Overweight Dogs Everywhere


Overweight dogs are a health epidemic. A fat dog is not a healthy dog. This worries me! Is your dog overweight? Does your fat dog have health problems? It's common for fat and obese dogs to have other related canine health issues. Even a 10% weight gain has the potential to decrease your dog's life span by a whopping one third by increasing the risk of other common, chronic dog health issues.


Overweight dogsDoes your dog look like this fat dog? Please say NO! This overweight beagle couldn't chase the ball if his life depended on it. So sad!


Why Is My Dog Fat?

The American Veterinary Medical Association tells us that a whopping 54 percent of dogs in the United States are overweight. That's more than half of all dogs, a total of more than 17 million overweight dogs.

Only 17% of these dog owners believe that they have an overweight dog. Amazing? That means that 37 % of dog owners don't think their dog has a weight problem. Really? It's right before yout eyes. You just have to see it the way it is.

Obesity in dogs is increasing at an alarming rate. Here's why.

  1. Dogs are fed too much food
  2. Dogs are fed inappropriately for their species
  3. Dogs are sedentary ( not enough movement )

Are You to Blame for Your Fat Dog?

You are the pet owner. You're the one who buys the dog food and dog treats. You're the one who gives your dog food and treats. So logically, you're to blame. The first step to fixing a problem is to become aware that you have a problem. Your overweight dog has a problem that you caused. So, once you understand that, you can do better. Right?

I know you love your dog. Your love is not in question, but your decisions about feeding your dog, are. Many people equate food with love. You love your dog so you give him food or treats to show how much you love him. Right?

I'll bet you love to give your dog treats because he's SUCH a good boy. Yes, or yes?  What about a piece of pizza every now and again? Maybe some ice cream?  How about peanut butter? Yum! I was at a dinner party once where the host scraped all the pre dinner appetizers into the dog's bowl. Yikes! Dog's are not garbage cans.

Dogs are opportunists, so they won't complain if you give them extra food and treats. Do you know that one tablespoon of smooth peanut butter contains 94 calories. Do you know that one dental chew treat can have 50 calories? Whoa!

Are you killing your dog with kindness? Be honest.


Compare This Fit Dog to This Fat Dog

healthy fit senior English Springer SpanielMy lean, fit,12 year old senior dog, English Springer Spaniel, Pager.
Fat dog, unhealthy senior English Springer Spaniel dogUnhealthy, overweight senior English Springer Spaniel


Canine Obesity Contributes to
Dog Health Problems

Excess weight and obesity is the number one contributor to poor health in dogs. Fat dogs are no different than fat people. Overweight dogs and overweight people simply have more health problems than people and dogs who are slim and fit. I don't mean to sound unkind, but there's plenty of research to support this depressing truth.

According to researchers ( *** ) who have studied this, overweight and obese dog owners are more likely to have overweight and obese dogs.

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

  • ACL ligament ruptures
  • Arthritis, stiff sore joints
  • Asthma, and other breathing problems
  • Heat stroke
  • Cancer
  • Diabetes in dogs is increasing at a shocking rate!
  • Metabolic malfunction, thyroid problems
  • Canine Cushing's Disease and fatty liver problems
  • Kidney disease
  • Heart disease
  • Spinal disc disease
  • and more

Then what? Well, you guessed it. You'll be off to the vet. You'll 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 vet's  office with a VERY big bill. There is no pill to correct overweight! However, overweight in dogs is very correctable, with a bit of systematic effort.


There Are No Overweight Dogs in the Wild

You never see a fat, wild dog in nature. Have you ever seen a fat wolf, a fat coyote, a fat rabbit, a fat fox, or a fat bird. No absolutely not! Animals that live outdoors in the wild, are never fat.

Wild canines are lucky if they eat every day. Wild dogs must work to find food and move their bodies in order to catch their food. Most wild dogs do not eat every day. Sometimes there is no food available. Sometimes they fail to catch it!

Wild animals are moving and traveling long distances in search of food. They get plenty of exercise and they are always looking for food. It's what they do. They search for food. Searching for food is their job. If they don't do this, they don't eat!


Dogs Don't Get Lazy and Fat
By Themselves


Our pet dogs lay on the couch and are served two meals a day with snacks and treats on the side. Ridiculous!

It is not in the nature of animals to become fat on their own. It takes misguided humans to turn animals who should be naturally healthy and fit, into overweight, obese and unhealthy, fat pets. All in the name of love and trying to be nice to them.

Dogs already know how to keep themselves slim and healthy. They wouldn't need canine weight loss programs and dog weight control food from the vet if they were able to fend for themselves.


Do You Have An Overweight Dog?

No fat dogs in our house.This is our Golden Retriever, lovely Lily. Before she came to live with us, Lily had been fed very poorly and was 20 pounds overweight. With her raw food diet and more exercise she's now slim and trim and 20 lbs lighter.

Be honest! Do you think it's cute to have a fat dog? Do you think a fat dog is funny? I sure hope not. When I see a fat dog, I think that's a shame and quite sad!

Maybe you tell yourself..." he's just a big boy ". How many times have I heard people use that excuse. He's just a big dog. No, he's a fat dog!

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 from above and he doesn't have a waistline, narrowing between the ribs and the hips, he's really fat.




So what are you going to do about this? The first step to fixing a problem is to become aware that you have a problem. Right?

So, how can you help your fat dog lose weight? The problem of having an obese dog can be corrected easily if you care enough to make sure he gets slim, trim and healthy. It's not hard and consists of only four steps:

  1. portion and calorie control
  2. feed a fresh raw diet or improve the nutrient quality of your dog's current food
  3. exercise
  4. Intermittent fasting can also help. It is my number one favorite tool for helping dogs get healthy ( and slimmer ) faster.


You Can Help Your Fat Dog Lose Weight

Good health is the greatest gift of all. You can help your dog on his/her weight loss journey, if you care enough to do it. Click here to get overweight dog help.


This article is about having a fit, healthy dog.

This article is NOT about the ' culture of being thin. '

(***) University of Copenhagen research study


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