Chubby Puppies are adorable and the fatter they are, the cuter they are. However, baby fat stops being cute when it leads to major health concerns. Studies indicate that an overweight pet is at high risk for a variety of weight-related health problems, such as thyroid problems, heart problems, and many other major illnesses.

An underweight pet must also be carefully monitored as sudden weight loss can signal a serious illness such as Diabetes. If you feel your pet has a weight problem, it is very important to first contact a veterinarian.

There are many reasons a pet may be suffering from a weight problem and you need to consider all the factors contributing to it. What does the diet consist of? How much exercise is he/she getting? Are there any other health problems? How many high-fat snacks are giving? How many times a day do you feed? These are all important questions in determining what may be causing the problem.

Below are suggestions on how to conquer weight issues.

Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
If you have an overweight dog or cat a high-quality diet is the most crucial ingredient to your pet’s health. A commitment to diet — as natural and high quality as possible — will be well worth your efforts and any additional cost. A pet’s diet has a direct correlation to health and longevity. By adding fresh foods, you will immediately see a shinier coat, less odor, fewer bowel movements, fewer digestive problems, and many long-term health benefits. Purely Pets offers many recipes if you are interested in home cooking.

A homemade diet is best, however, if this is not an option, pet food containing two meat sources and whole grains is recommended. A diet of chicken meal, turkey meal, or lamb meal as the first ingredient is recommended along with WHOLE grains. For example Chicken meal, turkey meal whole brown rice, whole barley, etc. versus, Chicken by-product meal, rice flour, corn gluten, etc.

Avoid foods containing synthetic preservatives such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol, and ethoxyquin. 

If you would like a list of the best and worst dog/cat foods or homemade recipes, email corinne@purelypets.com

Structure Meal Times
When you feed one meal a day, your pet’s body produces insulin. Insulin prevents fat cells from releasing fat into the bloodstream, where it can be picked up by other tissues and burned. In other words, high levels of insulin cause low levels of fat burning and high levels of fat-storing, the reverse of what you may think. When insulin is not stable in the body, it throws the hormones and brain chemicals out of whack and in turn the body starts storing fat to save itself.

Therefore, feeding once a day can lead to many health problems such as hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity, digestive disorders and many other problems.

It is extremely important to feed 3-4 times a day. When you feed several small meals a day, the body burns fat more effectively. By feeding more meals, you speed up the metabolism so they can burn more calories.

Exericse 

Exercise helps with muscle development, digestion, and overall health. A well-conditioned body will work and perform better and increase the ability to carry blood and oxygen to muscles. Exercising burns fat and increases your pet’s metabolism.

Be sure your pet gets at least an hour of exercise every day. However, age, health, and the weather should be taken into consideration when exercising. Do NOT over-exercise older pets, or pets suffering from hypoglycemia, epilepsy, heart problems, etc. Pets suffer from exhaustion just as humans do.

Supplement The Diet With High-Quality Vitamins

Herbal Slim supplement contains all-natural ingredients to provide weight loss support for an overweight dog or cat. This natural weight-loss supplement is often just what is needed.  This formula helps stimulate the body to burn fat by reducing the appetite.  It contains all-natural ingredients including Chickweed, Safflower Flowers, Burdock Root, Parsley, Norwegian Kelp, Licorice Root, Fennel, Echinacea, Black Walnut, Hawthorn Berries, Papaya, and Cayenne.

VITALMIX™ is a tasty, chewable multi-vitamin. It contains 21 amino acids, 11 minerals, and 14 vitamins. Dogs and cats love them. 

Rule Out any other Health Problems

Rule out other health problems such as thyroid, Diabetes, Cancer, etc. 

IMPORTANT!  The recommendations in this article are general suggestions for treating your pet naturally.  It is important to look at each pet individually and determine what works best for YOUR pet. 

I would highly consider a consultation.  A consultation will include a personalized diet and holistic program suggestions, all custom-tailored to your pet’s personal needs. This is particularly imperative in pets with complicated health issues, or if you’ve done outside reading and have conflicting information..   

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Purely Pets today!