You can have an overweight dog for any number of reasons. A dog can be obese from overfeeding or because of a disease. The important point to consider is that your dog is consuming more calories than it is expending. The need for dieting your dog is important for its overall long term health and happiness.
There are many dogs that are allowed to have food available to them at all times. This is called free choice and for some dogs this works fine because they eat what they need. Other dogs eat as much as they can and seek more food. Then you have dogs that are picky eaters while others eat whatever they can get a hold of. The type of food, amount, and tendency can help determine if you will have an overweight dog.
Treats, table scraps, and some premium dog foods can cause your dog to be obese. Dieting your dog should directly relate to whether your dog is sedentary or extremely active. The amount of calories your dogs consumes should be based in part on its level of activity.
Your pet may be predisposed to becoming an overweight dog based on its breed. Breeds that have a predisposition to obesity include Beagles, Basset Hounds, Collies, Cocker Spaniels, Shetland Sheepdogs, Cairn Terriers, Dachshunds, and Labrador Retrievers. Owners of any of these types of breeds need to be extremely conscience of foods their pets eat as well as keeping track of the dog’s weight. Dieting your dog is essential to preventing a dog of the above listed breeds from becoming overweight.
Age is another factor that can contribute to an overweight dog. Dogs are more likely to become overweight between the ages of 2 and 12. Dieting your dog with a healthy meal plan and plenty of exercise when they are between these ages is crucial. It will prevent your pet from enduring a life long battle with obesity that can cause illness and shorten its lifespan.
Stress can also cause your dog to become overweight. Pets respond in much the same ways has humans when dealing with stress. Your dog’s reaction to stress may include eating more food. Factors that can cause your dog to experience stress are changes in the routine in the house, a new baby, or even a new pet.
Some dogs eat more when they are bored. You may find that your dog is eating out of the trash and this is most likely due to boredom and not hunger. In this case dieting your dog through stimulation and not foods are important to keeping your pet from becoming an overweight dog.
Dogs not only become overweight from factors such as those listed above but also from certain diseases too. Cushing’s disease occurs when the adrenal gland over produces glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoids causes an alteration in the metabolism and results in increased appetite and fat deposition. Dieting your dog is vital to managing the weight of a dog that has Cushing’s disease.
Regardless of the reason for an overweight dog it is the owner’s responsibility for dieting your dog. Allowing your pet to become obese can lead to many health problems that can cause the dog to become extremely ill. An overweight dog not only faces many illnesses but a poor quality of life. Wild Gold Pet Supplement might just be what helps your dog become more healthy. Besides being essential to your canine’s diet, the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in Wild Gold Camelina Oil have been shown to positively impact cell membrane response to trauma and infection as well as reducing inflammation. Recent research has even shown that fatty acids may have the potential to help regulate insulin sensitivity. Wild Gold also contains naturally occurring Vitamin E that not only prevents rancidity of the product but also provides your canine with a potent anti-inflammatory in a form that can be easily digested
