In todays society it seems as though the media is always talking about how overweight we have become. While it’s true that obesity has reached epidemic proportions in our country, we don’t have to let our bad habits affect the pets that we love. I’m not going to preach to you about the consequences of eating too much chocolate…..I need my fix too; but I am going to tell you that while we may go astray on own diets, it is very important to keep our 4 legged friends on the straight and narrow. It just kills us to see a dog come into our shop that can barely walk, or that can’t stand up for more than a few minutes at a time because they are so overweight. This borders on animal abuse.
I know we all love our pets dearly, and it’s so hard to say no when they look at you with that cute little supper table face, but try to be strong. Overweight dogs miss out on so many great activities because they just can’t run and play like other dogs. Not to mention the host of joint problems that go along with being heavy.
Ok, so how do you know if your dog is overweight? Ask your vet or groomer, as they see many dogs per day and can give you an honest opinion. The other simple way is to take your dog to the dog park on a busy day and compare him to other dogs of a similar breed. If your dog is substantially larger, cannot run and play like the other dogs, or simply can’t stand up for more than a few minutes, it’s time to get him on a diet plan.
Diets will vary from dog to dog, but we recommend reducing his food by 25 % as a good starting point. Of course increasing his exercise will help as well, but be careful not to push him too hard at first. A simple walk for 30 minutes 3-5 times a week can have dramatic affects on both your dog’s health and your own. Illiminate table scraps from your dogs diet! This is a crucial step….your dog’s progress will be drastically reduced if you can’t stop giving out scraps. Remember also, that as dogs get older most of them aren’t as active as they used to be, so you need to reduce their diet to match their activity level.
Right now, a lot of you are reading this thinking how cruel this would be to your dog….the opposite is true. If you love your dog, take care of him properly. We all want our dogs to be with us for as long as possible, so we need to give them every opportunity to live long, happy, healthy lives.
In closing I want to share a funny conversation Anne had with my uncle Ken about our then heavy yellow lab. My uncle Ken was giving Anne a hard time saying that our dog was “fat”. In response, Anne proceeded to explain to him that she was only giving Molly 2 cups 2 times a day. “It’s Too Much” replied Ken….”but I’ve always given her this amount of food” said Anne…..”It’s Too Much” replied Ken, in his friendly yet persistent manner….”But I feel bad if I don’t give her enough” insisted Anne….And once again Ken fired back with “It’s Too Much”. We all laughed as the two of them bantered back and forth, But Anne finally got the point Ken was making. It doesn’t matter what amount of food you are giving your dog, if they are overweight “It’s Too Much”. Thanks for setting her straight Ken!
by Rick Wing
Clip & Dip Grooming and Boarding- Rochester, MN
www.clipndip.com
Tags: Add new tag, dog diet, Dog Food, Feed, overweight dog, Treats, Weight
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