Mary Allen
An overweight dog is more susceptible to various diseases such as cardiovascular problems, diabetes, or joint pain. It is therefore important for the health of an overweight dog that he goes on a diet. The following tips will make it easier for your dog to lose weight.
It is best to plan the diet for your overweight dog together with the veterinarian. It can calculate your dog’s calorie needs and recommend quality, reduced-calorie dog food that will help you lose weight healthily. What else you can do, these tips reveal:
No Snacks or Treats
Dogs that are overweight should avoid snacking between meals, as this can make calorie intake difficult to control and can quickly exceed veterinarian recommendations. If you give treats, you must subtract their calorie content from your dog’s needs and feed them less at main meals accordingly. If you don’t want to calculate so much, it’s best to avoid small treats in between. This also includes leftovers and small samples of sausage and cheese.
Weigh Out Feed Rations for Diet
Although it is very difficult, for a successful diet, it is advisable to pay attention to the calorie count. If a dog needs to lose weight, there is no way around consuming fewer calories than it burns. Dogs that are overweight are usually severely restricted in their freedom of movement so that they cannot do as much sport at the beginning of the diet. You can increase calorie consumption when your dog is a little more mobile and does not suffer from joint pain. For now, however, reducing your calorie intake is advisable.
For this, you will receive precise instructions from the veterinarian on the portion sizes of the food, which you should adhere to exactly. So always weigh the food and keep a kind of food diary for your dog to keep track of. If there was a little treat, you can also write it down there.
Combat Obesity Through Exercise
As soon as your dog has more joy and ease in movement again, you should take it as long as possible for walks, play with it a lot, and maybe even register it in a dog school for dog sports. This has the further advantage that your four-legged friend is less inclined to eat more than is good for him out of boredom.
Don’t Tempt the Dog
So that your dog can get rid of its excess weight better, you should eliminate all temptations. For example, do not let your four-legged friend into the kitchen when you are preparing the meal for yourself, otherwise, they could eat leftovers that have fallen. Also, if you have multiple pets, it makes sense to feed them separately and to put the non-dieting pet’s bowl away after eating. Otherwise, there is a risk that your dog will steal food from someone else’s bowl.