Obesity in Dogs
Overview
Vets estimate nearly half of dogs in the UK are overweight
Being overweight is likely to put your dog at risk of health problems, and often reduces their lifespan
It’s important to recognise what your dog’s ideal weight is and when their weight changes
You can control your dog’s weight with diet and exercise
Impact Veterinary Physiotherapy have created a weight management treatment programme and free PDF diary to help you and your dog during their weight loss journey
Health risks
Excess fat tissue can cause your dog’s body to secrete hormones that can affect inflammation, appetite, insulin levels and bodily functions such as blood pressure and water balance.
Diabetes
Heart disease
Cancer
Joint disease
Less heat and exercise tolerance
Shorter lifespan
Prevention
Just like humans, dogs put on weight when their energy consumption exceeds the amount of energy they use. Exercise and diet are the best ways to prevent obesity and also reverse it.
Exercise
Taking more frequent or longer walks, or taking up a canine sport such as agility or hoopers, can be great fun for you and your dog and can also help them burn extra calories. Consult your vet or physio to make sure the exercise increase is safe for your pup.
Diet
Cutting out food scraps, and swapping treats for low calorie alternatives or low sugar vegetables (such as cucumber or blueberries in moderation) can be a great place to start.
Switching your dog’s food to a low calorie alternative (make the switch gradually over at least a week) and correctly weighing your dog’s food for every meal are also great ways to control weight loss. Consult your veterinarian and get regular weigh ins with them to make sure the weight is coming off safely, crash diets are very dangerous and are strongly advised against.
Is My Dog Overweight?
The easiest way for you to measure at home if your dog is overweight is to check rib coverage. Follow the easy guide below to score your dog’s weight (from obese to underweight).
When looking from above, your dog should have a smooth, tucked-in waist. Have a feel of your dog’s tummy, it should go in and not bulge out. Likewise, where your dog’s tail meets its back, you should not feel a build-up of fat. Veterinarians and Veterinary physiotherapists will often give your dog a score out of five for body condition. 2.5 or 3 is ideal, 1 is very thin and 5 is obese. You can try scoring your dog’s body condition, compare this to your vet or physio’s score to make sure you both agree.
A more accurate way to measure your dog’s weight is to use weighing scales, these are available for your use in most pet shops and your veterinarian’s clinic. Use online guides or your vet/physio’s advice to evaluate if your dog is a healthy weight based on their age/ size/ breed. If you believe your dog may be over or under weight consult your veterinarian.
Another sign your dog may be overweight includes them slowing down on walks, refusing to move or play games, or excessive panting. If you observe this, try measuring your dogs body condition and consider getting a second opinion by a trained professional.
Helping your dog lose weight
Recognition and acceptance that your dog is overweight and that this is a problem is the first step to getting your dog back into shape. Just because we see lots of obese dogs this does not mean it’s okay.
Coming to terms with this is difficult, but once accepted, you can start to implement the diet and exercise management techniques above! A diary can be super helpful in tracking your progress and to make sure new foods and exercise is implemented safely. See below
How can Impact Veterinary Physiotherapy help?
We know canine obesity is such a massive issue for dogs today, we see it every day. Every one of our obese clients have issues that could have been avoided or reduced if they were not carrying the extra pounds. The weight puts additional pressure on the joints and this often leads to injury or accelerated chronic conditions such as arthritis. Getting our clients to a safe weight is always a priority and to help owners manage this safely we have created a diary for them to use. This diary includes sections to track weight, a week-by-week exercise plan and helpful tips on keeping the weight off! The diary is most effective when used under direction of your Veterinary physiotherapist as we are the experts on exercise prescription and chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Impact Veterinary Physiotherapy have launched a treatment plan that is centered around weight loss, it includes an initial physiotherapy treatment and free PDF diary. A unique and safe exercise plan will be created for your dog, and other factors such as diet and home environment will be discussed to ensure you are equipped with all the knowledge you need to start your dog’s weight loss journey. The plan is then customisable based on your dogs needs and your convenience. And better still, you can benefit from a 10% discount if you include weight loss as a reason for treatment. Impact Veterinary Physiotherapy is determined to help tackle the canine obesity crisis and we hope you can join us in making an Impact!
Click this link to book a FREE phone consultation where we can discuss the best cause of action for your dog.
References
https://www.godogs.org.uk/science/obesity-in-dogs/
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/obesity-in-dogs
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/obesity
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/pet-health-hub/conditions/obesity-in-dogs