Plump Puppy – How to Tell if Your Dog is Too Fat

It is always hard to resist treating your beloved pet. You want to share your toast, your biscuit and your dinner with them plus give them a treat just because they deserve it.  Human food certainly isn’t always the best for your pet. Last issue we covered some things not to feed your dog.  Most people don’t even know that their pet is overweight because no one has ever told us how to measure a pet’s health and weight.

According to recent RSPCA studies, the number of obese pets is rising with 50% of Dogs and 40% of cats considered to be overweight. Being overweight can lead to some serious health issues such as

• Diabetes
• Pancreatitis
• Liver Disease
• Heat Intolerance
• Osteoarthritis
• Heart Problems
• Respiratory Problems
• Skin and General Allergies

So how do you tell if your dog or cat has weight issues?

There are a few simple checks you can make such as, if you are looking down at your pet from above you should be able to see narrowing at the waist between the ribs and the hind quarters.

You should be able to feel the ribs easily with only a moderate amount of fat covering them. If you find it difficult to feel your pet’s ribs or you can feel them but there is a lot of fat over them, this is a good indication that your pet may have a weight issue.   Other signs of weight issues for your pet includes if they are slow to move, have difficulty walking or they are often short of breath.

Unfortunately some breeds of dog in particular are prone to weight issues and should be carefully monitored as to their food intakes. Breeds such as Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Beagles and Cocker Spaniels are notorious for loving their food and will often take great pleasure in begging for food scraps or raiding your rubbish bin.

Sometimes the causes for an overweight or obese pet include not giving your pet all the exercise it needs, not regulating their food intake appropriately or simply your sneaky little pet steals the rest of your other pet’s food!

Some tips to monitor your pet’s weight include serving food in a smaller feeding bowl, or a slow feeding food bowl. These bowls have obstacles for your pet to eat around instead of scoffing his or her food.  You could use a measuring cup or scoop to make sure your pet is not over feed.  You can replace fatty treats with more healthy ones like carrot sticks.

Treats can always be given, just make sure it’s in moderation as we all want our pets to be healthy and a healthy pet should be neither be too fat or too thin.  If you are concerned about your pets weight you can weigh them now in store at Paddington Pups.

Your Vet is the best source of information about your pet’s health and well being. Be sure to ask your vet to regularly check your pet’s weight as maintaining an ideal weight range not only reduces health risks but also means your pet will have more energy, be healthier and live a longer life.