10 Tips for Losing Weight in Overweight Dogs

Losing Weight in Overweight Dogs: Is your dog is Overweighted?

Don’t You know whether your dog is overweighted or not?

If you don’t know, check this article to know whether your dog is overweighted or not.

If you know your dog is overweighted, then you should check these 10 tips to lose your dogs overweight.

Veterinarians believe that a dog with an overweight of 10% in relation to his weight of health (ideal weight) is an overweight dog.

The main risk is obesity.

To stay in the numbers is when a dog is 20% above his healthy weight.

But an overweight dog is already seeing his life expectancy reduced a bit.

There are already risks to his health.

If your dog is chubby, do not wait to get started on the canine diet.

So in this article, we are going to provide the 10 tips which you should follow to lose weight in your overweight dogs.

Continue Reading…

Make an Appointment with the Veterinarian

While it is true that one can see with the naked eye when his dog has grown, it is more reliable to consult a veterinarian.

Only a veterinarian can tell you if your dog’s overweight is related to a health concern, not just the fact that he’s eating too much and not getting enough exercise.

A veterinarian can also detect potential problems to consider before putting your dog on a diet.

In addition, with a dog breed, one tends to refer to the standard weight of the breed according to the age of the dog.

But there may be individual differences.

Indeed, there are dogs that are relatively “fine” or “beefy” in appearance compared to the standard of the breed.

And yet, they are in perfect health with a healthy weight.

A veterinarian can tell you if your dog is really too big, if in doubt.

If the veterinarian feels that your dog is overweight or obese.

You can ask him what would be his healthy weight, particularly valuable advice when you have a dog without race and therefore no “official” mark.

Finally, another good reason to visit a veterinarian before trying to lose weight is that you can ask if you give him adequate food.

Your veterinarian may suggest you buy something but you do not have to leave your arms full of croquettes

Calculate How Much Weight Your Dog Should Lose and at What Rate

Relying on the numbers to make your overweight dog lose weight is often more effective than visual estimates.

How to do?

Know the Starting Weight

First, you have to weigh your dog and plan to weigh it regularly.

If you can not carry your dog on a scale because it is too heavy for you or hates to be worn.

You can probably use your vet’s scale.

Ask to be sure, but often, the scales of veterinarians are open access and can be used for free.

Just Note the starting weight and date.

Know the Ideal Weight

As we have seen, the best way to evaluate the ideal weight of your dog is to ask your veterinarian.

Some of us may also refer to the weight before being overweight, had it been noted somewhere.

If yes, you can use that as well.

Calculate the Weight to Lose

Starting weight – Ideal weight = Weight to Lose.

The Rhythm of Weight Loss

For a dog, a loss of 1% of his weight per week is generally considered a healthy rhythm of souring.

That is a monthly loss of 4% of the weight.

Knowing that 3% per month is also reasonable and that slimming becomes a little fast with a monthly loss of 5% of weight.

But in case of health concerns, it is better to seek the advice of a veterinarian.

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For example, for a 16.8 kilo dog that would be in better shape by weighing 15 kg:

• 16,800 grams × 1% = 168 grams to lose per week (based on 1% per week).
• That’s 672 grams per month.
• Weight to be lost divided by ideal weekly loss = duration of diet: 1800 grams (1.8 kg) ÷ 168 = 10.7.
• We know that we leave for about 10 weeks of the diet.

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Note the Weighing Days

Now you have to write somewhere the dates on which you will weigh your dog, to remind you of it!

Of course, you can check weight loss in dogs with visual checks or comparing photos.

Even if everything does not go as planned with numbers.

We have a reference to know where is to check if the measures we take are useful.

Dose Meals Taking into Account of Physical Activity

When your dog’s diet starts, one of the first things to do is to control the amount of food ingested at meals.

In case the food of your dog is adapted, it is not necessary to change it.

However, If you do not dose, it should be done.

On packets of croquettes, reference quantities are usually indicated.

A range with minimum and maximum depending on the weight of the dog.

Often also depending on the activity time in the day.

Of course, it lacks rigor, but it is already a numerical indication for those who do not dose at all.

• Also, I know several people who dosed and dosed more. They evaluate this quantity with the naked eye and it is possible that with the years, one is lost a little there.
• One of the most common problems is the decline in physical activity, particularly because of the weather. It can take several weeks and you do not think about adjusting the amount of food.
• There are also many people who have determined a quantity when their dog switched to adult dog food, and then they keep it. But while there are changes in their lives resulting in new habits for their dog, it should adjust a little amount.

Ideally, there are two criteria to take into account, the duration but also the type of physical activity (the calorie expenditure is not the same between 15 minutes of leash walking and 15 minutes of running for a ball in a large garden).

Mathematically, it’s impossible to know how many calories a dog needs.

But an overweight dog absorbs too many calories in relation to his actual needs (if there is no medical problem involved).

So if the food is suitable, the quantity may be the problem.

If you have the opportunity to increase physical activity duration and/or type, there is (perhaps) no need to reduce the doses of food to meals.

Write Down What You Give Out of the Meal

You may not understand how your dog gained weight. If he is in good health, there is only one possible reason: the calorie intake is higher than his needs.

• Maybe his food is adapted and just badly dosed (previous point) in relation to his physical activity.
• Also, Maybe his food is too fat (which we will study in the next point).
• Maybe he’s eating too much outside of meals.
• Sometimes it’s a bit of all that!

When you’re not sure taking stock of what your dog eats during a typical day between meals allows you to see more clearly.

Write down all the reward treats, any chewable bones, yogurt pots, ham slices given under the table and any other extras from you and other family members if any.

If you can not determine what is reasonable or not, assume your dog could live perfectly happy without getting anything out of the meal.

There is nothing unhealthy about giving your dog a little dog sweetness from time to time and dogs like to chew bones.

Care must be taken not to exaggerate.

Check That Your Dog’s Food Meets His Needs

If you feed your dog with kibble, it is possible that they are not the most suitable.

In case your dog’s overweight comes from over-rich / oily kibble, look for kibbles that contain more protein than others (unless otherwise advised by the veterinarian) because protein has high satiating power.

Be careful, if you change kibble, make a gradual change.

For example, for a week replace a quarter of the old croquettes by a quarter of the news, two quarters the following week, and so on, until serving only new croquettes.

A week is an example but we can possibly proceed more quickly with a dog in excellent health (except his overweight) and who has no digestive fragility.

To lose weight, you may be tempted to turn to “light” croquettes.

However, these croquettes can present the same problems as food lightened for humans.

They can not fill the hunger long enough.

So your dog “claims” (sometimes more than before but it can be hard to see) and you do not know if it’s hunger or greed (maybe it’s hunger).

The Unstoppable Thing is to No Longer Give Human Food to Dog

When your dog is watching you eat or prepare to eat, his tender eyes full of hope.

It is human to find it hard to resist the urge to give him something.

For the health of your dog, take the necessary measures if you do not resist or if a family member does not resist.

There is only one sure thing, get your dog overweight or obese out of the way at critical moments!

Spot those critical moments, those times when there is a risk that you will give in.

Despite a great determination to lose weight, there are times when you can feed him without even thinking about it because certain gestures have become a kind of automatism.

For example, in full discussion at the table and being absorbed by a movie on TV or cutting meat.

Your dog must be outside of you before critical moments begin.

Even though you should know what human food dogs can eat and keep them in your mind.

Reduce Treats, Snacks, Bones, Cookies …

You do not have to “delete everything” overnight.

Moreover, by taking drastic measures, you risk seeing your dog suddenly hope to eat more than usual.

But if your overweight dog eats dog products that are not “food”, he will surely have to manage it to make him lose weight.

So it is always better to reduce Treats, Snacks, bones, and cookies all the time.

Feeding your dog at the proper time is good enough and very good for their health as well.

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Tell Your Family Clearly That Your Dog is On a Diet

While you are struggling to lose weight, there may be a family member who spoils your efforts because he or she does not “resist” … Explain that overweight and obesity pose serious health risks for your dog.

If you are not taken seriously, ask Google to provide you with a list of possible diseases and paste this list on the fridge (yes, I know, it’s violent but many of my subscribers really have difficulties to stop their spouse who “gives to the dog” !!).

Try Fruits and Vegetables as Rewards or Treats

Fruits and vegetables can prevent you from “stopping everything” overnight if your dog is used to nibbling on a daily basis.

It is temporary, it’s a transition to “nothing”.

So, it will turn out that you can use some fruit/vegetable tips to work with your dog or make him really happy from time to time.

With a lot fewer calories.

• Check Every time, if what you intend to give him can be consumed by dogs. Most fruits and vegetables are not a problem but there are exceptions. Know Which Vegetables to feed and which Vegetables not to feed.
• Always cut small pieces. Even a dog that has no digestive problems can have diarrhea by eating too much of a fruit or vegetable at one time!
• Start with a small amount, wait until you see the droppings of the day and hopefully your dog is digesting what you give him. Then you can gradually increase.
• Never Give him neither kernel nor glitches !!
• If it turns out that your dog is eating a fruit or a vegetable, replace treats or “snack” (or what you’ve used to do) with small pieces of this fruit or vegetable.

Increase Exercise

Just as it’s better to make progressive changes in food, let’s not run a marathon for our chubby dogs.

Also, this article is mostly about overweight but if your dog is obese, check with your veterinarian which activities are not recommended for him (obese dogs have joint problems that require attention, among other problems).

We can not know for sure how much physical activity a dog needs.

We can say that all dogs like to walk regularly during a day.

That they like to run and that an hour of physical activity is generally the bare minimum for many dogs.

More athletic dogs may have very important needs.

There are also dog breeds known not to adore “sport” and also dogs that get tired relatively quickly.

Beyond races or physical types, there are also individual habits.

But do not forget that beyond issues of duration, there is also the type of activity.

You can perhaps energize outings in your garden/field or elsewhere, by carrying a balloon, playing to bring back a toy, a stick, etc., or catch a frisbee (for lighter build dogs).

In short, the fact of participating more (without necessarily running oneself!), Makes more activate a dog.

Important Point to be Noted

To lose weight your dog requires a certain commitment, and changes of habit … But an overweight dog can still lose weight and get back to health quickly and easily.

When a dog becomes obese in the medical sense of the term.

It can become more complicated and of course, his health is even more threatened.

Hence the importance of reacting quickly with a dog that begins to round.

Conclusion:

Hence, You have seen the best 10 tips for losing weight in overweight dogs.

You can follow the same guidelines provided in the article after consulting the vet because the vet may say some changes as per your dog’s health.

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