How should you deal with an obese dog?Obesity is not treated simply by the limitation of food! Simple reducing the amount of food you feed can put the dog at risk for nutritional deficiencies. That is why it is important to use a low calorie food which can increase content of essential nutrients (proteins, vitamins, and minerals, etc.) Look for a food that is low in energy (10% fatty matter) and high in protein content (over 32%). These foods will help to:
- Preserve the dog's muscle mass (the loss of weight must impact the fat - not the muscle)
- Reduce the energy intake used by the body
- Produce a satiogenic (pronounced "say-she-o-jen-ic") effect (a reduction in the sensation of hunger)
- Retain the appetite for food
Once you have chosen an appropriate food, you should monitor the dog’s weight weekly. Ideally, the dog will reduce its weight by 1-2% loss per week. Be sure to eliminate treats from the dog’s diet – once you notice a reduction in weight, low calorie treats like frozen green beans, apple skins or ice cubes (in moderation of course!) are great, healthy, alternatives. Lastly, be sure your dog gets the exercise it needs!!! Just like their human handlers, dogs need to burn calories to stay healthy!
If you have noticed your breeder is overweight, please send me an e-mail at Heather.Junqueira@guidedogs.org
Dear Mom and Dad,
Here I am almost grown up. In a couple of months I will be off to college. I wonder what that will be like? I think my brothers and sisters will be there too. That will be fun!
I like going to work with my raiser. I stick my head out of my office and try to watch everything that happens down the hallway. Mostly I look for Miss Lois as she walks the office dogs most days. When lunch time comes for my raiser, I get to go outside and play with Legacy a black lab and Hope, who is my sister. Hope is a different color and has all this long hair. We don’t look anything alike. All three of us have a good time and sometimes get really dirty while our raisers eat lunch.
Our puppy group is going to the Igloo ice rink soon. I am excited because as a Florida girl I have never seen ice. I think they are going to be playing a game and skating around in the rink. Being a collie I bet I could round the whole group of them up. Probably catch that thing they hit around too.
We are going to get on an airplane with the Sarasota puppy group in a couple of weeks. Wow! I hear that airplanes are real noisy on the outside. Not sure I want to hear that. Hope I behave myself and am brave in front of dogs I have not met before. I am sure my raiser will help me be strong.
As you can see I stay busy and that makes me happy as I have a lot of energy. Naps are good too and I think I will go take one now.
Love,
Sabrina
Jamie enjoys a birthday celebration and shows off her personalized badanna begging you to"Hug Me... it's my birthday!"
