Obesity is the number one problem facing pets in the United States, 40% are dangerously overweight. Just like humans, overweight pets face many health problems including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis and shortened life.
There is a simple way to tell if your pet is overweight, if you can easily feel their ribs most likely they are in a healthy weight range. If not, it's time to pay attention to your dog's food intake and exercise.
As your dog ages, his calorie needs go down so you need to adjust their food levels accordingly. (Keep in mind that older dogs need more protein.) Also, dogs who get less exercise have less calorie needs than dogs who gets lots of exercise. One way to determine how much to feed your dog is to read the suggested feeding requirements on your dog's food package. However, the amounts listed by the manufacturer are generally much too high and they are not adjusted for treats. Most dogs should be fed at the lowest end of the range, some require even less, and if you supplement with treats you need to lower the amount of food you feed. Speaking of treats, NO TABLE SCRAPS. This is where dogs get into trouble. If you want to give them some of the food you are eating, consider a bite of unseasoned meat, carrot, zucchini, brussels sprouts, etc....(see the ASPCA list of People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets.) These types of treats are the healthiest and lowest calorie treats you can give your dog. But consider every bite you feed your dog and adjust the amount of food accordingly.
As far as prescription drugs to help your pooch trim down, are you kidding me? That is the most ridiculous thing I have every heard. Monitor their diet, take them for long walks and in a very short amount of time you will see results.
