Is Your Pet Overweight? How to Tell (and Help Him Slim Down)
All the Right Eats
The first area to look at is in how the pet is fed. Portion control is really important for pets. Rather than guessing how much a pet is given, use accurate measurements by using measuring cups for the exact calorie percentage. Your veterinarian will have recommendations as to how much food to feed your pet.
Treats can still be given in many cases, but your veterinarian may recommend a slight reduction in their regular food and only 10 percent of calories coming from treats. There are also lower-calorie treat possibilities for dogs, such as blueberries, pumpkin, green beans and carrots that can be given as a reward or used with their kibble to help them feel fuller. Many dogs will even take their regular kibble as a reward.
Treats should be kept small and only need to be about the size of a pencil eraser to be easily taken and enjoyed by your dog or cat. For this reason, what is often one treat can actually be broken into smaller pieces and given as multiple rewards. Soft treats or easily broken baked treats are best.
Portion these out as is recommended by your veterinarian. Free-feeding is not recommended except in very rare cases for health issues, as keeping food down in a bowl continuously is a way many pets gain weight. Instead, feed measured portions at regular mealtimes. Or, optimally feed their meals in ways the pet has to work for their food.
Food puzzles are one way to feed pets to get them working for their food. There are some versions where the animal licks the treat out and remains stationary while doing it, such as the Kong that’s available for dogs and cats. Others are more movable with the animal’s paw and nose for them to roll around and kibble or treats to fall out. The home can also be made more like a scavenger hunt for the animal where parts of their meals are hidden around the home for cats or in a fenced yard for dogs.
Comments
What an interesting article! Lately my family has been debating whether or not my dog is overweight. I’ll definitely check up on it!
Excellent article,
I guess it is harder for a pet parent to accept that their pet is over-weight than them to accept their own weight.
The problem lies with the activity levels, pets, people – everyone is doing less activities and taking more idle and rest times.
I guess it is time to just go out and get some running, jogging or exercises done,
thanks,
Dewy,
Great info! We love our furr babies so much that we reward them with food everytime they look at us with their big beautiful eyes. These are great tips. Just keeping my 2 kitties from sleeping 23 hours a day is my battle. They eat, they sleep. That’s it. But feeding them a natural diet of grain free food has done more for their weight than anything else I’ve done.
Interesting post!
The problem lies with the activity levels, pets, people – everyone is doing less activities and taking more idle and rest times
L.ately my family has been debating whether or not my dog is overweight. I’ll definitely check up on it!
Useful information. I observed dogs also suffer from weight problems due to health issues. You have discussed causes of gaining weight and also it can increase the risk of breathing problems and over-stressing joints etc. Can you suggest any other blog for getting instructions to prevent weight gain in pets? Along with this article, I would like to share about the hamster pets which were established as popular small house pets.
I have already read some information about how pets are suffering with overweight problems. Here you have given some instructions on how to get active the pet such as biking with your dog, puppy pushups and water exercises etc. This blog is continuous to that blog. Thanks for sharing. Apart from this article, I learned about the facts about hamsters as pets which have become established as popular small house pets.
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