How do you maintain a dog's weight?
Darrell Langosh
2025-08-19 17:00:54
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: 14
To maintain a dog's weight, we must have a clear understanding of the rations we provide and the impact these have on our pets lives. The quantity and type of food are important considerations, as different food types have varied energy density. For example, working dog foods would provide an energy dense diet which may lead to weight gain in a sedentary dog. Estimating your pet’s body condition score and using this against their current food intake can help you to decide if you need to increase or reduce their feed. Condition scoring uses either a 1‐5 or 1‐9 scale and is used to determine the fat covering of your dog or cat. The scale describes specific markers to feel and look for in an underweight, ideal or overweight animal. Using this scale to assess your pet can allow you to reduce, maintain or increase your pet’s daily intake to achieve the ideal body condition. The food you then select and provide for your pet should be appropriate to its needs. Calories are a universal measure of energy consumption and apply to our pets too.
Jerod Kiehn
2025-08-12 04:25:37
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: 16
Pet weight loss programs usually involve some degree of calorie restriction in order to help your dog lose weight at a gradual pace. By having a target body weight in mind, your veterinarian can help estimate your dog’s daily caloric needs so that you know exactly how much to feed your dog. Through diet modification and regular exercise, your dog’s metabolic needs will likely change as he begins to lose weight. This is why regular monitoring, including monthly weigh-ins and BCS measurements, are important to help your pet reach his target body condition in a safe and healthy manner. Determining your pet’s body score and ideal weight can also help pets that are underweight. If your pet is not at the weight they should be, you can work with your veterinarian to find out if you should be increasing their food intake or whether it’s caused by an underlying health issue.
Javier Zboncak
2025-07-29 18:55:48
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: 25
It won't surprise you that the common reason for canine obesity is overeating and a corresponding lack of exercise. Unlike us, your canine companion cannot simply decide to take more exercise or eat less, so it’s crucial we, as their owners, employ the lifestyle changes needed to maintain a healthy weight. It’s often as simple as encouraging more exercise and reducing calorie intake. Make your move Exercise with your dog can be fun. Walks in the park, playing in the garden and using a dog toy with some of their kibble inside will keep your dog strong, healthy and entertained. Reducing after-dinner scraps and reducing treats in-between mealtimes will help. Focus on agility by creating your own obstacle course: This clearly depends on the space you have available, however creating something for your dog to jump over, run through or skip around is a fun way to introduce exercise at home – either indoors or in the garden. Playing games to earn rewards: By hiding their treats around the house, you can make them earn their reward – not only allowing them to exercise but keeping them mentally active in the process. Rewarding behaviour is a good way of encouraging your dog to participate in activities.
Kaitlin Kuhn
2025-07-29 16:34:33
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: 15
To maintain a dog's weight, you should be able to feel your dog’s ribs when you run your hands gently down their side. Have you had to loosen your dog’s collar recently, watch them as they get up, are they slow or having difficulty, perhaps they’re sleeping more than usual. Often the most loved and cherished pet dogs are amongst those most likely to be grossly overweight, we might reward them and show them how good they are by given them one too many treats, so it’s important to limit extra titbits we give our dogs and always check the food labels and weigh out your dog’s food. Many dry complete diets are easy to over feed, your dog only needs a small portion to provide all of the daily nutritional requirements. Always check the packaging and weigh your dog’s food out. Exercise is one of the best ways to help your dog lose that unwanted, excess weight, and if you struggle to get out for walks in the park or countryside, there are plenty of ways you can incorporate exercise into your dog’s routine, whether it’s in the house or garden. Feeding titbits is the biggest factor we can change, the occasional treat here and there can contribute greatly to weight gain.
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