Ask the Vet

I receive so many questions regarding overweight pets. Here is a column that ran earlier this year that is important enough to repeat for those who didn’t see it the first time.

This is a common problem we see in many (older) animals. Just like in people, dog’s deal with obesity, which can contribute to things like diabetes, arthritis, respiratory difficulty, and spinal problems.

We like to let our dogs know we love them so we do this with food in the form of (treats), leftovers from dinner, even ice cream cones.  Unfortunately we are killing our pets with kindness. I equate one doggy treat to one candy bar, so if we ate one candy bar a day or 2 or 3, that would put the extra pounds on in a hurry.

The first thing you should do is get your pet checked out by your veterinarian to make sure there are no health issues.

Once you have the all clear from your veterinarian, changing the way you feed your pet and what you feed your pet along with exercise is a great way to get started.

Reducing diets are available on prescription from veterinarians. Go over the proper amount of food your pet should be getting with your veterinarian; do no leave it up to just reading the bag. It can be more then your dog needs. Then slowly over about a week’s time mix the old food with the new food so that the change in diet doesn’t cause any digestion upset. Use a measuring cup don’t just eyeball it.

There are many healthy treats available too instead of cookies some of which include cucumbers, string beans, apples, and carrots.

Food should not be left out over the course of the day, it should be finished pretty quickly.

Exercise is important, just like us, we must build up slowly so not to hurt our selves. The weight will come off if there is no cheating. Boy do we have so much in common with our best friend the dog!

Dr. Lisa Singer’s practice, Boca East Veterinary hospital is located at 100 SW 2nd Street, Boca Raton.  The practice also offers grooming and boarding. Call 561-391-7277.