Obesity on Dogs: A Lurking Treat To Our Buddies

Dog obesity is certainly one of the biggest health issue in raising and caring for our dog buddies. Due to our hectic schedules, we pet parents and caregivers often neglect and forget to watch on our pet diets. And because members of our household tend to also pamper our pets so much, we may have overlooked about things in our pets’ nutritional intake. Like us humans, lack of exercise and bodily activities as well as uncontrolled and unmonitored food consumption lead us to health conditions like obesity, dehydration, high cholesterol, high fat intake, high blood pressure, high sugar count, etc. Our pets likewise can suffer with the same condition. But since our pets greatly depend on us for care, non-monitoring therefore lead their condition to get worse which when left untreated could lead to fatality.
In order to prevent health risks on our dog buddies, weight management, diet and activity monitoring must be well kept and maintained. In a recent study by the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention, 44% or approximately 33 million dogs in the US canine population were overweight. An alarming number indeed. Below are some of the revelations of canine obesity in the US:
Lack of exercise
Improper/abnormal diet
Hypothyroidism
Dog breed genetics
Obesity is a lurking risk and dangers to our pets since this condition could lead to the following health issues:
Cardiac arrest
Diabetes mellitus
Orthopaedic injuries such as limb fractures, kneecap dislocations and other types of limb injuries and abnormalities.
Hypertension
Osteoarthritis
Respiratory diseases
Other cancerous forms
The signs are often unnoticeable since our pet dogs have a natural tolerance to pain and since they can’t talk like us humans we may never know they are suffering in silence. They often continue to wag their tails, play with us, snug and rub their heads and bodies on us as if everything seems A-Okay. Thus, we pet parents must always be on the look out to monitor and care for them. Their lack of activity, exercise intolerance, laziness, anxiety, unusual behavior are just of the symptoms barely noticeable to us. It is important that our pets get to be examined by a Vet once every 6-12 months. Something not so hard to squeeze in from our busy schedules. To help you determine your pet’s weight check, try to do these simple tests yourselves to them:

A. Rib Scan. Try to run your hands softly along your pet’s ribcage. You should be able to feel the ribs in thin layer of tissue and fat. If you can’t feel the rib structure and felt only bulk of tissues underneath, chances are your pet is a candidate for obesity.
B. Tuck View. In a side view angle of your dog, you must be able to view a tucked abdomen.
C. The Curve. Viewing from above your pet, you must be able to view a moderate narrowing or hollowing at the waist just passing from the ribcage. If it’s a straight or bulging belly-like curve, indicates an excess or overweight condition.
Managing your pets’ weight will not only result in keeping them healthy generally but greatly help in preventing the onset of diseases and injuries that could lead them pain and suffering. A happy dog is a healthy and lively one that fills our homes with pure happiness and endless joy to us.

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