The problem of overweight dogs is increasing rapidly for the parents of the pets, and it also comes with lots of concerns. Similar to human beings, an overweight dog is also prone to face a wide range of health problems and health issues that also exacerbate the already existing diseases.
According to a survey report of 2018 conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 55.8% of dogs in the United States are either obese or overweight. And this additional weight causes a whole lot of health issues to the dog-like painful arthritis, heart problems, canine diabetes, etc.
Let’s find out some important factors to know whether your dog is overweight.
Signs Suggesting Your Dog is Overweight
Feel the ribs of your dog
The feel and eminence of the ribs in dogs is one of the biggest indicators of weight issues. If you see that the ribs are not significantly visible and you can feel them easily without pressing them hard, make sure that your dog is fit. But in the case of overweight dogs, you need to struggle hard to feel the ribs because of the fat deposits.
You can motivate your pet to play and remain outside, moving from one place to another to lose excess fats pockets. Of course, it will take time, but dog training has been effective in losing additional fat from the body. Install a wireless electric dog fence to look after and ensure that you do not go out of your perimeter and get into some trouble.
Check out the fat pads on your dog
Additional fats on the dog’s body are one of the biggest indicators that show that the dog is overweight. Experts suggest that dogs have fat sacks between their legs in some cases, which compels them to waddle when they walk. You may also look carefully at the dog’s hip area while petting. In most of the cases, overweight dogs have fats pads on the top of their hips.
Analyze the Behavior of the Dog
In case of overweight dogs, they usually tend to remain inactive throughout the day, and they also spend most of their time scarfing down the food given to them. The dog will become a couch potato and will have a problem in walking, breathing while moving, and overall it will get obvious that the dog is facing some serious health issues.
The best thing you can do here is to stop giving free choice feed to your dog. Usually, the meals that we feed our dogs are not right for them. Get quality and specialized foods for dogs so that they do not get obese.
Some Other Signs to Know About Your Dog Being Overweight
- Constant panting
- Struggling to get up from a sitting and lying position
- Look winder even after minimal movement
- Avoid playing and doing it less as compared to before
- Wheezing when breathing
All these signs also suggest that your dog is overweight, and it’s high time you need to take care of your pet.
Why Does Your Dog Get Overweight?
There are so many reasons that make your dog overweight. Some of the potential reasons are
- Unhealthy and not suitable diet for your dog
- Inactivity or no physical activity throughout the day. It is mostly common with dogs that remain closed most of the time.
- Aging is another crucial factor that leads your dog to be overweight. In most of the cases, middle-aged dogs between 6-10 are prone to get overweight.
- Overall health could be another possible reason for your dog to be overweight. It could be anything, be it an existing illness, endocrine disorder, or any other metabolic issues.
How to Help Your Overweight Dog?
The best thing to help your overweight dog is determining the weight loss goals, preparing a plan, and sticking to it. The ideal plan initially would be to lose at least 0.5 to 2% of the overall body fat from the body.
Create the right diet for your dog to motivate the weight loss program. You can also add the concept of smaller but more frequent meals. Losing weight is a process that needs constant monitoring. In case you want to know more or have something to share, please do the needful below in the comment section. You can also add your insights about the post below.