One of the biggest contributors to poor dog health is obesity. About 35 to 40% of dogs are overweight and almost 25% are obese and just as in people this really increase health problems such as joint issues, diabetes, liver disease, and other health issues.
Well one creative veterinary clinic, New River Animal Hospital in West Virginia, is starting a Biggest Loser Pet Contest, similar to that of the TV Show the Biggest Loser. The contest will last three months and first prize is a basket full of items worth $200. Here is the new article on the contest - Biggest Loser Pet Contest to begin Monday
This might be a good idea for our own clinic and it certainly is a good idea if your own dog has a weight problem. Set up your own Biggest Loser Contest with your own dog. It will help immensely (pun intended). Lets give you a few tips to help you get started -
Simple - less food more exercise. Basically eat less calories and burn more…sound familar. Now how to do this -
- Stop with the treats. Your dog does not need treats, especially if it is overweight. I repeat your dog will love you even if you do not give it a snack every time it goes potty outside.
- Take your dog for a walk. It is best to take multiple short walks a day vs one long walk.
- Play with your dog - chasing a ball or a toy is good exercise for your dog.
- Do not feed crappy diet dog food - unless you want your dog to be bloated and have a large amount of gas do not feed the “fit and trim” dry dog foods. It is important to maintain high quality dog food and just feed less of it. The rest of your dogs health depends on it.
- Weigh your dog twice a week to determine your progress.
[…] The Biggest Loser Dog Edition By Daniel Beatty, DVM […]
My friend really loves her dog and so what Evie (the dog) wants, she gets. Lately, I noticed that Evie had a lot of trouble walking. Being an avid dog lover, I made my friend take Evie to the vet. We found out that Evie’s extreme obesity had led her to develop arthritis at such a young age, she’s only four! My friend is now living in so much guilt for smothering Evie with too much love. After this incident, I take more precautions in what I feed my dogs and take them out more often. My vet said that even if my dogs aren’t obese, they can still develop arthritis (it is really horrible to watch your best friend be in so much pain doing the things she loved doing, like walking) so she suggested that I prevent it beforehand. So I started giving them duralactin supplements and making sure they are on a strict diet (with some room for dessert of course). They haven’t been happier!
It’s because we consider our dogs our best friend that we tend to nurture them and treat them equally as if they’re really one member of our family. And just like the way we treat ourselves or our other loved ones with the best that we can give, it is also a must to take prior precautions and treatment for our dog’s health . The disadvantages of obesity to dogs were found to be really similar with humans (thanks to your very informative post! :D). And that must be prevented or treated accordingly if you dont want to see your dog suffer like the way you see obese people do.