What to do about an overweight dog

Research has shown that, in general, a healthy dog can abstain from food for five days before any noticeable health effects occur. They generally don't HAVE to eat every day. (Very small breeds are an exception...but unless there's really some medical problem present, missing a day of eating isn't a major catastrophe.) Always be sure fresh water is available. So start out by feeding a very high quality, complete and balanced dog food. Look on the ingredients list...MEAT should be the first item listed, not corn. You may also want to supplement with a vitamin/mineral/fatty acid product. PetFoodDirect.com has some excellent products - follow the link at the end of this article... search for SUPPLEMENTS. Be careful about over supplementing, too!

Now record an accurate pre-diet weight. Reduce by one-third your pet’s total daily ration previously given. Include in this total all treats, snacks, or left-overs if you insist on continuing to provide these. Reweigh the pet in 2 weeks. (Remember if the pet begs for food, that's a good sign! But don’t give in.)

If you find upon weighing your pet after two weeks that it has lost even a little weight, you’re on the right track; keep up this schedule! If no weight loss is evident, again reduce by one-third the amount being fed. Weigh the pet again in two weeks. Depending upon the results either keep feeding this amount or reduce again by one-third the total amount being fed. If you persist a good outcome is certain. Many veterinarians believe you should not feed the "Reduced Calorie" or "Lite Diets" or "Senior Diets"! These diets have very restricted fat levels to reduce the calories but by necessity have increased the carbohydrate percentages. This increased carbohydrate stimulates additional Insulin secretion which tells the body to store unused calories as fat! There are a multitude of overweight dogs that have actually gained weight on those "Reduced Calorie" weight loss diets. Your dog needs a meat-based diet, high in protein (which isn't stored as fat) and fat and low in carbohydrate. Now... YOU have to adjust the quantity being fed to achieve a state where the dog takes in fewer total calories than it is using for the day's energy requirements.

It is also quite important to get everyone’s cooperation in restricting the pet’s intake. There is usually someone in the household who feels sorry for the dieting pet and surreptitiously provides "just a little" something extra. More helpful would it be for the person to take the pet for a walk or a run to burn off a few calories.

Keep in mind most overweight pets have a slow metabolism. They simply don’t burn off those calories very fast and in fact don’t generally have "eager eater" appetites. Because of this slow metabolism, though, they don’t require very much; so "just a little extra" will make a big difference over a period of time.

Remember...high quality, meat-based food, control the amount fed, provide more exercise, and be persistent. Help your pet live a longer, leaner and more enjoyable life. Many types of dermatological problems are avoided if the dog or cat is consuming an optimum diet. In some cases, adding a supplement such as DermCaps, a popular Omega Fatty Acid supplement with a number of beneficial ingredients, is the key factor in avoiding repeated episodes of Hot Spots and other skin afflictions. If your dog or cat seems to lack good coat and skin health, consider upgrading the diet to a meat-based ingredient formula and adding a supplement such as DermCaps.

Be sure your veterinarian evaluates Thyroid Gland function in any overweight dog or cat. Hypothyroidism is a very common instigator of excess weight in pets and this needs to be corrected or your attempts to reduce your pet's weight will probably fail. So even if your veterinarian says thinks your dog doesn't "look like a Hypothyroid case", request the blood test for hypothyroidism anyway.

Comments

[Marilyn]

My dog, basically just a mutt, but we love her dearly and she has been very well taken care of. She has had all shots and yearly visits to the vet. She is a rather small dog, about 25lbs and looks like a mini chocolate lab, very cute. Lately, she has been dragging her butt and whining,,,,and, as her 'momma', I can tell she doesn't feel well. Also, when we go in the backyard, she eats grass... Please help, I really don't have the $$ to take her to the vet, but I will if I have to,,Thank you, Marilyn Smith and Magossie

[JD]

The "butt scooch" is usually a sign of anal glands that need to expressed but with a combo of her eating grass she may have a stomach virus, UTI (urinary tract infection), could be anything. She needs more than a yearly visit - get her on over to a vet today! good luck.