Don’t let your dog get overweight because it can decrease their lifespan drastically. Overweight dogs are more vulnerable to diseases like diabetes, heart problems, and cancer. Their joints and back will handle too much weight and may cause arthritis. If your dog is too fat, please devise a plan on how to make them lose weight for their own good. Don’t blame sterilization, it’s just a myth, dogs won’t get fat just because they have been sterilized, just like human, dogs can gain weight if they eat too much and rarely exercising or their weight problem is caused by genetic.
Most dog owners give their dog a high energy food after their dog is sterilized, giving them more calorie even when their dog need less energy. if you’re a beginner you should also read caring puppy at home for beginners and Easy guide to take care of dog at home for beginners. So here are 3 ways to lose your dog’s weight
1. Measure your dog’s weight
Dogs have different body types, that’s why knowing whether your dog is overweight or not may be a difficult task. If you look at your dog from the top side, look at their back and hips on the back legs can be clearly seen, you can see the difference between the chest and the abdomen. If you look from the side, you can also see the size difference between the chest and the abdomen. The dog’s hips should be able to be seen and the abdomen is closer to the back bone than the chest. A wide and flat back and a flabby abdomen are signs of obesity.
Another method is a rib test. Place both of your hands on each side of the dog’s chest, and feel their ribs, you should be able to feel each rib bones without any difficulty and can even count on how many bones are there. If you can’t feel them, that means your dog is overweight.
Try measuring your dog’s weight. There is a collection data that records the ideal weight of each type of breed. Remember this data is based on the average weight and type of breed that are commonly recorded. In the end, each dog is different and should be measured individually.
Depend on the dog’s size you can measure their weight yourself at home, carry your dog and get on the scale and see how much you and your dog weight. And then measure your own weight without the dog. The gap is your dog’s weight at the moment. Always use the same method to get a more precise result. You can also visit the vet to measure your dog’s weight easily and get a recommendation on what is the ideal weight for your dog.
2. Make a diet program
Visit the vet if your dog is overweight. They can evaluate your dog’s weight, and determine the cause and tell you how many kg your dog should lose on the first step. Create an ideal meal for your dog with the help of the vet. They can also help you to create a good diet program for your dog. This includes using specific food for the diet, what treats are allowed, adjusting the portion and frequency of the meal and don’t forget exercising. Sometimes the vet won’t allow any diet program for health reasons.
On some extreme cases you may also use weight loss medicine. Nowadays weightless medicine also available for dogs and you can buy them anywhere. This medicine works by decreasing the dog appetite. But be mindful of the side effect such as, diarrhea and nausea. This medicine should be used as a last resort only and after discarding other medical conditions that may cause the dog to become overweight in the first place. The vet can tell you whether your dog should consume the medicine or not.
3. Following the diet program
Give your dog food specifically made for their diet. The vet can help you to decide what kind of food should be given to your dog. You can decrease their portion or give them special food for diet. There is a recipe that can help your dog to lose weight and gain their ideal weight. This recipe is consists of low calorie food and rich of fiber so your dog won’t get hungry for a while after eating even after consuming a little amount of calorie. This kind of food can be expensive and used for extreme cases when a normal diet program doesn’t work.
Measure your dog’s meals all the time. So you can know how their appetite change over a period of time. Make a record on how much food they consumed every day including treats and the amount of exercise that can be done.
Decrease or even completely stop giving your dog unhealthy treats. Most treats on the market contain a lot of calorie, similar to candies for human. Even though low calorie treats also available it’s better to stop giving them unhealthy treats. Healthy treats can be easily obtained, such as carrot, broccoli, and apple. These treats can be given in small portion and not too frequently. Remember that your dog might be allergic to certain food especially new type of food. And some human food can be poisonous for dogs. Make a rule that treats can’t contribute more than 10% of daily calorie intake.
Most dogs have the same problem when it comes to being overweight; the lack of exercise. Take your dog outside to get some exercise done. Exercise can help them form muscle and increase metabolism and eventually make them losing weight. The formula to losing weight for dogs is simple, the amount calorie taken determine if your dog will gain weight or not. With regular exercise, your dog will become healthier and have faster metabolism. This should be a main topic to be discussed with your vet before starting regular exercise. Some breeds can’t do certain exercise at a certain amount of times. Besides that, it’s important to see your dog’s overall health and the condition of the environment. In general, you can start walking with your dog for a short duration, you can add a few more minutes over time. This is a simple and easy way to see how far your dog can go. Combine exercise with some play time, you can add a total of 20 minutes of exercise for your dog. keep in mind that training that requires you to give your dogs treats should be monitored such as training your dog bark at strangers and training a dog to guard your house.
Bring your entire family into this. Each member of the household has a role to play in this. If you have kids, make sure you explain it clearly to them about how important it is to help the dog losing weight. Your dog will live longer and happier because of that. this keeping your dog happy playing indoors might help you.
Hopefully with these 3 ways to lose your dog’s weight, your dog will start losing weight and be healthier. Keep in mind that you can make exercise fun for you and your dog. You can spend more time and play all kind of game with your game. Your dog will definitely be happy if you do it and these activities make them healthier than ever, a win – win solution