It's been a long winter here with lots of that cold white stuff! I'm still undecided whether I like it or not. It's good for a bit, but it's awful cold so we end up spendin' our time nappin' at my Lady's feet. Well, after a winter of doin' that, I think the whole pack of us is packin' a few unwanted pounds! If better weather don't come on, where I can do some runnin', I'm a fearin' for my girlish figure WOOF!
My Lady wants to talk to ya today about Pet Weight Loss
Overweight pets are a big problem in the United States. In fact, the percentage of overweight pets is staggering. Did you know that over half of all pets in the U.S. are overweight? That's bad. Just like overweight people, overweight pets are prone to a host of other medical problems. Getting the excess weight off of your dog or cat is absolutely one of the best things you can do for their health.
Overweight Pets Aren't Cute. They are Ticking Time Bombs!
You might think it's cute that your pet is overweight. Your dog or cat waddles over to get another little bite - they love their food so much. The problem is that being overweight puts them at a much higher risk of some really nasty things. Check out this brief video on overweight pets!
It's so important to realize the impact that extra pounds have on overweight pets. What is cute now, is a heavy burden for them later. Overweight pets are prone to a whole host of health problems. Did you know that only five extra pounds on a small dog is equivalent to over 30 extra pounds on a human?! We all know what that would feel like! So, it is important to address their weight issue before it becomes a serious problem!
How do you get the Weight off and then Keep the Weight Off?
It really isn't that difficult to get extra weight off of overweight pets or to keep pets at an ideal weight. All you need is a high-quality, low calorie food like Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight and a little self-discipline. The food part is easy. It's the self-discipline that's hard! Those begging eyes will get you in the feels every time!
Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight is a great dog food for weight loss and it's also available for cats! This food is highly nutritious, without being as calorie dense as regular dog food. That's important, because you don't want to loose the nutrients in your dog's food, just the calories. For small and toy breeds, you can use Hill's Science Diet Small and Toy Breed Formula.
This is an excellent food line to help with the problem of overweight pets. It's from Hill's Pet, so you know you can be trusted to be 100% healthy and effective. In fact, over 70% of pets have lost weight with Perfect Weight within 10 weeks. This food uses a blend of natural ingredients as well as prebiotic fibers for gentle digestion and 100% balanced nutrition. It's also a highly recommended food, so it's easy to find it at your local vet or at retailers like Pet360.
Okay. I've given you a great food to use for your overweight pets. Now what do you do with it? It's easy!
- Feed your pets at specific times: It's important to keep you pets on a feeding schedule. If you feed them any old time, their little pet minds will learn that they eat whenever they feel like it.
- Never give them table food: Never give you dog or cat breads, pastas, or table foods of any kind. You CAN feed them, carrots, green beans, and blueberries in their dog food to add a little variety.
- Go easy on the treats: If you aren't training your dog or cat, don't give them treats. Most of the time, overweight pets got that way because of too many treats!
- Feed them calorie reduced food: Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight food is a great choice for helping get the pounds off of overweight pets and keep those pounds off.
Don't forget exercise!
Unlike humans, exercise is fun for pets. It doesn't have to be fancy! They love to rip and roar across the yard, go for walks or jogs or play a game of fetch! Seriously, don't you wish you had their enthusiasm for exercise?
If you remember, we had Seager on a dog weight loss program to lose his extra baggage not long ago. He is still working towards his goal, with only a few pounds left to go! Where before he laid around with no energy, he is up and moving and feeling so much better for leaving most of that pudge behind! He loves his walks and is always sitting on the ready for them!
Running is the highlight of Maggie's day! She loves to run and it is a common sight to see her tearing around the yard at a high rate of speed. It's actually a thing of beauty to watch her fluid movement when she is in a full out run! You can also bet if there is a squirrel around, she will be the one chasing it up into a tree!
While Seager loves his walks and Maggie loves to run, the pups are in their own little world playing tug and wrestle. Neither Brandi or Ozzy have ever had a weight problem. They are just healthy, happy and can I say overactive pups?! But, all that activity will serve them well also. At the same time, I want to make sure they stay at the optimum weight!
Diet and exercise is really all there is to getting the weight off your overweight pets and keeping it off. Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight can help make it happen. We all want our pets to be the healthiest they can be. Losing that extra baggage will save you SO much grief down the line. And when it comes to overweight pets, the term grief could very well be literal!
DEBRA DUBOIS says
We adopted our two sweet girls they are very active the best part is they get a lot of exercise playing together and they get me off the couch so its good for me as well...
Lyndsey says
We just bought a foreclosure with a big yard and our dog loves running around in it! Exercise is so important, so I'm glad he loves it!
Lisa says
My dog should probably lose a few pounds, only 3-5 though, so it won't be so bad. She does get her exercise though, she loves her walks and playing catch.
Dorothy Teel says
Very good, I also think that we should stick to a feeding plan and give them sufficient amout to maintain their energy and growth and not just leave full bowls available at all times, except full bowls of water to drink. Play with your cats and dogs, keep them active and they will also keep you active.
Nikki S says
We have found that taking the dogs to the beach and playing with them out towards the water with a toy they both like gets them both moving more than just walks. Having 2 English Bulldogs when the temp gets warm and just walking them is tricky, so we usually hit the beach.
Michele Ash says
Thanks so much for the Terrific Review on Help Your Overweight Pets with Hill’s #PerfectWeight! Our dogs have always been at a good weight, however, our one, Maxie had a problem this past summer and she needed emergency surgery! It had something to do with not being fixed and an infection which she had gotten. She did extremely well after her surgery and jumped back like a pup! She has been gaining weight ever since this surgery and I haven't changed anything in the way they get fed! I'm really worried about the weight gain because I know it could lead to major problems down the road! We had 2 dogs which developed diabetes (neither were overweight!) and they did well for a while and then eventually went down hill and crossed the rainbow bridge. I think I've seen this dog food before and I can't remember if it was at the grocery store or at the vets office. They eat Purenia One/Chicken and Rice dry dog food. They get fed wet dog food once a day at our dinner time. However, the dry food is out all the time just in case they get really hungry! I guess we should pick up the dry food and only put it down when we feed them the wet dog food! I've noticed a few times that Summer will not eat all of her food at dinner and when she walks away (doesn't mean she's done, though) Maxie ends up sneaking over and eating the rest of Summer's food! Whenever we catch her doing it, we take it away from her. I'm definitely going to check into this food! Maxie is still very active and she can run with the best of them still! Thanks so much for the review and all the information on this particular dog food! I truly do appreciate it! Thanks again, Michele 🙂
Penni says
My dog loves jumping on the trampoline with the whole family! We all love it!
Katie Hyatt says
My dog loves to play with racquetballs. All day, everyday. I don't know if it's the rubber or the way the ball bounces, but she sleeps with them. They're great for keeping her in shape, because she will chase them everytime they're thrown. Cats on the other hand are much harder to work with. Having 2 cats, 1 obese - a food change has not helped. It's impossible to exercise her, so I don't really know what to do to help her.
Laura says
Pet Obesity is such a huge problem. A healthy diet and exercise are so important!
Beth | Daily Dog Tag says
You are absolutely right, it is so important to get our pets to a healthy weight!
Tammy Myers says
I appreciate this info knowing how important this pet issue is and they are part of the family!
Darlene Owen says
My 2 black labs are overweight, so we put them on a diet, the one went from 105 to 89, the other went from 105 to 99 so they are losing weight, we basically cut back on their food and stopped giving them treats.
Mimi W says
Love playing fetch with our dogs is great for them and me!
Judy andrade says
They love chasing squirrles in the backyard. And going for walks.
Dr. Anna Coffin says
I just discovered that one of my dogs loves to chase after a laser light. Great inside exercise for the winter!