posted by Tess on Sep 24
The continuing trend in the upward weight spiral isn’t restricted to the human population anymore. While we recently reported that more than 60 percent of men and women are Overweight or obese in this country alone, studies also indicate that that canine Obesity is certainly a significant problem in the United States.
Studies indicate that a staggering 40 percent of domesticated canines in the United States are considered Overweight, a term applied when a dog is anywhere from 5 to 20 percent over the ideal body weight for its size and breed.
Excessive weight and Obesity in dogs pose significant health threats, as well as affect their quality of life on a day-to-day basis. When a pet is Overweight, they have to exert more energy just to move around.
Overweight pets become Sluggish, and often tend not to get the amount of exercise necessary for them to stay healthy. It also detracts from their ability to play and enjoy the outdoors, which in most cases, dogs practically live for!
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posted by Tess on Jan 8
He’s not fat, he’s fluffy. That’s what you keep telling yourself anyways. However, the reality is your dog is obese. This is a medical condition that should be taken seriously. Fat dogs are more at risk in surgery, more prone to heat related stress, more prone to injury, and have more stress on their heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and joints. A sign of obesity is heavy fat over the ribs, along the spine and around the tail head. On a fit dog, you should be able to see their waist when looking at them from above & their tummy should be tucked up when looking at their profile.
Obesity in dogs is caused by two things: overeating & not enough exercise. It’s really that simple. Overeating comes from feeding our dog out of guilt. We didn’t have enough time to take them for a walk today, so here’s a big fat treat. The good news is obesity is a reversible condition.
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posted by Tess on Dec 13
Humans are not the only species to be suffering an obesity epidemic in certain parts of the world. Our pampered pets are also getting fat, with some estimates putting the level of obesity amongst dogs and cats at around 25%.
It is accepted that being clinically obese can lead to medical problems in humans, and this too is true for our pets. Arthritis, heart disease, bladder problems and diabetes are just some of the ailments our pets can suffer from if they are predisposed to it by their weight problem. Also, obese pets experience fatigue, exercise intolerance and heat intolerance leading to a poor overall quality of life.
Quite often overweight owners will have overweight pets. For dogs, this derives from 3 likelihoods:
1. The owner is relatively inactive, and the dog does not get walked as much as it should, burning off less calories.
2. The owner eats regularly throughout the day, meaning the dog is more often begging for treats and probably getting them.
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posted by Tess on Mar 27
In the wild, animals will naturally eat what they need and no more. The task of searching for food and other basic necessities involves lots of exercise and so wild animals remain naturally fit and healthy.
The food available to them in their natural habitat is perfectly designed to meet their needs in an environment that has not been tampered with.
Domestic animals are provided with food which they do not have to hunt for and which is not always suited for their bodies. In addition, they are often exposed to a lifestyle which contributes to sluggish metabolism, underactive thyroids and livers which are not able to remove toxins or eliminate unwanted fat from their bodies.
Selective breeding programs have often further affected the ability of our pets to properly process the food that we give them and certain breeds are known to be more prone to obesity than others.
How can natural remedies help?
The first step in addressing obesity or weight problems in your pet is to examine lifestyle factors like diet and exercise.
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