Overweight Pet? Good vittles and movement matter!

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Those eyes... pleading, pathetic, imploring… so hard to resist the temptation to give in and share a bit of your shawarma, Schezuan beef or strawberry shortcake, right? But resist you must if you want to manage your dog’s weight (and his behaviour, by the way). As you probably know, maintaining a healthy weight prevents the development of certain maladies like diabetes, arthritis, respiratory problems and high blood pressure (just like in humans, these diseases are avoidable and controllable through diet).

So what’s the right approach to keep your pup fit as a fiddle and thwart preventable illnesses? A combination of a healthy diet and lots of activity; essentially any movement that makes your dog... A DOG!... and one that will burn the calories he consumes. Activities like walking, running, swimming, fetching and jumping are key to keeping him in fine fettle. And don’t dally; join him!

Because your dog lacks opposable thumbs (ever see a dog paw-scoop a bowl of ice cream?), his food selection, quantity and frequency of meals are all in your good hands. He depends on you for a healthy diet and to help him maintain a suitable weight; two important factors in ensuring that he lives to his full life expectancy.

Cool, now that the dog is sorted, next week we’ll talk about the "Fat Cat".

Weighty Issues

Did you know?

• Weight loss alone can often eliminate the need for arthritis medication.
• One study of age-matched Labrador retrievers found that leaner dogs lived on average 2.5 years longer than their overweight counterparts!
• Overweight dogs (and humans!) pose an anesthetic risk because drug dosing becomes less accurate; fat makes it difficult to estimate lean body mass.

DID YOU SEE TOM?!

Amazing show, right? How about Alicia, F1 and the UAE National Symphony Orchestra opening night?... Ya going? Cool, good for you (we're jealous). Hmmm, it's certain to be a late night, so what to do about your dog? Have you considered boarding? Dogs need a night out too, ya know.