Obesity In Dogs

Nothing says love like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and pancreatitis, right?  Most pet owners are not aware that the extra weight that their pets are carrying will lead to diseases down the road.  Often we think that love and giving pets tablescraps are related.   True love can often be best expressed as "tough love!"  

Imagine carrying a 60 pound backpack all the day every day?  That’s what it is like for a dog that is supposed to be 10 pounds to have an extra 3-4 pounds in body weight.  Multiple studies have documented that obesity shortens the lifespan of dogs and predisposes them to health risks.  Early onset of arthritis is just one of those risks.

Just like the human population, obesity is a rising problem with our animal friends.  Sometimes obesity can be related to endocrine conditions, such as problems with the thyroid, or adrenal glands.  If your pet just can not lose weight despite the amount of exercise and dieting that you try, testing their endocrine values may be helpful.

Vegetables such as carrots and green beans are ok to give your dog, in moderation.  They are especially helpful when transitioning a pet who is used to receiving table scraps to at least receiving “healthier” table scraps.

There are special weight loss diets for animals, such as prescription diets, but just as your human doctor would tell you, the best way to lose weight is to decrease portion size of the meals and increase exercise.

While that sounds so simple, we do realize there can be multiple factors that play a role in getting your dog to a healthy weight.  Please consider a nutritional and lifestyle consult for your dog if you are having a hard time getting them to lose weight.  One thing we can help with is doing free monthly weight checks to monitor your pet’s progress.