided you do your research and select the most appropriate food for your particular dog and their individual lifestyle.

Commercial canned foods, whether mixed or on their own, are a good source of nutrition and are easy to prepare and store. Some dog owners favour a nutritional supplement to add to the dog’s meal, rice is a good source of carbohydrates and is easily mixed with other foods.

Certain treats make a nutritious supplement to a meal and also serve as a good reward for him, but dog biscuits alone to not offer adequate nutrition to be served as meal on their own.

The majority of young, healthy and active dogs are at a low risk of becoming overweight as the majority of their calorific intake is used during play.

If you have ever taken your dog off his lead in a large forest or field you will have noticed that he will always do more miles than you because he runs off and comes back as you are walking. This is one of the reasons that he is so healthy. But there will come a point in his life when he is unable to do as much exercise so it is important to control his diet accordingly.

However, during his more active years it is still important to take care of his diet to ensure that he is receiving a good balance of protein and other valuable nutrients. Your vet will be able to advise you on this matter should any uncertainty arise.

You may not notice it at first, but should your dog become obese there are certain tell tale signs apart from the obvious physical weight gain. A diminished level of activity not conducive to his age is always a cause for concern, but a likely cause is that he has put on a little weight.

Another symptom is laboured breathing. If your dog struggles for breath after an activity which he once could do effortlessly then perhaps it is time to get the scales out. As a dog owner it is often difficult to notice if your dog is putting on weight because you see him every day. But paying close attention to other elements of his physical state may enlighten you to any weight problems.

As the majority of dogs become I their later years it is often difficult for them to loose weight through increased exercise, so it is up to you as a dog owner to monitor and control what the dog eats. A good way of doing this is by simply reducing portion size.

It is often the case that a regular portion of dry or complete dog food offers more than enough nutrition and therefore it is quite possible to reduce the meal sizes without affecting the nutritional intake of the dog. You should have a target weigh in mind and plan thoroughly the weight loss programme so you can monitor his progress. One advantage of a dieting dog is that he will never sneak a biscuit on the sly so you can keep an exact record of what he has eaten.

As a dog owner it is important for you to be disciplined. Your dog will probably not notice the reduced size of his meals. But you will, so be sure not to sneak him a treat and hope it does not affect him, because it will, and you will be doing him no favours. So no matter how hungry he looks it is imperative that for him to loose weight you must stick religiously to the diet, or there will be absolutely n point in even starting it.

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