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Obesity in Pets: How to Keep Your Pet at a Healthy Weight

Obesity has a significant impact on a pet’s body; overweight animals are more likely to develop skin disorders, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and even some malignancies. Obesity makes pets more prone to infection, broken knee ligaments, and spinal disc problems. Exercise is challenging for overweight pets, weariness is prevalent, and blood pressure is usually high. This combination causes the heart to work considerably harder than a healthier pet’s heart, leading to heart disease and, finally, congestive heart failure.

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During surgical operations, an overweight pet is also considered high-risk. Overweight pets are in danger when having anesthesia because their weight causes lower lung function, impaired kidney and liver function, and a need for more anesthetic than a normal-sized pet. All of these issues turn a regular treatment into a potentially life-threatening one. Obesity-related challenges contribute to a shorter lifetime, hurting a dog’s quality of life, enjoyment, and comfort. You may visit New Hope Animal Hospital for more information.

Calories Monitoring

You can use food package instructions to get a basic idea of how much your pet should be fed. However, the word ‘approximate’ is the focus here. If you provide your pet from a lap potato you keep indoors, you’re probably overfeeding him. Always check on the side of caution and have your veterinarian determine your pet’s precise daily caloric requirements. You may visit preventive veterinary services to give you advice on how you can monitor your pets well being.

Feeding Schedule

Establishing and sticking to a regular feeding plan is one of the simplest ways to observe how much your pet consumes. You should divide your dog’s daily calorie intake into the number of meals they consume (twice per day is optimal). Leaving food out for your pet all day is a recipe for catastrophe. Smaller meals throughout the day will allow you to monitor your cat’s calorie intake closely.

Tactical Management

Your four-legged friend will only gain weight if you feed him table scraps and unhealthy treats. Snacks aren’t always necessary, but they serve a function. Rewarding good behavior or positive reinforcement should always include healthful treats, and portions should be kept to a minimum. Keep in mind that “guilt-treating” might have serious consequences (the practice of rewarding your pet for being left home alone with a treat to alleviate your guilt). Healthy cat options include a small quantity of fish, liver, or meat and small amounts of vegetables such as sliced apples and a few baby carrots, green beans, or celery. You may read more about how to prevent such illnesses and other procedures.

Daily Exercise

Daily exercise is one of the most important weapons in our arsenal when it comes to living a long, prosperous, and pain-free life. A 20-30 minute walk, run, or hike is all needed for dogs to maintain their health and fitness. Owners should take their pets for a walk every day, rain or shine , this should be a routine or rather provide your pet with a homemade treadmill. Predatory nature is a great way to persuade your cat to exercise, but it’s not always easy. Try playing with a kitten for 5-15 minutes daily with a fishing-line toy or laser point. While for a dog, a simple fetch game or just merely running with your dog around and keeping them moving helps a lot for their body.