Obesity 

Unfortunately, overweight pets are a familiar sight in this day and age. Perhaps there are simply too many treats on the market or perhaps you just can't resist those sad little eyes looking at you under the dinner table. Whatever the reason, it is never too late to get your pet into shape! It has been proved that feeding your pet to its "Ideal Body Condition" (IBC) throughout its life can actually help your pet to live longer. What other reason do you need?

Every dog will have a different metabolism and different activity level therefore; use the feeding guides on the back of food packs as a GUIDE only. You do not have to follow this to the letter! You can play around with the amounts you are feeding until you find the amount that suits your dog to keeps him/her at the IBC.

What is Ideal Body Condition ?

There are three simple points to check: waist, ribs and tummy tuck.

If you stand over your dog, you should be able to see a visible waist line. Run your hands gently over the rib cage……can you feel them? If not, its time to try out the Light diet! The ribs should be felt beneath a small layer of fat. If you are digging through two inches of fat to find them, then rethink your dogs' diet. Also, if you look underneath the dog, their tummy should raise nicely from the chest to the pelvis. If it hangs too low, then this is a sign of obesity. 

If you would like to know what your dogs' body condition is or you would simply like to discuss the feeding options of your pet, please feel free to pop in to Hydro Hounds.

There are many Light diets available to your pet but if they are seriously overweight, you might want to think about using a Prescription Diet from your vet. These diets are very low fat and can help your dog to lose weight safely. Once your dog has reached its IBC, you can then maintain on a commercial Light diet to ensure the weight does not return.

Never starve your dog or feed a tiny amount of food in the hope that the weight will drop off! This can lead to severe disorders (as with humans). In simple terms, you need to increase the energy and decrease the calories! Treats and tit-bits should be avoided. If you still like to offer your dog a little treat now and again, then this is fine, but must be given as part of the daily allowance. You can remove some of the food from the daily allowance to compensate the extra treat. You can even use some of the kibble from the daily allowance of food as a treat because it is not what you give, but just the mere fact that you are giving something!

Weight loss should be gradual. Lose the weight too quickly and it will be gained again too quickly! It is your duty as a pet owner to ensure your pet is as healthy as possible. You decide what and how much the dog eats, therefore it is not only the dog that will feel better, but you will give yourself a sense of achievement, knowing what you have done for your dogs future!