Most fur parents shower their pets with love through treats and snacks, sometimes excessively, and often the wrong types. Sometimes we overfeed them during their meals since we’re not sure how much to feed, or we are carried away by their cute, pleading eyes. And if this continues for a long time, your pet may become overweight and risk developing numerous health problems.
Fortunately, a couple of simple adjustments can help keep your pet’s weight in the healthy range.
How to Maintain Your Pet’s Weight
If you believe giving your dog too many treats, snacks, and foods is the best way to make them happy, reconsider. When your pet becomes obese and suffers the consequences of developing various health problems, this will only cause them struggles and cost you large sums of money in their treatment. This is where the importance of keeping a healthy weight comes in.
Here are five ways to do so:
1. Improve Their Environment
A boring environment can cause your pet to become inactive and put on weight. Felines and canines are clever animals that will enjoy food puzzle toys, treat balls, and chew toys that can keep them moving and stretching to reinforce their muscles and maintain a healthy weight.
2. Keep Them Active
Keeping your companion active is as important as their nutritional diet. Routine walking is the easiest activity to keep your pet active. It helps exercise their body, boost muscle tone, reduce boredom, and provide mental stimulation. Besides walks, try jogging and playing fetch with their favorite balls. You might also set routine visits to the dog park or have fun in your yard.
Always observe moderation when doing activities with your pet. If your dog accidentally fractures one of their legs during an exercise, stop the activity immediately and take them to facilities like Westside Animal Emergency Clinic to address the situation.
3. Weigh Them Regularly
When you take your four-legged friend to a Westside veterinary hospital for regular vaccinations and parasite prevention, don’t forget to weigh them. Keep a record of their weight each time you do so you can monitor if they’re gaining or losing weight. Doing so can prevent minor problems from becoming severe. Do not hesitate to ask the vet if you’re unsure of your pet’s weight. They can give you advice and suggest tailored adjustments to maintain a healthy range for your pet.
4. Adjust Seasonally
If your canine is more active during the summer and stuck inside the home every winter season, adjust the amount of food you feed them accordingly. If your pet is less active in the winter season and you don’t balance their meal portions, they might put on more weight, so it is necessary to adjust their diet depending on their active season.
If it’s wintertime and you’re worried about your inactive canine, there’s usually nothing to be scared of. But if you suspect an unknown underlying problem, take them to the vet laboratory to be diagnosed and treated right away. You may visit this link to see their diagnostic services.
5. Skip the Table Scraps
Not all human foods are safe for canines, so regularly feeding your dog with table scraps can be a dangerous and worst thing to do. High-quality dog foods are nutritionally balanced, so it’s the more suggested diet to feed them. Feeding them a lot of human food may cause nutritional deficiencies. If you like to share your food with them, make it an occasional treat and consider the healthier choices.
To End
Pets on a diet may still beg for food even after you feed them. Try petting them, giving them affection, or taking them for a walk instead of feeding them more. Doing so can help eliminate their concept of getting attention by asking for food, and your love may fulfill their cravings. If this does not work, divide your pet’s allotted daily food into smaller portions. This may help keep them satisfied than feeding their meals in one go.
