War against Obesity

Learning the obesity statistics, it is estimated that 58% of cats and 54% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. Compared to dogs, cats are more prone to this problem and their rate is higher too. The statistics is quite a nerve triggering for every pet parent.  Lest your pet is unattended for his health, they crumble in the hands of obesity.

Obesity is the most disturbing issue in the present day for the domestic pets.

As per veterinary association of United States – “Fat cats and obese dogs possess the greater risk of a number of health problems. This includes osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, heart and lung disease, urinary tract disease, skin disease and certain types of cancer.”

To control these unwanted health issues in your pet, you can definitely work upon and follow the below simple ways to ensure that your pet weight management is handled effectively.

Annual Checkups

 

1It is common in pet parents not to take their pets to veterinarians for regular checkups until something seriously goes wrong. And most of them fall into this criterion. Pets need to be taken to vet’s visit at least once a year to evaluate their health conditions and educate the owners.

Commercial food check before buying

2Many pet parents depend on commercial food but lack the necessity to read the components and nutritional value facto of the food. Many commercial food packs contain just fillers and fat content without any quality nutrients. Feeding pets with such food, take them to the edge of obesity. Hence, before buying take some nerves to check all the nutrient contents on the pack.

Count the calories

While feeding, pet owners normally forget to check the amount of calories they are giving to their pets. The most important thing to pay attention to the amount you’re actually feeding to your cat or dog.  Remember, treats have high amount of calories, so beware if are the lover of praising your pet with treats. Diet foods that are grain free foods and specially designed to maintain low calorie are way good option to feed but ensure that you don’t fall into those marketing tactics that companies use to sell these pet foods. Better a healthier natural diet can make up the meal for your furry pals.

Fitness and Exercise

3Any pet can gain weight if it does not burn the calories it takes as fuel for energy. This is pretty simple calculation. For a living being, food acquisition has never being an easy task as for felines and canines. It has always been gained after a strenuous physical exertion to capture and consume the food. In order to burn these calories, physical exercise is a must, which is not a normal thing these days in pets and the result you can see – obese pets.

To avoid this condition, exercise is a must. Say a simple walking for a 30 mins, or a throw game for 45 minutes can keep them active as well as help in burning those unwanted fat content. A play time of 10 minutes can also help a lot. Added to this, you can even introduce your pet to exercise sessions under professionals.

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