Dog’s diet loses half body weight

An overweight dog is an appalling sight for many dog lovers, yet many dog owners see it as something they can do nothing about and just a sign of their love for the dog.

In one shining example that you really can do something to help your dog to lose weight, just take a look at the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of one 11 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Sophie who lost half her bodyweight by changing her diet.
dietdog
When her owner became too ill to look after her, Sophie was taken on by her owner’s daughter, Mrs Porter, a shop assistant in Norwich.  The dog should have weighed around 10kg.  Her old diet consisted largely of chicken dinners and chocolate biscuits but by changing to vet-prescribed weight loss dog food, the spaniel has now slimmed to 14.8kg according to the Norwich Evening News.

The weight loss did take some perseverance though.  Mrs Porter said Sophie refused the new food at first, even when it was mixed with warm water or other dog food, but she was given nothing else and it took a couple of months for her to settle in to the new diet because when she could smell the human food she thought there would be something else on offer.  The spaniel also tried to raid the bin on a couple of occasions and eat the cat’s food.dietdogs

Research from the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association this month, involving over 2,000 households in the UK has shown that around two thirds of owners believe there is little they can do about their pet’s weight.  One third of owners admitted to giving too many treats and a third stated they felt too little exercise was adding to the problem.

Part of the research included showing the owners pictures and asking the owner to select the one that most closely looked like their own pet.  Only 33 per cent of dog owners chose the picture that showed a ‘normal weight’ dog.

An overweight dog does not just look unhealthy, but the internal fat can cause issues with their liver, kidney and other internal organs as well as joint problems and arthritis.  Helping your dog to lose weight means you have to be strong willed and not give in to those puppy eyes, as well as being prepared to pay for special weight loss food if required.

Comments

>