Jim Hunter

Watching Your Dog's Weight

This article discusses overweight dogs and how to help them lose weight.

It is easy for a dog to put on a few extra pounds.  Dogs do not have a good sense of when to stop eating and will generally overeat if they are supplied with too much food that they enjoy.  A lack of exercise can also contribute to pet obesity.  Extra weight on a dog can lead to joint problems and arthritis, and can also cause heart problems and diabetes later in life.   

There are a couple of easy ways to tell if your dog is overweight.  One solution is to feel his midsection.  If your dog is of proper weight, you should be able to feel his ribs.  In addition, his belly should be tucked-in when looking at him from the side.  You can also weigh your dog and find out the normal weight range for his breed.  Of course, your vetrinarian should be able to tell you as well if your dog needs to be placed on a diet.

If your dog is overweight, there are a few simple things you can do to get him back in shape.  You can start by taking him on more walks, playing with him more and/or making sure he has plenty of room to run around and play outside.  Some dogs need encouragement to exercise, so you may need to go outside in his yard and play with him. 

Another cause of dog obesity is feeding your pet leftovers and table scraps.  If your dog is overweight, you should stop this.  It is also discouraged for pets that are of normal weight.  Some pet owners also have a tendency to overfeed their dogs. If your dog is older than a year, overweight and you are feeding him twice a day, cut his meals back to once daily.

A popular dog diet you can administer at home without an expensive dog diet food (which are mostly fillers anyway) is the green bean diet.  The green been diet is relatively simple and basically consists of replacing a portion of your dog’s food with canned green beans.  Most diets recommend that you replace 10% of his food with green beans every day until his meal is 50% dog food and 50% green beans. 

Please keep in mind you should consult your vetrinarian prior to starting any diet for your pet.

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