{"id":3262,"date":"2016-03-21T06:23:52","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T06:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/?page_id=3262"},"modified":"2024-01-15T06:23:22","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T06:23:22","slug":"is-my-dog-overweight","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/caring-for-your-pet\/healthcare-wellbeing\/is-my-dog-overweight\/","title":{"rendered":"Is my dog overweight?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Are you concerned your four-legged pal might be a little too far on the chunky side? While having a chubby dog doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they are overweight or that their health is at risk, it\u2019s good to familiarise yourself with how much your dog should<\/em> weigh<\/strong> just to be sure. Compare your dog\u2019s weight to the average weight of a dog of the same breed and age and see how your dog stacks up.<\/p>\n

There are websites such as this one<\/a>,\u00a0that list the average weight for a variety of dog breeds, but this isn\u2019t always accurate and it doesn\u2019t take into account mixed breeds. Some dogs are just heavier, some are just smaller. You might have a perfectly healthy little chubster! If you are concerned or unsure about your dog’s weight, a quick call or visit to your local vet should ease your mind.<\/strong> Your vet can tell you if your dog seems overweight or if he\u2019s just a big boy, and your vet can also tell you what to do to make sure your dog doesn\u2019t get too heavy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There are things you can do as an owner to ensure your dog is a healthy little pooch. It\u2019s important to remember that dogs don\u2019t need three meals a day like humans do<\/strong>. They get all the energy they need from two or sometimes even just one meal a day. If you\u2019re wondering if you are over-feeding your dog, just keep an eye on his food bowl for any leftovers<\/strong>. If there are any, it\u2019s a good sign your dog isn\u2019t hungry. Of course, there are dogs who will just eat and eat and eat even if they\u2019re full so it\u2019s not a guaranteed solution. Squeamish warning! If you notice vomit around and see bits of dry dog food that are almost the same shape as they were when they went in, it\u2019s a sign you\u2019re overfeeding your dog because they are getting too much food to digest it properly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Check with your vet how much your dog needs to eat a day<\/strong>. Obviously smaller dogs don\u2019t need as much as bigger dogs, so you need to adjust the amount of food for each dog. This can be difficult if you have dogs of varying sizes as they are bound to feast on each other\u2019s food. To combat this, try and feed your dogs in separate places. Perhaps one can eat in the kitchen and one just outside the back door. Or feed your smaller dogs inside so ensure they get the food they need, as bigger dogs are likely to overpower their tinier playmates and gorge on their food as well as their own.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Make sure your dog gets daily exercise. As long as he\u2019s got an active life, he will likely not be an overweight pup<\/strong>. Ideally, aim to exercise your dog for a half hour a day. A thirty-minute walk or twenty minutes of play in the backyard will keep them active and keep those kilos and pounds from piling on. Make a game of the exercise, playing fetch or tug-of-war, or going swimming in a lake or at the beach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While exercise is important to keep your dog\u2019s weight in check, it\u2019s also important not to overwork your dog<\/strong>. Smaller dogs are likely to tucker themselves out quite fast, and bigger dogs might just keep running. Pay attention to how your dog is acting. If he is excitedly bounding about, running around in circles, then let him run. He\u2019s showing you he has the energy and the desire to play around. Let him expend that energy, you don\u2019t want a wired up pup around the house!<\/p>\n

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\nWhat\u2019s your secret to keeping your bark buddy healthy and active?<\/p>\n

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Are you concerned your four-legged pal might be a little too far on the chunky side? While having a chubby dog doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they are overweight or that their health is at risk, it\u2019s good to familiarise yourself with how much your dog should weigh just to be sure. Compare your dog\u2019s weight to … <\/p>\n

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