According to The Association for Pet Obesity Preventions 2017 annual study, staggering statistics of 56% of dogs are obese.
Cancer and osteoarthritis are one of the health conditions your dog is at risk because of obesity.
Obesity is one of the reasons for the shortening life spans of dogs.
It is essential to take your dog’s health very seriously.
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Do you know what signs to look for if your dog is overweight?
What are the most common risk factors of obesity?
Overfeeding is one of the leading causes of your pet to overweight and eventually become obese.
One survey revealed that 90% of dog owners do not know how much is the right calorie count a dog can eat in a day.
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Meanwhile, 29% of the population fails to measure their dogs’ food before feeding their pets.
Other risk factors include failure to change the portion of food measurements during periods where pets have no regular exercise due to the winter season or following an injury.
Research helps with these things.
It is important to learn the various stages of your pet’s life and the appropriate amount of food to feed him in those stages.
The site https://pawster.com advises dog owners that all pet food varieties have feeding recommendations included on them.
These inclusions are a great source of information to help pet owners understand the proper feeding program more.
What are the health implications?
A healthy dog with an ideal weight has more quality of life than an overweight or obese dog.
Overweight dogs are diagnosed with these most common health implications, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney disease.
As a result, they would experience a significant decline in their health.
Treating these kinds of diseases are not cheap; according to the CBS News report, heart surgery alone can cost up to $20,000.
As they say, prevention is always better than cure.
So, cut back on your dog treats before it’s too late.
This act would save you a lot of money and anxiety in the future.
What clinical indications do you need to watch out for?
Going to your vet regularly helps; they would pinpoint whether your dog is abnormally heavy for his age and breed.
There are also telltale signs a dog owner can check from time to time.
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The rib test is a very good start, and you can do it on your own without a professional’s help.
It will help you determine if your pet has an ideal weight.
If you can feel all your dog’s ribs, it means your dog belongs in the optimum weight range.
Your dog belongs to the overweight or obese category if there’s fat lining the ribs.
You must act immediately if this happens.
How do we beat the bulge?
Cutting back on food and increasing exercise time are the most effective way to improve your dog’s weight.
Take your dog outside more often than not, increase the distance and the length of your walk; these simple things can help a great deal to your dog’s calories.
A strict, calorie-controlled diet will decrease the risk of obesity.
Monitoring your dog’s current weight and health is vital.
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You can take him regularly for weigh-ins to your local vet’s.
If you don’t have the time, you can use your bathroom scale to monitor his weight.
It is always a pet owner’s responsibility to look after his pet’s health.
This article gives you a better understanding of how important it is for your pet to have a balanced calorie diet and an exercise regimen.
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Remember that overweight or an obese dog has poorer life tendency than healthy ones.
Start taking the right measures to prevent such a thing.
