Dog Obesity: Owners Who Are Killing Their Pets With Kindness

One-in-three dogs in the United States are obese. Three to four million dogs in the United Kingdom are overweight. These overfed dogs are at risk of dying prematurely due to their owner’s poor feeding habits which is killing their dogs with kindness.
One of the worst things that a pet owner can do is to starve their dog.

However, overfeeding dogs and giving them sugary snacks is just as damaging to their health and should be treated with the same contempt.

Symptoms Of Dog Obesity

Excess Weight
One of the most recognisable symptoms of dog obesity is excess weight. This is very easy to diagnose as you can find out the recommended weight for your particular breed from your vet and weigh your dog.

Lack Of Energy
Another easy symptom to spot is a general lack of energy. Obese dogs spend much of their time lying down and sleeping. Generally, overweight dogs will dislike exercise as the extra weight takes a huge amount of effort to move their over-sized bodies.

Flatulence
Some dogs eat such a variety of different foods, much of which is unsuitable for their digestive systems. Because their diet is so varied their digestive system is unable to get used to the food. This results in excess wind.

Always The Owners Not The Dogs

There are only two ways that dogs become obese and both are a result of poor owner habits.
Overfeeding And Snacks
Dogs, particularly smaller breeds, require less food than many owners realize. Good dog food is vital for a healthy pet. Dogs should not be given high levels of sugar, fat or salts.

Chocolate: A Dog Killer

Snacks such as chocolate are very damaging to dogs. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine (also known as xantheose). Normal amounts of theobromine can be beneficial to adults. However, dogs and other animals have difficulty breaking down the substance and can suffer from theobromine poisoning.

As little as 10 grams or less can be a toxic dose to a small dog. An overdose of theobromine can cause a dog to go into convulsions and death may result.

Self-Feeding Scroungers

However, sometimes it isn’t necessarily the owners who feed the dogs. Some dogs are scroungers and steal food when ever they get the chance. So it is important to keep all food well away from pets to avoid temptation.

Recommended Reading

Check out Yellow Magpie’s other posts on Dogs: Dogs, And Obese Dogs: Training Dog Owners To Have Healthy Pets from here.

For people who care about their dog’s health, Victoria Stilwell’s book, It is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet is the ultimate bible on the subject.

Amazon.co.uk
For people living in Ireland or the United Kingdom you can access It Is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet here.

Amazon.ca
For those living in Canada you can obtain It Is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet from here.

Amazon.de
For Germany: It Is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet.

Amazon.fr
For France: It Is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet.

Related posts:

1. Obese Dogs: Training Dog Owners To Have Healthy Pets
2. Inbred Dogs: Dogs Who Pay The Price For People’s Vanity
3. The Dog: Man’s Most Useful Best Friend