Pet Obesity – When Too Much Love Becomes Unhealthy

Being overweight can be unhealthy, and this also applies to our pets. Cats and dogs before being domesticated used to spend quite a lot of time and energy in finding, chasing and catching their meal. Now that the food is readily available with very minimal or no effort, it's pretty easy for the pets' body energy equation to change with more energy being consumed than used.

In plain nutritional terms, for pets to lose weight all that’s needed is for them to consume lesser energy (food) than what you expend (exercise). Why is it then losing weight so very difficult? Consuming less food may sound simple, however the desire for eating food is rather complex and it involves a lot of the body hormones and also several ingrained habits.

All of us are aware that increasing the exercises is one effective way for losing weight. However, it’s easier said than done. There is one big difference though between humans and pets - humans can control and regulate ho and what the pets eat.

The need to lose weight

It is a proven fact that leaner cats and dogs live longer compared to overweight cats and dogs. Slimmer pets have lesser risks for developing health problems. Diabetes, grooming difficulties (mainly in cats), skin disease, difficulty in breathing, digestive disorders, pancreatitis, heart disease, decreased immune or liver function, and heat intolerance are just some of the health problems our pets face with increased weight. Essentially, our pet’s quality of life is far better if the pet remains at a very healthy weight.

Just how much food is your pet consuming?

Know how much food you are feeding your pet will be a pretty good place to begin the process of helping your pet to lose weight. Measure your pet's daily food consumption in cans, cups, or by weight. It's very important for you to include all food intake including treats given to your pet. This would include bread, chews, biscuits, and all stuff from the table.

In case the quantum of treats and food fed varies from one day to another, then do a weekly estimate and have it divided by seven. It is best to measure the food consumption in terms of weight because it is much easier to consider all the food and treats given. It's definitely helpful if you possibly can convert the quantum of food and treats given into calories, however if the majority of your pet's food will be prepared food, then it isn't really necessary.

How do you feed your pet?

It isn't always necessary to switch foods for achieving weight loss. There are instances where changing the food just isn't practical, especially so if there is a reason for the pet's special diet. Also, your pet might not permit you change the food, and this is particularly true when it comes to cats. Managing weight loss in your pet becomes much easier by feeding it weight loss foods. Ensure that the fat content in treats is lesser than 15%. In case you have no clue what's the fat level that's contained in a treat, you then definitely should avoid feeding it, especially so in cases where the pet is overweight.

Your interaction with the pets is generally more important compared to the actual size of treat that's offered, in most cases. Ideally, the treats should be small enough and in limited quantities to ensure that their contribution is less than 10% of the daily calorie intake. If you are giving dogs biscuits or larger treats, then ensure that an equal weight is removed from their normal food intake.

It is more important to keep track of your pet's actual weight than just measuring the calories ingested by your pet, and this cannot be emphasized enough. In order to manage the pet's weight and ensure that it leads a healthier and happier life, you need to have a good understanding of nutritional content and proper feeding.

Suzzane Edwards is a fulltime mom and currently works as a consultant for small businesses. When she’s not writing for Cash for Gold Jewelry, she could be found blogging about simple tips on how people could live happier and healthier lives.

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