How to Lose Weight When Dogs Are Fat? What to Do About Dog Obesity?
How to lose weight when dogs are fat? Develop a plan to restrict food supply and ensure full understanding and cooperation from all related personnel. Reduce the amount and frequency of feeding; you can feed the dog only 60%–70% of the usual amount per day, divided into 3 or 4 fixed and measured meals. Feed high-fiber, low-calorie, nutritionally complete weight-loss prescription food. It is best to reduce body weight by 1%–2% per week. Once the body weight reaches the standard weight, determine and supply the necessary maintenance feeding amount.
How to Lose Weight When Dogs Are Fat
Exercise therapy: Let the dog perform regular moderate-intensity exercise for 20–30 minutes every day.
Treat the primary diseases causing obesity.
Drug weight loss: Appetite suppressants such as cholecystokinin, emetics, digestive enzyme inhibitors such as amylase blockers can be used; thyroid hormones, growth hormone, and others can be used to improve metabolic efficiency.
Preventing obesity during the developmental period is the most effective way to prevent obesity in adult animals. Additionally, prevent re-obesity after successful weight loss.
How to Lose Weight When Dogs Are Fat
The causes of dog obesity are numerous, such as nutritional over-supply. Improved palatability of food and the popularization of free feeding result in excessive eating, combined with insufficient exercise, which is the main cause of nutritional excess.
Related to age, gender, and breed. As age increases, obesity occurs more easily; females are more prone than males; Beagles, Cocker Spaniels, German Shepherds, Yorkshire Terriers, Dachshunds, Labradors, and others are breeds prone to obesity.
Endocrine dysfunction. For example: neutering surgery, pituitary tumors, adrenal hyperfunction, excessive insulin secretion, hypothalamic dysfunction, hypothyroidism, etc., may all lead to obesity.
How to Lose Weight When Dogs Are Fat
Other diseases such as respiratory diseases, kidney diseases, and heart diseases in dogs also make them prone to obesity. Genetic factors; for instance, dogs with obesity have offspring that are also prone to obesity.
The above introduces how to lose weight when dogs are fat and the reasons for dog obesity. People who have fat dogs at home can take a look.