What is Obesity in Dogs?



Weight gain or excessive accumulation of body fat can be defined as obesity. According to some studies, 25%-40% of dogs are either obese or have full chances of becoming obese. By far, the most common nutritional health condition in domesticated animals, especially dogs, obesity is brought upon due to a sedentary and lazy lifestyle.

Lack of proper exercise, just like in humans, and regular intake of calories that far exceed the amount required when energy is not expended, leads to storage or accumulation of fat in your dog affecting pet health. Pet health care is necessary to ensure that your dog get proper exercise routinely. As little as 1% intake of extra calories results in over 25% increase over the required body weight by the time your dog reaches middle age.

As a dog owner, you must realize that pet heath care is of paramount importance and if you sense your dog becoming lazy, has difficulty breathing or can't walk properly, you must take him to a vet for a proper physical examination. Since obesity can't be easily detected early on, you may never know that your pet health is at risk until a historical review of the dog's body weight is carried out.

Causes of Weight Gain in Dogs

Every pet owner must try to find out the real causes due to which their pet health is affected due to weight gain. Typically, weight gain is common for dogs whose owners tend to give more treats to their pets than is healthy. Some pet owners even believe that their lazy dog is a happy and content pooch. So, while for now Fido may be pleased, neither you, the pet owner, nor the canine, will be happy due to pet health care neglect.

Weight gain can be brought on due to a host of reasons. In many cases the sudden increase in weight is a sign of underlying pet health problems such as hypothyroidism and Cushing's disease among many others. As part of the pet health care routine, it's crucial that you get your pet evaluated medically and then start to work on reducing the increased weight.

Importance Of Healthy Diet

Reducing the overall food intake is a safer bet than putting the pooch on a diet. The best way to treat weight gain is to reduce the dog's daily food intake by approximately 25% and spread it out over a long period of time for best pet health. (eg: if you feed your dog 4 cups of food in the evening then spread it out by giving one cup each in the morning, mid afternoon, and evening)

Manufacturers such as Royal Canin and Hills recommend with their lifestage and veterinary exclusive range that a dog be given an exact amount of food every day, calculated on its overall body weight loss required, which must be given a minimum of 3 times day. These manufacturers develop specialist ranges that include products such as Royal Canin Obesity and Hills Prescription diet R/D.

Finally, make sure pet health care is maintained by exercising your plump pal though take care not to work him too hard. Daily walks will lead to gradual weight loss and don't allow you pet to lose more than 5-8% of his initial weight every month.