YOUR DOG IS OVERWEIGHT

A study tracking nearly 14,000 dogs across the United States reveals that more than half of American dogs are now overweight. Overweight dogs face diabetes, arthritis, kidney disease, and shortened lifespans. [* Shortened but very, very happy lifespans.] Even more troubling: many dog owners have no idea their dogs are overweight: 24% disagree with professional veterinary assessments that their dog is obese. The study, published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research, [* More like “American Journal of the Overly Obvious Research”] found that sporting dogs like Labs and Goldens scored highest on “food motivation” measures, meaning they’re more likely to scavenge for scraps, beg persistently, and never seem satisfied after meals. One of the main reasons for overweight dogs is that we don’t put our dog on a diet until after the weight gain has occurred, rather than preventing it in the first place. This is similar to someone who starts dieting only after gaining 20 pounds. Veterinarians have a couple of recommendations:
– Use puzzle feeders to force dogs to work for meals. This satisfies their foraging instincts while slowing consumption.
– Feed them multiple smaller meals throughout the day. This helps food-motivated dogs feel satisfied without increasing total calories.
* Plus you’ll enjoy your dog following two feet behind you every moment it’s awake, looking for that next mini-meal.
* So half of our dogs are fat? I know which half in mine – it’s the back half.
* I could never figure out why Scooby-Doo didn’t weigh, like, 300 pounds.
* We use a puzzle feeder in my house. We pull something out of the fridge, we say, “What the hell is this?”