Nutritional Guidelines for Obese Dogs

 

Is Your Dog Carrying Extra Weight?

What Difference Does it Make?

What Causes Canine Obesity?

How Can I Help My Dog Lose Weight?

How do you know if your dog is overweight? Between 25 and 40 percent of dogs are, but often owners don't know it until they take their dog to the veterinarian for another reason.

Even veterinarians can't tell if your dog is fat just by its weight. Ideal weight varies by breed, and quite widely within breeds. There's no ideal weight chart for all dogs!

You can judge your dog's condition by placing your hands on each side of his rib cage. Are the ribs protruding? Your dog may be too thin. Can you feel individual ribs easily, and is your dog's abdomen slightly tucked up when viewed from the side? That's the sign of ideal weight. If you can't feel the ribs easily, your dog has no waist and his abdomen drags, he's too fat. Your veterinarian can help you evaluate the finer points of your dog's weight.

A good way to begin a weight loss programme for your dog is to reduce caloric intake by 15% of his maintenance intake, then decrease the intake by 10% increments every 2-3 weeks until a 1% weight loss per week is achieved. This means that if your dog weighs 10kg, a 1% loss would be about 100g.

If you feed one large meal a day, or keep food available at all times, try dividing the daily ration into several small meals (at least two meals a day) and pick up what has not been eaten 30 minutes after each meal.

Dogs gain weight for the same reason that people do. They eat more calories than they use. Today's dogs share another problem with their owners-lack of activity. Most owners are gone all day, and come home too tired to play with the dog.

As your dog ages, or after she/he is spayed or neutered, their metabolism may slow, causing the dog to require less food.

Owners may give frequent high-calorie treats. Sometimes more than one family member may be feeding the dog-and the dog isn't telling!

Losing weight isn't easy. Changing your habits and your pet's is the key. Here are some ways you can help:

• Do a family survey to be sure who feeds the dog, what, and when. (Don't be embarrassed to admit you give your dog treats-dogs are expert beggars.) Substitute affection for treats. Give a pat or throw a ball when he noses your hand. Take the dog for a walk more often. Even 10 minutes a day can help. Feed more often. It takes energy to digest food. Dividing your dog's daily ration into 2 or 3 feedings will help. Reducing your dog's regular food amount by 15 percent should bring results. If your dog is more than 15 percent overweight, your veterinarian may recommend a special food. Diet foods should be low in fat (under 20 percent of calories from fat) and high in carbohydrates.
  
  
• Your goal is to make your dog healthier, so select the diet food carefully. Some diet foods just add fibre to help the dog feel full. This results in reduced digestibility, large stool volume, frequent defaecation, and decreased skin and coat condition because the dog isn't getting enough fat and nutrients.
  
  
• You'll want to find a food that has normal fibre levels to keep your dog's digestive system working properly. It should have high-quality protein, so your dog doesn't lose muscle too, and an adjusted fatty-acid ratio to help keep his skin flexible and coat glossy throughout the dieting process. Once your dog reaches ideal weight, select a maintenance food to keep weight steady.
  
  
• Some of The Iams Company products designed to help your dog reach and maintain ideal weight are Eukanuba Veterinary Diets¨ Restricted Calorie Formula , Eukanuba¨ Adult Light and Eukanuba Adult Large Breed Light and Iams® Light rich in Chicken.
  
  
• Remember, your dog needs your help to lose weight and stay healthy. Your efforts to follow the programme recommended by your veterinarian can make a real difference in your dog's health and lifespan.