An Estimated 59% of Cats and 54% of Dogs in the United States are Overweight or Obese.
Good nutrition and weight management are key to your pet’s overall health. These healthy habits are created at a young age for your pet and it’s up to you to help them maintain these habits. Through a good diet and proper exercise, you greatly increase your pet’s chance at a long, healthy life.
How do you know if your pet needs to lose weight? For smaller dogs and cats, a matter of only a few pounds could mean the difference between healthy and unhealthy, and sometimes those extra few pounds might be harder to spot for well-meaning pet owners who love their pets through “thick and thin.”
Think your pet might be overweight? Here are three signs:
- Your pet has an oval shape, rather than an hourglass shape. Get a “bird’s-eye view” by standing above your pet and looking down at her. Your dog or cat should have somewhat of an hourglass shape, with a taper at the waist, which is between the abdomen and the hips. If there is little or no taper, your pet is probably overweight.
- Extra fat around the abdomen, hips, and neck. Have you noticed a bit of a fat roll on the back side of your pup’s neck? That’s a sign that she’s carrying too much weight. Once an animal has extra fat around the abdomen, hips, and neck, it probably falls into the “obese” category and will be at higher risk of developing many health issues, including diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and more.
- You can’t feel your pet’s ribs. Put your hands on the side of your pet’s chest. If you can’t feel his ribs, he probably needs to lose weight. Ideally, you should be able to feel his ribs, but not see them. If you can see them, your dog or cat could be underweight
With professional nutritional counseling and weight management services from Animal Medical Center of Wyoming, you can get the expert guidance you need to confidently answer these questions and more. Our Nutrition Specialist, Tara Lynn, is here to answer all of your questions. She offers free weight consultations with no appointment necessary!
You can read more about pet nutrition and weigh management here! If you have any questions, please call us at 307-682-1507 or contact us here!
