First, the factors that lead to obesity in dogs
1, variety, age, sex. Pets over 8 years old are prone to obesity, with more females than males. Due to the obesity gene, Beagle, cocker spaniel, dachshund, Labrador retriever, Spanish long-eared hound, Golden Retriever retriever and other breeds are overweight.
2, endocrine dysfunction
Chaos. Male cats and dogs are castrated, female cats and dogs are ovariectomized, or some endocrine diseases such as diabetes, pituitary adenoma, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, hypothalamic injury, etc. All these will lead to overeating of cats and dogs, which will lead to obesity.
3. disease. Pets with respiratory tract, kidney disease and heart disease will often eat some drugs that are easy to cause obesity, thus causing obesity.
4. Genetic factors. Parents of cats and dogs are obese, and their offspring are also prone to obesity.
5. Overnutrition. Overnutrition caused by lifestyle is usually the main cause of obesity in cats and dogs. Good palatability of food, overeating and insufficient exercise are the main causes of overnutrition. Many owners of cats and dogs feed their dogs according to their own schedules, and even feed many owners' food to cats and dogs, so cats and dogs can't form regular living habits. Therefore, cats and dogs have irregular lives, serious lack of exercise, and slow metabolism, which leads to a large number of calories converted into fat, leading to obesity.
Second, the harm of obesity to dogs:
1, the heat resistance decreased. The heat tolerance of obese cats and dogs is obviously lower than that of normal dogs. Once they encounter hot summer or hot season, they are more prone to shortness of breath or even heat shock.
2. Metabolic disorder. It may be due to excessive intake of nutrients that the body can not regulate normally, resulting in endocrine and metabolic disorders, leading to increased blood sugar and blood lipids. Some dogs will also have symmetrical depilation, scales, skin pigmentation and even skin diseases due to endocrine disorders.
3. Poor heart function. In order to maintain the blood circulation of a huge body, the beating of the heart and the contractility of the myocardium are bound to be compensated more than normal dogs to meet the needs of the body. After a long time, the heart will be unbearable, leading to failure.
4. Pathogenicity.
Diseases of bones and joints. Obesity can easily lead to orthopedic diseases in dogs, such as fractures. Weight is the key factor leading to canine arthritis, humeral and ankle fractures, knee cruciate ligament rupture and intervertebral disc diseases. Losing weight can greatly improve lame dogs with hip dysplasia.
Respiratory diseases. Obesity leads to hypertrophy of adipose tissue, which easily leads to excessive pressure on the pharynx of pets, cats and dogs and poor breathing. Because there is too much fat in the chest wall, it is difficult for the lungs to expand normally, and the vital capacity decreases, especially in the exercise state, obese dogs are more prone to panting and breathing difficulties.
Diseases of cardiovascular system. Obese cats and dogs increase heart compensation in order to maintain normal physical activities. In the long run, the heart will reach its limit and eventually lead to heart failure. In addition, obesity is also one of the main causes of hyperlipidemia in dogs.
Diseases of reproductive system. Investigation shows that obesity is the decline of dog's reproductive ability.
Diseases of endocrine system. Obesity is closely related to diabetes. When obesity develops to a certain extent, hyperlipidemia may occur, and hyperlipidemia is a catalyst for resisting insulin. Further development will lead to diabetes in dogs.
Third, how to control the weight of cats and dogs to prevent cats and dogs from being obese?
Once you find that your pet has stepped into the ranks of obese people, then parents should leave the sofa and lose weight with their dogs! In fact, this is also a matter of killing two birds with one stone, because many parents' weight loss methods are also applicable to dogs.
1, shut up:
Eat less. For those pets with good appetite, don't cut down a lot of food at once, but step by step. The bottom line is to ensure that pets will not have any problems because of the reduction of diet.
2. Lift your legs:
Owners should never cancel outdoor activities for fear of heatstroke in dogs. In view of the hot summer, they can choose to take their dogs to exercise and run at night or in the morning when the weather is not very hot. Pet cats should also play with household toys to induce cats to play more and increase their exercise.
3. Make up your mind:
In addition to reducing the dog's daily diet, the less snacks, the better.
4. Daily diet:
The study found that it is best to choose a food that is really suitable for pets, feed them quantitatively, and prepare a variety of foods for pets. Many owners think that pets don't like vegetables by nature. In fact, if you look closely, some pets still like to eat vegetables. Therefore, it is best to prepare balanced food for pets.
5. The era of cats and dogs:
Considering the actual age of dogs, the physical function of elderly pets will decline, and it is necessary to supplement nutrition reasonably.
Tips: Click on "What are the manifestations of dog obesity" to learn more about the manifestations of dog obesity.