Friday, November 7, 2008

Healthy Diet For Overweight Dogs - Help Your Pet Slim Down

By Ian Pennington

You may think of obesity and relate that to humans, but animals plus dogs can get very obese and unhealthy. It can cause almost the same amount of problems for both human and dogs like: diabetes, joint problems and also heart disease. There are certain types of dogs out there that are and can get especially obese. So, over half the dogs in America are over weight. When they are over weight you have to get them on a healthy diet for overweight dogs.

One major way to get a dog over weight is to feed them table scraps. It's not good for them at all. They enjoy the scraps a lot from the table, but it's just not healthy for them. Usually dogs who get fed a lot of table scraps will not get enough calcium in their diet. It's hard to say no to a dog that begs, but you have to just say no.

So, get the dog on a routine feeding schedule. That will definitely help out. There are many types of dog foods out there, just be sure to read first what you are getting them. There is special low calorie food for them that will definitely fill them up. Most times they don't like low calorie food, but sooner or later they will get used to this routine and will get used to the taste. It's all about getting the dog on a healthy diet. Another healthy diet for overweight dogs is nutritious snacks. Snacks are good for them considering what you are giving them to snack on. Believe it or not, but a carrot or a juicy apple is a great snack to give the dog.

Over weight dogs do tend to have a slower metabolism. So, you have to keep that in mind. Over weight dogs just don't burn off the fat as a normal size dog. So, make sure you take your dog for a walk everyday or go outside on a nice day and play fetch or some sort of activity. Dogs love to play and go for walks and play with other dogs. There are many of ways. And that is another healthy diet for overweight dogs, is to make sure they get the exercise they need.

Things to do if you have an over weight dog:

-Make sure they get the exercise they need

-Change their meals

-Say no to table scraps

-Take them to the vet

-Weighing them on a scale to keep up with loss of weight if any at all.

You will need everybody's help within the household to cooperate. This is a very important step and if handled right the dog will become healthy and back to normal in a matter of time. So, next time your dog begs for table scraps from the table hopefully you will think twice about throwing the food down to your dog. So, get them on a healthy diet for overweight dogs so they are happier and healthier.


Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about diet for overweight dogs, please visit Obese Dogs for current articles and discussions.

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