1. Diabetes Mellitus
2. Damage to Joints, Bones, and Ligaments
3. Heart Disease
4. Increased Blood Pressure
5. Difficulty Breathing
6. Skin and Coat Problems7. Decreased Stamina
8. Heat Intolerance
9. Decreased Liver Function
10. Increased Surgical Risk
11. Digestive Disorders
12. Decreased Immune System
13. Increased Risk of Cancer
14. Decreased Quality and Length of Life
Your dog's health and well-being is in your hands. Next week I'll post some ways that you can make sure your pet gets to a good weight and stays there.
For more information, please see Health Risks in Overweight or Obese Dogs
I have a Sheltie that I honestly believe has the disease where you don't know when your full :-) She used to weigh 58 pounds (yes, a Sheltie) and I am happy to report that she now weights 36 pounds.
ReplyDeleteWe were very worried about multiple health issues with her. She has severe hip displasia, huge fatty tumors on her stomach, and I feared the worse - diabetes.
We made it our mission to make sure we got her weight down to a healthy range for her breed. This was a little more difficult because of her hips, she can't walk those long walks we love to go on. We looked at several food options and found that Drs. Foster and Smith's Adult Lite Chicken and Brown Rice food had the best ingredients and seemed to be what her stomach would tolerate.
We gave her a little over 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup in the evenings (she's pretty sedentary) and when we did get her out and walking a bit we kicked that up a little to about 3/4 cup morning and evening. Treats for her are VERY rare, but she still gets some (usually jerkey or greenies). It took us a couple of years to get all of her weight off, but she is a totally different dog. She still can't walk very far, but we have purchased a "stroller" (it's actually a double kid trailer for a bike) and when she walks with us we allow her to walk until she starts to lag behind, then we stop and she jumps in the stroller (a VERY happy girl) and we continue on with our walk.
I have really learned and will not allow my dogs to become overweight again (I watched a friend lose her very obese Pug to diabetes, it was awful). I have a different, healthier dog and she is so much fun to watch as she accomplishes what used to be very difficult for her.
The second photo is photoshopped, if that gives anyone any kind of comfort. The dalmation may be overweight but it's been digitally enhanced!
ReplyDeleteWe definitely need to watch Griz's diet. He will eat anything, and everything. I was making cookies yesterday and a big lump of dough shot off the counter onto the floor, and guess who was there in a flash to clean it up for me. Oops!
Interesting about the photoshopped dog-one less terribly overweight dog in the world that I have to feel bad for!
ReplyDelete