“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives
whole”…..Roger Caras
We hope that you had a happy holiday and New Year!
Since New Year’s resolutions often involve health and well being, this issue will focus on your dog’s weight and exercise needs. Next month, we’ll talk about cats.
(The largest dog was a 343 lb. English Mastiff named Zorba. He stood 34” at the shoulder and 8’3”, nose to tail!)
One way to determine if your dog is overweight is by being able to feel backbone and ribs in your pet’s spine and chest without excess fat. Also, you should be able to see a curve, or your dog’s ‘waistline’.
Our pets are completely dependant on us for monitoring and regulating what they eat. Following are some tips to help them stay fit and healthy.
- If you think your dog is overweight, it’s best to have a vet ‘weigh in’ to rule out thyroid or other metabolic disorders. Since there are so many different diets (and beyond the scope of this newsletter) we recommend that you seek professional advice and research to customize a diet for the breed and individuality of your pet.
- Dental hygiene is essential for your dog’s well being (more on this topic in a future issue). Teeth need brushing every week (especially older dog’s) between grooming visits to ensure proper mastication, which aids digestion and use of nutrients. This is especially important since giving dogs leftover bones (which tend to be brittle and can cause major problems if swallowed) is no longer recommended.
- Although a dog is usually eager to eat, they do not need to be fed twice a day or even every day. While they do need an ample supply of fresh water, a healthy dog can fast for several days without any harm (very small breeds are the exception). (We do not encourage this but want to point out that a dog’s metabolism is very different from a cat, which could suffer extreme distress if food was suddenly withheld.)
- It isn’t a good idea to encourage a pet to be happy by eating, or for an owner to show affection with food. Also, high calorie treats (Milk Bones) used as tools for good behavior can be replaced with healthier rewards such as carrots.
- Invest in a high quality, balanced
dog food with meat, rather than corn, wheat or rice, listed as the first ingredient.
Grains offer your dog little nutritional value and, in fact, too many can
increase your dog’s risk of disease, since carbohydrates easily convert to
sugar.
- Try to encourage everyone
in the family to participate in restricting an overweight dog’s diet. Remind
them that table scraps are a definite no-no. Encourage them to play ball or
take her for a walk or a run.
- Gradually
increase daily exercise. Try to add an additional 10-15 minutes a day to walking,
with the goal of at least 20 minutes to 40 minutes, daily. Once your dog is
fit, you can build the activity level to include running, active play such
as fetch, ‘keep away’ and even setting up an obstacle course.
- During
inclement weather, you can give your dog indoor exercise through play or,
silly as it may seem, taking him for a walk indoors or up and down the stairs.
- Don’t
exercise (except walking, preferably in the morning or after sunset) your
dog in very hot weather (which is especially hard on large and deep-chested breeds). Dogs don’t perspire and can only rid themselves
of heat through their tongues and paws (avoid hot pavement). Watch out for
signs of heat exhaustion (very serious for dogs), such as heavy panting, salivation
or rapid breathing.
- During
exercise, always be aware of your dog’s fatigue levels and comfort; is she
panting? Keep an eye open for muscle tremors and staggered walking, which
are signs of fatigue. Be sure there is fresh water available after exercise.
As we enter a new year and animal shelters continue to be overwhelmed, please remember to spay or neuter your pet.
To help increase enjoyment of your dog (and reduce the chance of a pet being surrendered to a shelter), we urge all owners to sign up for dog obedience. For referrals, please email Linda Law at llaw871787@aol.com.
Alison Wolfe, a groomer at our
Written by Rebecca Nilson-Owens
FEATHERLE PET CARE
703-378-9500; featherlepetcarechantilly@verizon.net
703-430-0414; featherlepetcaresterling@verizon.net
703-221-3647; canineclipperschool@verizon.net