The life span of a dog is largely dependent on its weight. You can reduce the years of her life by allowing her to have extra pounds. Diseases such as diabetes, heart failure, cancer, and others are more common in overweight dogs. In addition, this is an additional burden on the joints and spine, which increases the risk of a disease such as arthritis. The health of the dog depends on how quickly the dog grows thin.
Does a pet need to lose weight?
Before talking about how to lose weight to a dog, we decide which animal needs to lose extra pounds. The body shape of the dog depends on its affiliation with a particular breed. By the appearance of the animal, you can determine whether she is overweight or not. It is necessary to examine it from all sides to assess the current state:
- First, the dog needs to find a waist. If you stand over the dog and look at the back, the waist will be in front of the hind legs, and there will be a clear expansion to the chest.
- On the side should be visible the transition from the chest to the stomach, which is located closer to the spine.
- If the stomach is sagging, and the back is wide and flat, then the issue of losing weight is very relevant.
Determination of excess weight is also possible on the edges of the dog. The ribs of a normal weight dog will not be visible, but will be palpated. If the ribs are not felt, then this is a sign of excess weight.
Animal weighing
In accordance with the breed, you can find the ideal weight limits of the dog. The condition of each dog should be approached individually, and in such tables the values are taken as average. You can weigh a pet at home. First you need to stand on the scales yourself, then pick up the dog, if possible, and weigh yourself with it. Then subtract your own from the total weight. The remainder will be the weight of the dog. The weighing method must be the same in order to obtain accurate dynamics of the results.
Having consulted a specialist, you can also weigh a dog at a reception. In addition, the veterinarian will give advice on the relative true weight of the dog.
After excess weight has been identified, you need to visit a veterinarian if you have not done so previously. From him you can get an accurate estimate regarding the weight of the animal, find out the possible causes of his obesity, and he will give tips on how to lose weight to the dog. In addition, the doctor will determine how many kg the dog should lose at the initial stage of losing weight.
Before talking about how to feed a dog in order to lose weight, it is worthwhile to find out the reason why the animal is gaining excess weight. About dropping extra pounds should consult a specialist. An individual plan must be developed in order for the pet to lose its excess weight. It includes food, which is designed to reduce the weight of the animal, how many treats to give, portion size and frequency of feedings, the addition of physical activity.
Sometimes obesity occurs due to any disease or malfunction, the veterinarian must determine if there are any such reasons. If any, you should adjust the plan in accordance with the problem.
Pills to reduce appetite
How to lose weight quickly if there are no specially designed recommendations for weight loss? There are pills that are designed to reduce appetite. But, like any medicine, they have side effects. Their use may be accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting.
Only when it becomes clear that it is impossible to reduce weight on your own, the diseases that can cause weight gain are possible, then such pills can be used.
Such a drug is used only after the advice of a veterinarian.
In order for the dog to lose much weight, you need to feed it with food that contains a reduced amount of fat and carbohydrates. Sometimes the veterinarian decides to leave the food the same, it simply reduces the amount of servings.
Special diets
Special diets are also being developed so that weight is reduced, as well as a diet to maintain weight, which was achieved during weight loss. This diet suggests that the food will be low-calorie, but contain a large amount of fiber, so that the feeling of satiety does not disappear. The cost of such a diet is more expensive than regular dog food. But it is prescribed only if the animal needs to lose much weight or a simple reduction in portions is not enough. Sometimes the animal is fed not with food, but with natural food. How to lose weight on a dog in natural? It is quite difficult to make a balanced diet if you are fed with a non-specialized food. You need to carefully calculate calories.
Food quantity
It is necessary to check how the animal’s appetite has changed. To do this, you must constantly monitor how much it eats. To make it easier to measure, you always need to pour the same amount of feed. Knowing how much the dog eats, you can see if the plan needs to adjust the diet or not.
If several dogs live in the same house, then their feeding should be at different times. While feeding is in progress, pets should be kept in different rooms to know the exact amount of food each dog ate.
It is necessary to take into account how much food the animal eats every day, including refreshments, and also keep a record of physical activity. It is better to weigh the food before feeding the pet. You can measure with the help of a glass, but with weights it will be more accurate. You can keep a written record, and then analyze all the results.
Useful treats
Many treats sold in veterinary stores are very high in calories. They can be compared with sweets for people. Therefore, it is very simple to answer the question of how to help a dog lose weight: do not feed her with harmful treats or reduce them to a minimum. You can do such treats at home with reduced calories. How to feed a dog to lose weight? Vegetables are great examples of wholesome treats.
Not all food that is good for humans is good for a dog. Some types of human food are toxic to a pet. This must be remembered. You need to consider the number of calories from the eaten treats with the total number of calories consumed per day. So that the daily calorie intake does not increase due to the goodies eaten, you need to reduce the number of calories from other sources.
At the same time, treats in the diet should be no more than one tenth of the total diet. Instead of treats, you can use a portion of dry food.
Physical exercise
What to do to make the dog lose weight? Dietary nutrition should go in conjunction with physical activity. This will lead to improved metabolism, normalization of weight, and the muscles of the dog will be in good shape. In accordance with the number of calories consumed, the number of calories to be spent is set. A plan of physical activity is being developed, with the help of which her overall health will improve. The intensity of the load will depend on the breed of the dog. Some can not be subjected to certain types of stress. In addition, you need to consider the individual state of the animal’s health. And only then, in accordance with the physical condition and environment, you can begin training.
Note that physical activity must be introduced gradually, begin to pass at first short distances, gradually increasing their range. Much depends on the stamina of the dog. They recommend combining walks with active games.
Attention and mental stimulation
Dogs need attention. Overeating in dogs often happens due to lack of it or from boredom. Therefore, the dog must have mental stimulation. When a pet requires attention from its owner, you first need to play with it or comb out, and not immediately begin feeding.
It is possible to develop ingenuity in animals. Do not immediately put food in front of him, but make him think how to get this food. To do this, you can purchase a puzzle feeding trough or put food in a closed box so that the animal can search for it.
Weekly Weighing
Weigh the dog at least once a week. It is better to enter the data in a special table so that the dynamics in action is visible. Also, the results must be recorded at the veterinarian until the weight is normalized in the animal.
Advice
Limiting the use of excess calories and sufficient physical activity may not bring the desired result. How to lose weight with a dog? This should be consulted with a veterinarian. It may be necessary to further reduce the diet of the animal and increase the load.
Note that the developed plan may not be suitable for the dog at first, but it can easily be adjusted independently. At the same time, one must not forget to bring the pet to a specialist so that he carefully monitors his overall health and weight.
Sometimes weight may not be reduced, not only because of existing health problems. Someone may feed the animal out of pity, while the owner will not even know about it, or the dog is so smart that she gets food for herself. Therefore, the question of losing weight will be asked constantly until all the reasons why a dog can gain weight are ruled out.
Sterilization and weight gain
One of the reasons for overweight dogs can be sterilization. How to lose weight after sterilization? Sometimes such a simple operation can cause a serious hormonal malfunction. Therefore, it is necessary to pass a biochemical blood test, in which you can check how normal the hormones are. If the whole thing is only in a slow metabolism, which often occurs after sterilization, then you can choose an individual nutrition plan and physical activity.
Conclusion
Now you know how to lose weight with a dog. This question is quite common among dog owners. Therefore, for the sake of the life of your pet, you can not discount its physical parameters. In addition, we should not forget that it all depends on the breed of the dog, the habitat and the conditions of detention. You should also forget the Soviet relic that a fat dog is a healthy dog.