Dog obese how to#

Then the vet can help you build a realistic, gradual, and low-risk weight loss plan. The doctor will give your dog a thorough physical, do some blood tests, and ask questions about eating habits and frequency. If you give your pet a good once-over and think there’s a weight problem, make an appointment with your vet. When To Call Your Veterinarian (Picture Credit: Carmelka/Getty Images) A dog who’s too thin will have a very severe tuck, while an obese dog may have no tuck at all. How much smaller depends on the breed, and the more deep-chested your dog, the greater the difference. It should be smaller around than the chest.

Check the “abdominal tuck.” The tuck is the area behind the ribs.

Can you find a waist? Can you tell where the ribs end and the hips begin? Seriously, check your pet’s silhouette from above. A little fat should cover this area, but if you can’t feel the bones at all, your dog is very overweight. If your dog breathes heavily even after little or no exertion, or has a hard time recovering from a short walk or play session, there could be a problem. If you have trouble finding any of them, then your pet has a bit too much padding. In fact, feel around for the major bones all over your dog’s body - legs, spine, shoulders, hips. If you can’t find them, you’ve got a problem. Yes, there should be a little fat over them, but you should be able to feel them.

Dog obese how to#

How To Tell If Your Dog Is Overweight (Picture Credit: cmannphoto/Getty Images) If your dog is mixed-breed or purebred Beagle, Cocker Spaniel, Collie, Sheltie, Basset Hound, Dachshund, Lab, or Golden Retriever, beware. Research shows that middle-aged spread in dogs begins around age five or six, so if your dog is already overweight by then, the problem will probably get worse.

Slowing metabolism happens in middle age.Dogs with Cushing’s disease don’t actually gain weight, but their fat is re-distributed to the abdomen, making them look pot-bellied. A dog’s adrenal glands may produce too much of a hormone called cortisol, causing Cushing’s disease. Hormonal disorders such as an under-active thyroid gland, or hypothyroidism, can cause weight problems.A fixed dog doesn’t automatically equal an overweight dog. What’s fine for an active puppy is too fattening for an adult.

What does happen: feeding and exercise plans don’t change with the age or condition of the dog.

Spaying or neutering lowers dogs’ metabolism, but it’s rare that dogs gain a lot of weight solely because of that.

However, there are other reasons a dog may gain weight, including: If the dog isn’t exercising, there will be slow but steady weight gain, leading to obesity in middle age. Dogs generally confined indoors or in yards don’t get the exercise they need - and no, dogs won’t ‘automatically’ exercise any more than humans.

Lack of exercise is the same problem we humans have.Dogs are natural scavengers, and if they learn that a certain look will yield more food, they’ll ask for it over and over, whether they’re hungry or not. Sometimes the pet parent mistakenly believes that a dog needs access to food 24 hours a day, or that dogs only ‘ask’ for more food when they’re truly hungry. Overeating for a dog is a matter of overfeeding - overly generous portions, between-meals snacks, and table scraps.