Sausage Roll!

An overweight pet certainly is not a healthy pet! Sometimes it is very difficult to say ‘no’ to your pet when they look at you with those big brown eyes and they’re begging from underneath the dining table. A treat every now and then is not a problem, but pets require a balanced diet according to their species and substituting this with our human food results in malnutrition and obesity. Obesity may lead to a number of health issues including heart disease, back problems, and strain on the liver and kidneys. It is important to stick to the pet diet recommended by your vet and to ensure that your pet gets frequent and sufficient exercise! Small and older dogs are particularly prone to obesity which will substantially affect their quality of life. Dogs such as Dachshunds suffer from terrible back pain when overweight and easily break their backs while jumping. So do take care and make sure that your pet is getting the diet suited to him/her!

Combatting obesity in pets

What can you do when your dog or cat is overweight? Because many owners feed their pets “treats” from the table, and often leave out an indiscriminate quantity of dry food for their cat or dog to munch on the whole day, many pets start gaining weight. This can lead to a whole host of problems: sluggishness, arthritis and other joint-related problems, an increased risk of a heart attack and in general a shorter lifespan. One major contributing factor to overweight pets is a lack of activity. Owners can become too busy at work, and fail to prioritize spending time playing with their pet. And sometimes, owners will adopt an enormous dog like a Malamute or a St. Bernard, and keep them fenced in within a tiny, enclosed space with no room to run around. To help your pet lose weight, consider switching him to a reduced calorie diet with the “light” moniker. Then, spend some more time with your pet, throwing a ball, running on the beach, and going for walks. Not only will it benefit your pet, it will probably be a lot of fun for you as well.