Health risks for the overweight dog

[Tailcreek]

How do you tell if your dog is overweight? Some believe that if you can feel ribs then the dog isn't fat. This can be misleading…internal fat can accumulate and push the ribs outward, so that they can be easily felt. Some types of mastiffs carry extra weight very well and don’t look sloppy.

Look at your dog from above. Some indentation behind the rib cage, indicates that your pet is at a desirable weight.

You may hear owners referring to their fat dog as having "lots of substance". Substance and fat are NOT the same things.

Just like in humans, extra weight = extra health risks.
Heart problems, arthritis/joint problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, higher risk of heat stroke, respiratory difficulties and shorter lifespans.

There could be a medical reason’s for your dog’s extra weight such as hypothyroidism or cushing's disease.

 

[tomcat]

Good post! Heavy dogs have a shorter lifespan in general. Purina's study showed that dogs fed restricted calories lived almost 2 years longer than dogs free fed!

Here is a video about Obesity in Pets!

http://forums.petdocsoncall.com/showthread.php?t=16

 

[Zoom]

It makes me so sad to see how overweight pets have become the "norm" and dogs at healthy weights are criticized for being too skinny, even by many vets.