In recent years, dogs that live with humans in their homes have a high risk of obesity. And it is that, who resists giving them a potato, a bite of a sandwich or even putting more food on it when they have already eaten what we had put on their plate? I really don't, but can not be abused. Once or twice a week nothing happens, but if we do it every day, in the end we could end up having a somewhat chubby dog, especially if we don't take him for long walks or a run.
Obesity is a very serious disease, which can cause diabetes and heart problems in the least of cases. For this reason, we are going to explain how to care for an overweight dog.
Food
It is essential to make changes in your diet. But I am not going to recommend that you give it a »light» feed, but rather the following:
- Don't give him too much food. In order for him to lose weight little by little, you have to give him only the amount of food he needs according to his weight - adequate, not the one he has now - and nothing more. If you give him dog treats, weigh them first. Those grams will be what you will have to subtract from the amount of food that day.
- It is highly advisable to choose to give it, or natural food (chicken wings, organ meats, fish), or holistic grain-free feed, as we will feed it more.
Exercise routine
An overweight dog needs to move. For this reason, it is important that we take him out for a walk, to take short walks. It is not about exhausting him, but about "forcing" him to walk. We can walk for ten or fifteen minutes and return, so a minimum of twice a day.
At home we can also help you lose weight if we play with it. In pet stores you will find many toys for dogs: balls, ropes, stuffed animals ... We will spend 10 minutes several times during the day playing with our furry.
Veterinary
It is convenient to take it to the vet to have it controlled. As I said before, being overweight can cause the animal to have very serious health problems, so, to avoid it, a professional should examine it from time to time.
Little by little, you will see how your dog stops being sedentary and becomes more active.