Drs. Note: Village Square Veterinary Clinic sells both Royal Canin and Prescription Diets to help maintain your pet’s healthy weight. Call us to schedule a wellness visit before starting your pet on any diet. Depending on how long your pet has been overweight, there may be more than just weight issues to consider. At Village Square Vet Clinic, Your Pet’s Health Is Our Care. Boynton Beach, Florida: 561-369-0061
Dog Obesity and the Harmful Side Effects
That is our image of normal for dogs. But a dog in good body condition, you should be not able to see his ribs but you should be able to feel his individual ribs. You shouldn’t have fist full of fat that you have to feel through to get to the ribs. When you look at him from the top, he should have a waist. When you look at him from the side, depending on the breed, you should see that abdominal cut. Most people when they see a dog that is actually in ideal condition would think that it’s probably on the thin side. But that’s just in our culture. If your dog is overweight, there is extra load on the heart and the joints. It can also predispose them to diseases depending on how heavy they are like diabetes and eventually, osteo-arthritis.
There more osteo-arthritis in heavy pets than pets that are lean. Most of the veterinarian orthopedic surgeons would say, “I’m not going to fix your dog until you take some weight off because I don’t want that pet carrying around that extra weight and destroying the work that I do on that knee” or “You have to take weight off of a total hip replacement because it’s going to blow out the implant.” So it is very important.
Try to be pretty proactive and start educating yourself about the way your dog should work at an early age when they’re puppies. When they’re older and don’t exercise as much and already having some arthritis, it’s a lot harder to get the weight off.
Purina came out with the study results over 13-15 years ago. What they found that if they fed one set of dogs not necessarily as much as they wanted but more than they needed, and The other set of dogs were lean-fed, meaning, they were fed to maintain a specific body condition. Everything else was the same for these animals. The animals that were lean-fed lived 2-3 years longer than the animals that were not.
You literally increase their life span if you feed them properly. Even though you see pudgy dogs and consider it cute, the reality is the more weight you have on your dog, the more you are taking off of its life.
Article Source: www.ezine.com
Drs. Note: Another suggestion to those listed below is once you have the pill in your pet’s mouth, hold the mouth closed and gently stroke your pet’s throat. This encourages them to swallow and less likely to spit the pill out. You can also purchase Pill Pockets and Hypo-allergenic Pill Pockets from our clinic. This product surrounds the medication and its scent in a tasty treat. Dogs love it. At Village Square Vet Clinic, Your Pet’s Health Is Our Care. Boynton Beach, Florida: 561-369-0061
Getting Your Dog to Take His Pills, What Works?
Somehow they sense it coming: maybe they recognize that purposeful stride into the kitchen where you keep the bottles, or the telltale scrape of the childproof lid against the plastic as you open it. They see you coming with that calming smile on your face and they know the next few seconds are going to be difficult. You’ll know it, anyway, as you struggle to get your dog to take his medicine. You may spend the next twenty minutes or so wrestling him to the ground and prying and mouth open, and you may wonder…surely there’s a better way.
We recall as children going through the same thing ourselves. Mom would balance horrible-tasting syrup in a spoon and push it past our shut lips, because it would make us feel better. Your dog is not likely to understand the need to take pills if he truly needs them, so you’ll have to be a bit inventive when that time comes. If you have had trouble administering pills to your dog, consider these tactics to ensure he is properly cared for.
1) Crush pills in food or water if possible. Consult with your vet about the possibility of breaking pills into tinier pieces to mix in with food or water. If your dog doesn’t see the pill, he is less likely to freak when it’s time for his meds.
2) Use a food wrapper. If your dog is perceptive, he’ll sense when the time is near for medicine, but if you come with a dog treat instead you may find success in your endeavors. Check your local pet supply shop for special food wraps like edible pill pockets or dough you can use to hid the pill. Some pet owners may also use peanut butter or cheese to mask the pill and taste of medicine, but these products are caloric and could cause stomach problems for your pet if you’re not careful.
If possible, too, mix up “pill time” so it doesn’t fall on the same hour and minute daily. If you’re accustomed to administering meds right at seven, the dog will know to expect something, so talk with your vet if necessary about giving the pills fifteen minutes earlier or later on some days. Your pet may be more apt to accept a treat if he’s certain it’s not “that time.”
Above all else, be patient with your pet and don’t let your frustration transfer to him.
Article Source: www.ezine.com
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Cherry Douglas, DVM
Hello! welcome to my blog.