How to make sure your dog maintains a healthy weight.

Ensuring that your dog maintains a healthy weight is extremely important to their overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, canine obesity is becoming increasingly more common in pet dogs, and it is known to increase the risk of developing health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis to name a few. Being overweight can also decrease the lifespan of dogs and will usually make them lethargic and reluctant to exercise. It is therefore extremely important to ensure that your dog does not become overweight, and there are lots of things you can do to prevent your beloved pooch from gaining those extra pounds.

Prevention is better than cure

Like with any health problem, if we could prevent it from developing in the first place then surely, we would? Unfortunately, many pet owners fail to notice the signs of obesity until it is too late, and that is when problems usually start to arise. One really simple way of evaluating your dog’s weight is by running your hands down both sides of their body, you should be able to feel their ribs, but not see them, and they should also have a nice even waistline. If you can see that your dog has a saggy tummy, no definable waistline and you can’t feel their ribs and spine, then unfortunately your dog is probably overweight. Also, they might show a reluctance to exercise and may struggle to get up. If you are noticing these signs, then it is important to start making a plan to reverse the effects of being overweight and give your dog the best chance of avoiding further health complications that are linked to obesity.