All of our bones come from iDevour Ltd. They are a local business here in Larne, Co. Antrim who have been providing meat to the area for many years. They
Pet obesity is a huge problem in the UK. It is estimated that around 53% of cats and 40% of dogs are overweight or obese. Obesity can lead to a number of health conditions that severely reduce the quality of your pet’s life and is likely to reduce their overall life expectancy.
It is important to take steps to help keep your pet’s weight in check, and if you are worried, you should get in contact with your vet to devise a plan of action. Here at Paws and Nosh, we take pet health seriously too. That why we’ve put together 6 quick tips to help you help your pet lose some weight.
- Identifying the Problem
Pets come in all shapes and sizes. This means, occasionally it can be difficult to tell if your pet is overweight or obese, or just really fluffy! The most effective way of determining their weight, and if it is a healthy one for their age, breed, and gender, is by taking them to the vet. But there are some methods you can try at home too. The PDSA have this handy visual guide to help gauge if your dog or cat are not a healthy weight.
- Diet
Perhaps the most obvious one, but one of the most important, is your pet’s diet. This does not only include what you feed your pet, but when too. Most complete pet foods will offer some feeding guidance depending on the type of pet, and what stage of its life its at. Creating healthy and regular routines around food can help your pet not consume more than it needs to.
It is also important to avoid giving your pet leftovers, however tempting! This is because the calorific but low nutritional value of leftovers can mean your pet will pile on the pounds with no health benefits to show for it.
- Exercise
Another obvious, but another very important one. Again, how much exercise your pet actually needs (or wants!) will vary with pet breed and age. But keeping pets moving is so important for them to burn off calories, keep their joints moving, and keep all of their bodily systems ticking over nicely. So, whether that is taking your dog on longer walks, or playing with your cat, keep your pets moving!
- Portion Control
Most pet don’t necessarily know when to stop eating! Leaving bigger bowls of food out can mean your pet overeats, causing them to gain weight, which is going to have a knock-on effect on their activity levels and consequently, overall health.
To combat this overeating, it is important to devise a meal plan that includes all of the nutrients your specific pet needs, without including too many calories. This means weighing out how much your pet needs, creating good mealtime routines, and reading the nutritional information and recommendations of the pet food you use.
A good way of adding nutritional value to your pets’ dry food, without adding unnecessary calories, is Paws and Nosh bone broth concentrate. Click here to read more.
- Low Calorie Supplements
We all like to treat our pets, and treats are an important part of training regimes for dogs. But if we want our pets to have a long and fulfilling life, we need to make sure we aren’t giving them too many calorie intensive treats!
Why not try some low calories alternatives? Check out our delicious bone broth jelly paws.
- Weight Checks
Last but not least, is making sure you weigh your pet regularly. Whether this is at home, or at the vets, it is important to keep our pets a healthy weight for their overall health and happiness. Especially if your pet is overweight or obese, making regular weigh checks provides a way for you to see what kind of food, meal routine, and exercise plan is having the desired effect on your pet and their weight.
If you are concerned about your pets’ health, get in contact with your vet.
