Obesity, when we hear of this word the first thing that comes to our mind is of a fat human being.
It is a common prevalent disease among people. Well, did you know animals or the pets we keep can also become obese. Surprised? Well, don't, obesity as a disease also affects animals equally as it does to us humans. When it comes to keeping a pet most of us prefer a dog & it is not at all surprising that your dog may be appearing healthy to you, but in due course of time he/she is diagnosed with obesity.
Statistics of the prevalence of obesity in dogs in Australia throw some startling figures. Almost 40% of dogs in Australia are obese. This is a serious cause of concern for every pet owner. Obesity leads to various other health hazards & it is
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Obesity is associated with metabolic & hormonal changes. Usually it occurs in dogs due to excessive food intake or lack of physical exercise. For which the owners are to be blamed.
How to find out if your dog is obese?
There are various signs that you must look out for to determine whether your dog suffers from obesity. To check whether your pet is suffering from obesity feel around its midsection while your pet is standing. The ribs & spine should be easy to feel & in most dogs they should be tucked in, or slight hourglass shape to the waist. If you cannot easily feel your dog's ribs or spine, & the tucked in waist has thickened considerably enough to give your dog a more tubular shape than you can be sure that your dog has put on some weight & if unchecked, it has the potential to lead to obesity in him/her.
What are the health risk Associated with Obesity?
Obesity affects humans & dogs equally & has the same kind of risk associated with it for dogs as in the case of humans. Some of the condition that can occur due to excessive weight