Obesity in Dogs: Is It Too Bad
Dogs are the most common pets but at the same time, there is a misconception that they can be fed with any food, as long as they eat. The diet of animals, especially those spending most of their time indoors, should be carefully selected. Breed, gender, and even color will influence your choice. WIth Centinela feed & pet supplies you can easily find healthy food for your dog from trusted brands.
Finally, you have a pet in your house. But there are several important questions:
- What to feed?
- How many times to feed?
- What can and what is strictly forbidden to feed the animal?
Bad feeding practice
First of all, you need to decide for yourself whether you will feed natural products or ready-made feed. It is a big mistake to feed your pet a mixed type of feeding, for example, meat in the morning and evening (sometimes even without cereals and vegetables) with dry food.
Yet one of the biggest nutritional concerns is obesity in pets. There are many pre-contributing factors for the development of obesity: the most important are inadequate feeding (overfeeding and fatty unhealthy foods) and a sedentary lifestyle.
Also important are breed predisposition, age, sterilization, gender, and anthropomorphism (human factor – often the owners believe that a fat animal means a healthy animal).
It is no longer animals that hunt for their own food. They don’t open the refrigerator door and put food in their bowl. Only a human decides what and when his dog will eat, but for a real friend, as you know, nothing is pitying.
Why dog’s obesity is bad
An increase in body fat mass has numerous clinical implications. Obesity affects life expectancy, and not for the better.
According to Alex German, studies were conducted with the participation of 48 Labradors, divided into 2 groups. The first received food without restrictions, the second – 75% of the ratio of the first group.
In the first group, most of the animals showed signs of obesity to one degree or another. The average life expectancy was 11.2 years. In the second group, the average duration was 13 years.
Fat animals are more prone to chronic diseases of internal organs than thin animals. Veterinarians agree that there may be a psychological underlying cause for obesity. At two or three months of age, when the cubs are weaned from their mother, they increase food needs.
Owners, wanting to calm the animal, offer him food or a treat. With age, experiencing stress, the animal will feel the need for food to feel calmer. Others will bark to get the coveted piece of something tasty. Usually, fatty foods (sausage, cheese, smoked meats) are so tasty, especially in dogs. But having a high percentage of fat, such foods have a negative effect on liver function.