Dog obesity is an increasingly serious problem, which may lead to many problems, including heart disease, joint problems and diabetes. Almost half of the dogs in the United States are obese, especially large dogs, dachshunds, basset dogs and Labradors. Dogs can lose weight before reaching the bottom line of insulin injection. It may take a year, but it's definitely worth it.
Even a puppy can't be overweight? All dogs should be slim, not fat, in order to be healthy. If you can touch the dog's ribs, the ribs are not completely covered with fat, indicating that the dog's weight is normal. Viewed from the side, the dog's abdomen should be folded. From the top, the dog's hips should have a clear waist. When you touch its ribs, you should be able to count the gaps between them. Of course, you don't need to count them with your eyes.
One of the main reasons why dogs are overweight is to feed them leftovers on the table. Although it is interesting to feed it leftovers, it will have serious consequences. One of them, of course, is to make the dog uncertain who is the head of the family. The leader is the first to eat. If the dog is fed before or during meals, the status of the family will become unclear. In addition, the leftovers on the table may not provide suitable nutrition for dogs. For example, many dogs who eat leftovers will suffer from vitamin A poisoning and consume too much protein and phosphorus. If you only feed the dog leftovers, you generally can't get enough calcium, and you may suffer from hyperthyroidism.
One way for obese dogs to lose weight is to stick to the original feeding time, but reduce the feeding amount. But with this method, dogs may increase their purring. So many owners choose to add a lot of vegetables to their food. You can also choose special low-calorie foods, which are large in size and make dogs feel more food. Dogs usually don't like low-calorie food, but they will eat it in the end and get used to it.
Another way to reduce complaints is to feed them once a day instead of twice a day. Do not leave any food every day. An overweight dog can feed two small meals, not snacks, but one meal. If you really want to give it snacks, use carrots or apples instead.
A balanced dog's food should have at least a quarter of protein and 65,438+0,600 calories per pound, but if the dog doesn't have much activity, the overweight dog needs less food. Canned dog food is generally based on 500 calories per pound, but if it is fed as a rectification, the calories provided per pound will not exceed 600 calories. Dry food is 0/500 calories per pound/kloc, and semi-soft or moist food is 0/350 calories per pound/kloc. So if the dog weighs less than 1 1 lb, it needs to feed 4 ounces of dry food every day. Over 22 kg, feed 5 oz, 2250 kg, feed 1 1 oz, 5575 kg, feed 17 oz, feed over 75 kg, and feed 3035 oz of dry food.
However, due to the different levels of food metabolism and activity of each dog, these calculations are not necessarily the most appropriate. Remember, a dog doesn't have to be fed every day, even once every five days. In addition, sterilization will not lead to obesity.
If the dog just chews slowly, it doesn't need to be fed. Chewing slowly takes longer than swallowing with a big mouth, so you will get fat. If obese dogs are picky eaters, it may take some time to adapt to a healthy diet.
Once a dog starts dieting, it is necessary to know its weight clearly. If the obese dog loses a little weight after two weeks, it means that your measures are correct.
You should walk regularly (twice a day) but if the dog is really fat, don't exercise too much at first. For overweight dogs, it is very important to be moderate in everything, and the goal should be set at twice the amount of walking now. Although your dog needs grooming, it's better to let him take more walks instead of not getting enough exercise.