Does your dog need to lose weight? It’s time to plan their doggy weight loss, so that they can live the happy active life they deserve. This article will help you measure your buddies metabolism, give you simple tools to manage their weight.
1. Calculate Food Portions
Strictly following the feeding guidelines on the average pet food package is not good idea. Because there are many factors that will influence your dog’s dietary needs, such as their breed, size, activity level, and whether they’re spayed or neutered.
Feeding guidelines found on pet food packages are based on active adult dogs for all life stages. For instance, spaying or neutering, for example, reduces energy requirement by 20 to 30%. he says. So, if your pet is spayed or neutered, and not particularly active, you can already be overfeeding by 20 or 30% or more.
2. Cut Back the Treats
Nobody wants to deny their dog treats. They’re helpful in so many ways. But it’s important to keep a watchful eye on how many treats your dog actually eats in a day. Treats should be factored into, and comprise no more than, 10% of total daily calories.
3. Break Up Meals
Multiple meals throughout the day helps fight of hunger. Keeps them energized throughout the day. Smaller sized meals boosts their metabolism.
4. Pick Up Bowl
Pick up their bowl in-between meals keeps them from thinking of food. That way they’re not running to their food bowl all the time.
5. Low Fat Quality Foods
Most good weight-loss foods have fewer calories than normal foods do. Getting food with a high fiber content in your dog diet plan. Fiber contains very few useable calories, yet it takes up plenty of space in your dog’s gut. A great way to check if your dog food is good for weight loss is checking the percent of crude fat. Most dog food brands have about 17% crude fat in them. You can find lots of options with 11% crude fat.
6. Work It Out
Food is key, but no doggy weight loss plan, or health maintenance plan, is complete without exercise. The most obvious, and important, activity for your dog is walking. Regular walks don’t just exercise your dog’s body, they provide crucial mental stimulation and and that all-important opportunity to sniff. The amount of walking your dog needs, or wants, depends on their breed and general health. But while conventional wisdom says that some dogs need less exercise than others, all dogs need to move.
7. Out Of The Kitchen
Table scraps and food that accidentally falls onto the floor can be tempting and tack on pounds. Keep them in another room while you cook and eat so they’ll be less fixated on your food and won’t take in extra calories.