He’s not fat, he’s fluffy. That’s what you keep telling yourself anyways. However, the reality is your dog is obese. This is a medical condition that should be taken seriously. Fat dogs are more at risk in surgery, more prone to injury, and have more stress on their heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and joints. A sign of obesity is heavy fat over the ribs, along the spine and around the tail head. On a fit dog, you should be able to see their waist when looking at them from above & their tummy should be tucked up when looking at their profile.

Obesity in dogs is caused by two things: overeating & not enough exercise. It’s really that simple. Overeating comes from feeding our dog out of guilt. We didn’t have enough time to take them for a walk today, so here’s a big fat treat. The good news is obesity is a reversible condition.

If your dog is grossly obese, consult with your vet on a treatment plan that can be monitored. If your dog just has some extra pounds, you can help your friend lose the pounds. Your first step is to monitor your dog’s intake. Their diet should consist of a dog food that’s specific for weight loss. Consult your vet for recommendations. Follow the feeding the directions on the label. Free feeding is a daily buffet for your dog & they won’t monitor their intake.

Your next step is to gradually increase your dog’s activity level. This doesn’t mean a 20 mile run if your dog hasn’t left the couch in years. Use common sense and consider how it would be for you to start exercising if you’ve been a couch potato. Slow daily walks can be gradually increased as your dog becomes fitter.

We think we’re doing our dog a favor by giving them the table scraps & everything they beg for. The reality is we’re making the quality of life for them much worse. Following some simple steps like monitoring their food intake & increasing their activity level is all it takes to drop those unwanted & unhealthy pounds.

Suzi Sevcik is the creator of http://www.dogvetcare.com a site dedicated to providing dog owners with expert advice on care for their four legged member of the family. For more articles on care for your dog, see http://www.dogvetcare.com/articles/ You can reach Suzi by email at: suzi@dogvetcare.com