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Your dog
is fat. OK, possibly not.
But there's a very good chance he or she
is, and you don't even know it.
Statistics vary, but veterinarians
report that as many as 25 - 44% of all
dogs are overweight, and that obesity is
the number-one canine health disorder.
Obesity is defined as weighing over 15%
more than the standard accepted weight
for the dog's height.
With nearly half of our dogs weighing in
on the heavy side, it's no surprise,
then, that obesity-related conditions
are on the rise within the pet
population. These conditions include
diabetes mellitus and orthopedic,
musculoskeletal, cardiovascular,
gastrointestinal, endocrine,
respiratory, immune and reproductive
disorders. These can be devastating
conditions for your dog to live with.
Doctors ascribe the rise in obesity to a
combination of the general lack of
fussiness of dogs, their natural gorging
behavior, and insufficient exercise.
And since dogs don't do their own
grocery shopping or prepare their own
meals, we must add to this a prevailing
ignorance among their owners in
providing a nutritious, well-balanced,
calorie-controlled diet.
Do you know if your dog is fat or fit?
Do you know her daily caloric
requirements? Do you know what factors
may mitigate those daily caloric
requirements?
Did you know regular dog food is packed
with sugar and fat to make the toxic
crap they put in it palatable?
A healthy dog is ready to eat at any
time. Some dogs quite literally can eat
while flat on their side and more or
less asleep. Therefore, it is pointless
to use your dog's begging behavior as
any indicator of how much to feed him.
Knowing how many calories he needs and
how that translates into food will help
keep him trim and healthy. Energy needs
for the dog change throughout his life,
increasing the more active he becomes,
and, as you might surmise, decreasing as
the dog reaches his senior years.
Your vet will help you determine if your
dog's weight is on target, or if she is
headed for fat city, and all
diet-related considerations should
definitely be discussed with your vet
before introducing any major changes
into your dog's nutritional sphere. But,
before your next office visit, you can
do an assessment to determine (albeit
imprecisely) your dog's general body
condition and weight.
Can the ribs be easily felt with slight
fat cover, or are they difficult to feel
under moderate or thick fat cover?
From the side view, do you see an
abdominal tuck?
Is there thickening at the tail base?
From the overhead view, is there a
well-proportioned waist?
Or, from the overhead view, does she
have a marked hourglass shape? (an
indicator of being underweight)
Or, from the overhead view, is the back
slightly or markedly broadened at the
waist? (indicators of being moderately
to severely overweight)
Is your dog slow to rise or move around?
Is she reluctant to exercise, or does
she tire easily with activity?
Individual metabolism, exercise, age,
environment and overall health will
determine what your dog really needs to
remain lean and healthy. Since your dog
can only have so many calories every
day, it is important to pack lots of
nutrition, bulk and appeal into those
calories.
Our wildly popular Dog Food SECRETS™
information products can help you
step-by-step overcome your nutritional
naivete.
Embracing this information doesn't mean
you have to prepare every meal with a
set of scales on the counter, no. Do it
a few times and you can do it forever.
After you determine your dog's caloric
needs, the ideal solution to meet those
needs is to prepare your dog's food at
home, where you can have total control
over the caloric and nutritional
content.
Our books can help you there, too -- as
it includes a collection of easy,
healthful, natural and delicious recipes
created with your dog's palate and
welfare in mind. In fact the Silver and
Gold packages include over 200
easy-to-make healthy recipes.
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