Help Your Pet Maintain a Healthy Weight

Dog with Hippo Statue

Courtesy of Bill Hails/Flickr

Some studies show that more than 50% of cats and dogs in America are overweight or obese. That doesn’t bode well for Fido and Fluffy because excess weight causes a host of health conditions including:

  • joint pain
  • heart disease
  • diabetes, especially in overweight dogs
  • decreased liver function

Unfortunately, many people don’t even recognize that their pet is too large. To check if your pet could stand to loose a few pounds:

  • Place your hands on your pet’s side applying only slight pressure. You should be able to feel the ribs. If you can’t feel the ribs at all, your pet is likely too heavy.
  • Stand above your pet and look at the body shape. You should see a clear “waist” behind the ribs. If that area is wider than the ribs or hips, your pet is overweight.

If you’re concerned about your pet’s weight visit your veterinarian. She can assess your dog or cat’s condition and advise you on steps you to take if your pet is too heavy. Be sure to discuss any symptoms your pet may be exhibiting due to his weight, how often you feed, what kind of food you give your pet, and how much exercise your pet gets.

Your veterinarian will suggest a regimen to get your pet back in shape. It’s likely to be pretty simple: more exercise, less food (especially treats and scraps from the table), and possibly some medication to address a disease or illness.

Ask your veterinarian if a nutritional supplement would be helpful, too. Nutritional supplements provide important vitamins, minerals, and other active agents that support overall health especially under certain conditions such as illness or during dietary adjustments.

Animal Necessity, the maker of the popular Ocu-Glo products, makes a series of nutritional supplements including Weight Guard Vet. These small capsules are packed with active ingredients — including extracts of green tea, white kidney beans, and cinnamon — that are specially formulated to keep pets at their ideal weight. Weight Guard Vet helps:

  • support healthy weight control in dogs and cats
  • promote normal blood sugar levels
  • protect against oxidative stress caused by free radicals that can do damage to the body

On that note, think I’ll take my dog for a walk!
Wes

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