What should your dog look like?
Yes, all dogs are different, but in general it is easy to see a dog that has a great body weight and unfortunately a lot of people have become accustomed to seeing overweight dogs that they now consider this to be "normal".
By being overweight, your dog will have an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and many types of cancer. The weight will put more pressure on their bones and joints leading to faster degeneration and conditions such as osteoarthritis.
Obesity is the slow and silent killer, and we want our pups to have the best chance they possibly can later in life!
Remember!
You should be able to easily feel (but not necessarily see) your dog's ribs.
When standing, they should have an "hourglass" figure.
This means there should be an indentation behind the ribs and before the hip.
The stomach should raise up when looking from a side view.
How to tackle obesity?
Feed a high quality, protein rich diet. Avoid foods and treats filled with cheap fillers. Account treats as part of their daily feed amount.
Use enrichment feeding to make them work more for their food.
Get out and get those steps in!
There is not, and we CANNOT say this loud enough, a cheap fix for obesity...what your pup needs is good lifestyle changes, not "prescription" diets!
Visit one of our branches for a free nutrition chat :)