Should My Pet Lose Weight? Is It Really That Dangerous?

Some of us struggle with weight loss more than others and our pets may as well; so what can we do to help?  Well we should probably read our pet food label like we do our own and talking to the vet or a nutritionist is part of that process.  This will give you a myriad of answers depending on the person you talk to but I am confident one thing will be the same...lower caloric intake and increase exercise.  Seems to be the baseline for humans as well. 

One thing that is acceptable by a wide variety of vets to do is lower your pet's food consumption and substitute green beans for the remaining amount they are used to getting.  So if they are used to getting 3 cups of food at a time then give them 1.5 cups of pet food and 1.5 cups of green beans.  The beans have no calories at all but will give them the substance they are used to having and will help fill them up.

Feeding high protein, high moisture is important but the type of protein is just as important.  If you're feeding a higher fat protein then it's unlikely your pet will lose weight.  Lower proteins like turkey would be better for weight loss. 

Another trick, if it's within your schedule, is to feed them several small meals a day to keep them full, their insulin levels steady and they do not feel like they have to eat as if their next meal isn't coming for several hours.  This will also help their metabolism as well which is a key to helping their weight loss as well.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/03/03/weight-loss-for-fat-cats.aspx

http://www.petmd.com/cat/nutrition/evr_ct_obesity_in_cats_and_what_to_do_about_an_overweight_cat#.UZTlpaAYGCo

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_multi_Obesity#.UZTmLKAYGCo

So what can cause obesity in animals other than the obvious?  There are actually medical conditions such as thyroid disease, diabetes and believe it or not the spay/neuter of your pet can contribute to it as well.  This is not to say you shouldn't get your pet spayed/neutered but merely something to take note of and keep an eye on your pet's weight.

If putting your pet on a diet doesn't work then you may want to take him/her to the vet and have some blood work done to make sure there is no medical reason for the weight gain.

This is a chart that happens to be dogs that will show you how to tell if your dog is overweight.  It is the same for cats as well.  I try to make sure my dog has a waist (an indent toward the back legs) and if that starts going away then I know I am feeding him too much and I need to back off of his food or we need to start exercising more. 

I hope you will take this information to heart because obesity in animals is just as bad or worse for animals as it is for humans.  Diabetes, heart disease, and joint pain, are just some of the issues that can be created by extra weight in animals. 

Let us know if you have any comments or questions and by all means ask your vet about anything you have seen in this blog.  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and now Flipbook!  Your family and friends might be interested in knowing about us too so don't forget to tell them about us too.  As always, thanks for reading!