In the last decade, our pet's waistlines have been expanding along with the U.S. human population. And you can't blame fast food drive throughs here (although an anonymous relative of mine does order a kids cone for his Irish Setter at the Dairy Queen drive through each time). Sadly for the pets and vets everywhere, pet parents are nearly as sensitive about their pet's weight as they are about their own. For this reason, many Vets will not address a pet's weight unless you ask them directly,"Is my pet at his ideal weight?", so be brave and ask.
So, is your dog fat? If you cannot feel your dog's ribs without applying pressure, he is overweight. If your dog does not have a defined waistline and a pronounced lower abdonminal tuck up from the profile view, he is overweight. These standards apply to all dogs, regardless of breed.
Okay, so your dog is fat. Who cares? Does it really matter? Well yes, it does. Overweight pets suffer from a littany of health problems that take the joy out of their short, precious little lives. These include painful joint problems, difficulty breathing, high-maintenance diabetes, deadly heart disease, irritability and discomfort, and a host gastrointestinal problems, including gas, ulcers, and constipation. Worst of all, there's a 98% chance that your pet's weight problem is entirely your fault. Oh the guilt! I know, it's not what you wanted to hear.
If your pet is overweight, he is eating too much and not getting enough exercise, just like with human obesity. The good news is that you are in complete control of your pet's food intake, and you can love him enough to say no. This is parenting 101. If you had a human child that wanted to play on the freeway, you would say no. When you have a dog who begs you to refill his food bowl, say no.
So how much food is enough food? Puppies, as with human children, need more calories than their size would dictate at maturity. Once your dog is 2 or older, I will say this with great emphasis: DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG BASED ON THE GENERAL FEEDING GUIDELINES OF HIS FOOD. The feeding guideline on your dog's food are for an "active" dog. You might think your dog is active, until you hear the definition of an "active" dog at a few super premium dog food companies I recently called. Get ready. An "active" dog gets 4 or more hours of intense exercise per day. So, feeding your dog the amount an "active" dog requires is akin to all of us eating Michael Phelps training diet and then going for a twenty minute stroll once a day. Oh the horror!!!
The good news is that if you use a premium food, you can call the maker of your dog's food and ask for the feeding guidelines for a sedentary dog at your dog's ideal weight(not his actual weight)as estimated by your vet and get an answer approximate to what the average dog should be consuming. To make sure that didn't escape you, I'll repeat. You need to feed your dog for his "ideal" weight, not his current weight. That is the safest way to cut back.
Of course, the other big issue is exercise! This is the part most of us humans try to skip when we try to loose weight. So let's be honest- I have never met a dog (and I've met over 300 in a professional capacity now) that didn't love going for a walk or running around the house playing. There's no excuse not to give your pet the exercise he needs- he doesn't fight it like we do! I've never met a dog that refused a good walk. This is a place where dog walkers and dog park services can help you tremendously and dramatically improve the quality of your pet's life, not only by regulating his weight, but by giving him the experiences that dogs live for...outside time!
So, giddyup and start being the kind of pet parent that you like to think of yourself as...the kind who takes the simple steps necessary to keep their baby happy and healthy.
