Lets talk about love handles...on your pooch. Here at Cayuga Dog Rescue, we take nutrition seriously. We feed our dogs the healthiest most awesome food from Ithaca Grain and Pet Supply, and we are constantly harassing -- er -- consulting vets to make sure our dogs are as healthy as can be. But sometimes ideal weight on mutts is hard to figure out. The sad fact is that 50% of the US pet population is overweight. Being overweight can lead to a whole mess of problems -- diabetes, heart failure, joint issues, you name it, it all spells a shortened life. The simple solution is to make sure your dog isnt chubby. The hard part is figuring out if your dog is chubby, and what to do about it. First step: is your dog overweight? Your best bet is to consult your vet. Your next best bet is to do some online research, like this video featuring the editor of The Whole Dog Journal: youtu.be/-NEeJzkggSU?t=1m6s So youve realized you cant feel your dogs ribs at all, and they look more like a log. Lets face it: she could probably lose some weight. One thing to do is figure out what to feed your dog. A tool weve found helpful (again, other than asking a vet!) is the Dog Advisor Dog Food calculator; you can read the label of your food for calorie info, plug in your dogs energy level, and ideal weight. Do note, however, this only focuses only on calories, and not the overall nutritional value (e.g. fat content, protein) of your dogs food! dogfoodadvisor/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/ And finally, if you think your dog can lean up a bit, follow these five tips for proper feeding: whole-dog-journal/issues/17_12/features/Five-Things-To-Do-To-Determine-How-Much-To-Feed-Your-Dog_21097-1.html
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 13:09:01 +0000