Like people, dogs can get unhealthy and out of shape. In fact, it's estimated that over 54% of dogs and cats in the United States are overweight or obese - that's approximately 93 million pets! If you're not sure whether your pet could lose a few pounds, we've included some tips as well as a body conditioning chart to help (click here for a cat version).
- Very thin
- Underweight
- Ideal
- Overweight
- Obese
After checking my pup, I'm sad to learn that she is just a little overweight. While that may not seem like a big deal to some - losing even 5-10% of body weight can be a huge feat! Similar to humans, overweight pets have many serious health risks, including:
- Osteoarthritis
- Diabetes
- Heart and Respiratory Disease
- Cranial Cruciate Ligament Injury
- Many Forms of Cancer
- Decreased life expectancy (up to 2.5 years)
- And many more!
If you're like us, you probably sneak your pet one too many treats or table scraps. It's definitely hard to resist that sweet face! But just knowing that you could be contributing to a decreased life expectency (2.5 years! For our dog, thats over 20% of her life!), it's so important to resist the begging.
To help shed some pounds, it's pretty simple - healthier eating habits and regular exercise. Have you ever met a dog that doesn't like to play? Walks are great too, but no doddling! Not only will you be helping your pup, you'll be spending more quality time together and you're being active and healthy too! For more information and some great weight loss tips, check out PetObesityPrevention.com.
