Controlling your dog’s weight

Dog nutrition is one of, if not the leading element to successful dog care that you the dog owner need to be aware of. Dog nutrition can contribute to the life span of your pet and the quality of life that your pet leads. This said, it is such a huge topic of interest right now that finding the right food, and following the correct guidelines can be quite a challenge. Due to the vast amount of different dog breeds, pet food manufacturers have developed different types of food best suited for optimum dog nutrition for the specific breed of dog. Being aware of your own dog’s specific nutritional requirements can be a difficult task in itself, and if you are not sure, speak with your vet who will advise you on the best avenue to take.Dog nutrition will change depending on the dog’s age, the possible developing of bad health, etc. This said, providing the utmost nutritional base for a dog that is going through a difficult stretch for whatever reason is key. Your vet will be able to best help you in determining the appropriate food for your pet in cases such as this.

Get into the routine of feeding at the same time each day:

By doing this, the food is not exposed to air for long periods of time meaning it will stay fresh. Also, allowing for the food to be down all day, means that your animal can just eat all day and we all know what that can lead to!

Know how much food your dog needs:

This fact can be tricky. There are multiple factors to consider when trying to figure out the appropriate amount of food to feed to your dog daily. the activity level of your dog, your dog’s metabolism, and genetics, are all factors to consider. What you want to attempt to do, is feed your dog enough to maintain his ideal body weight. For information concerning the ideal body weight of your dog, consult your vet.

Table Scraps:

I strongly advise you to not feed table scraps to your dog. Not only will this develop into a habit on your part, but your dog will never leave you or your family alone whilst your all at the table. Furthermore, certain foods are very bad for dogs to ingest, and can lead to toxicity and severe illness for your dog. For more information on this specific topic check out:

Exercise:

Simply exercising your dog can help to control access weight gain if your dog is prone to such. Another suggestion for controlling access weight gain, is to put your dog on a low density calorie dog food. Your vet will be able to assist you in deciding if this is an appropriate option.