Counting Calories For Your Dog

Counting Calories

For Your Dog

There’s a very good chance that your dog may be overweight and you don’t know it! Did you know that the number on canine health disorder is obesity? According to reports from many veterinarians, as many as 25%-44% of all dogs are overweight but it could be even more. If a dog weighs more than 15% than what is the average for the particular dog’s height, he is obese.

It’s no surprise that conditions related to obesity are on the rise. These conditions include diabetes mellitus and orthopedic, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, respiratory, immune, and reproductive disorders. All of which are devastating conditions for a dog to have.

Who’s to blame? Well, according to most doctors, obesity is on the rise because of the lack of fussiness of dogs, their natural gorging behavior, and insufficient exercise.

A prevailing ignorance of providing a nutritious, well-balanced diet with a controlled calorie intake is also to blame.

Is your dog fit or fat? Do you your dog’s daily caloric requirements and what factors may diminish those requirements?

Here’s something I bet you didn’t know. Commercial dog food is packed with sugar and fat to make the “ingredients” they put in appetizing.

Don’t use a dog’s begging behavior as a gauge on how much to feed him. Healthy dogs are ready to eat all the time and some can quite literally eat while flat on their side and just about asleep.

Keeping your dog trim and healthy is knowing how many calories he needs and how that translates into food. Your dog’s energy needs constantly change throughout his life. As he becomes more active, it will increase and as he gets older it will decrease.

Individual metabolism, exercise, age, environment and overall health will determine what your dog really needs to remain lean and healthy. Since your dog can only have so many calories every day, it is important to pack lots of nutrition, bulk and appeal into those calories.

In order to determine what your dog to remain lean and healthy, you must take into account his age, environment, exercise, metabolism, and overall health. It’s imperative that since your dog can only have so many calories per day, that those calories be packed with as much nutrition, mass, and appeal as possible.

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