Fat Dogs Are Everywhere

Fat dogs are my pet peeve!

I'm not kidding! No pun intended. I am not being funny.

The American Veterinary Medical Association tells us that a whopping 40 percent of dogs in the United States are overweight. Can you believe that? That's close to half of all dogs, totaling more than 17 million dogs and 60 percent of adults and 1/4 of all children in the United States are overweight or worse...obese. Statistics in Canada are very similar.

What's even worse, is that only 17% of these dog owners believe that they have fat dogs. So the rest think that their dogs are of a normal weight, according to the AVMA. OK...what's wrong with this picture?

So, I'd like to ask the question...What do you see when you look at your dog?



Who's to blame for all these fat dogs...and why? Well I hate to point a finger but...YOU are the pet owner.

There are two main causes:

1. Lack of exercise - you and your dog must get aerobic exercise. You must move your bodies for a minimum of 20 minutes to sustain an elevated heart rate. As you improve, increase the time to 45 minutes.

   You have a dog. What better way to exercise than to put your dog and you, on a walking for weight loss program with a specific schedule in mind. I mean a good walk at a good clip, not a stroll...sniff, stroll...sniff, pee...kind of walk.

2. Diet - you must improve the quality of your dog's food to at least a ' no grain ' kibble. Better yet...go for a raw diet. You'd be surprised how fast your dog will lose weight. If you are feeding a ' low fat dog food ' or a ' lite dog food '...you need to stop that right away. NOW!

   Portion control is the other factor here. If you are feeding kibble, reduce the portions to half, or two thirds of package directions. Your dog will not starve, and he will lose weight.

   Give fewer treats. Your dog will continue to love you anyway. You are the one directly responsible here. You have control over what your dog eats and how much.

I know there can be other factors such as hormonal issues, but mainly it's that we ( that means you and your dog ) eat too much, and don't move enough. No news there! How many times have we heard this???

I know, who am I to talk... because I could stand to loose 25 lbs too. You're right, but guess what, my dogs are not fat.

Canine Obesity Contributes to Common Dog Health Problems

If you continue to routinely overfeed your dog and under exercise him, common dog health problems such these listed below, will sooner or later appear.

Then what?

• ACL ligament ruptures
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Kidney Failure
• Heart Disease
• Shortened Life Span
• Spinal disc disease

To name just a few.

Well, you guessed it...you will be off to the vet. You will be worried sick about your dog, because the vet will explain to you just how serious all these health problems are...and you will walk out of the office with a VERY big bill!

...and let me say this loud and clear...

Canine Obesity is Totally Preventable

Have you ever seen a fat wolf, or a fat coyote, or a fat rabbit, or a fat horse, or a fat bird. No absolutely not. Animals that live outdoors in the wild are never fat.

That is not because they do not have enough to eat. They have plenty to eat. It's about the quality and type of the food they eat...and they are moving, they are travelling, they are looking for food all the time. It's what they do, they look for food. It's their job.

It is not in the nature of animals to become fat on their own. It takes misguided humans to turn animals who are naturally healthy and fit, into overweight, obese and unhealthy pets. All in the name of trying to help them. They don't need our help. They already know how to do this.

Answer these questions for me.

Do you see wild animals injecting themselves with insulin every day? No!

Do you see wild dogs, such as wolves and coyotes going around expressing each others anal glands? No!

So, I asked the question earlier on this page, but I'll ask it again...

Do You Have a Fat Dog?

If you take your dog to the dog park, you will see many other dogs. They all look like your dog. Right? Well that's because they're all fat dogs. If you see one that isn't like this, you will say..." that dog is really skinny"! No, it's the other way around. That one is the healthy dog at the proper weight..

Here's the easy way to tell if your dog is fat. If you can't see the outline of his ribs, he's too fat. If you can't feel his ribs, he's way too fat. If you look down at him and he doesn't have a waistline ( narrowing between the ribs and the hips ) he's really fat.

You can do this test on yourself too. The criteria is the same.

So what are you going to do about this?

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