Obesity and Weight Gain in Dogs
According to research carried out by Poochplay, a dog activity monitor and wellbeing app, half of all British dogs are classified as overweight or obese!
Out of the 2600 dogs they analysed, 49.8% were overweight with one in five considered to be obese.
Just as it is with humans, obesity in dogs can lead to serious health issues. Arthritis, incontinence, back problems, cruciate ligament problems, heat or exercise intolerance, diabetes, heart disease, breathing problems and even cancer are all risks of your pet being overweight.
Worst of all, it is likely to shorten their lifespan.
How to tell if your dog is overweight?
- Look at your dog from the side and from above. Their waist should be smooth and tucked in.
- Their tummy should go in and not bulge out.
- You should be able to feel their ribs, spine and hipbones but they shouldn’t stick out.
- Where the tail meets your dog’s back, there shouldn’t be any fat.
There’s a great instructional video on the PDSA YouTube channel here.
What causes obesity and weight problems?
Quite simply, as with humans, diet and exercise.
Or put another way, they’re taking in more energy as they’re putting out.
How to prevent it
The good news is that you can start to tackle the problems yourself by making simple and easy changes to their diet and exercise routine.
Bear in mind, however, making big changes may take a bit of time and may require small incremental steps in the right direction.
For example, dragging pooch out for a 10-mile run from day 1 may do more damage than good! It’s about making small changes consistently – taking a slightly longer walk or cutting down portion sizes could be a great 1st step.
Then, once they’ve adapted to this increase the walk or the frequency of walks a little more and if necessary, reduce their portion sizes a little more. Bear in mind though, with an increased exercise routine they may not need too much reduction in the portion size. Instead, try and split their feeding into two sittings… or standings!
If, like ours, your dog likes their treats, try replacing traditional treats with healthier alternatives or even carrot sticks!
It’s also important that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet! We know it’s hard to say no sometimes but there needs to be consistency… so no table scraps either!
How can our range of dog food help?
Compared to the average kibble and wet food, grain-free recipes typically contain more meat and easily digestible meat fats as quality protein sources.
They also contain fewer carbohydrates, which given in excess are the most likely cause of weight issues, even more than fat!
Not only that, food that contains grain is also more difficult for dogs to digest. Grains such as corn, wheat, rice and barley have also been linked with pet allergies, with symptoms ranging from upset stomachs to itchy and flaky coats.
Broadleaf Grain-Free Dog Food
All our grain-free recipes are made from a wide variety of human-grade quality food, sourced from the finest farms and fisheries.
We know that providing dogs with highly nutritious, healthy and great tasting food will provide them with the best quality of life and sourcing our ingredients directly from our farms and trusted sources provide a guarantee of the highest quality product.
In future posts, we’ll go into more detail about the types of ingredients we include in our range of food and the benefits thereof.
In the meantime, if you having any questions relating to your dog’s diet, or if you would like to discuss how our food could potentially help your dog, please get in touch.