You should be very concerned if your pet is carrying excess pounds. About 25% of the dogs in America are actually overweight. You need to know howcum? There are those who believe that it is related to our electronic/digital age and the little time that we have -- or choose to have -- for our pets.
These days, a lot of people take shortcuts. They use their remote controls and their microwaves and their dishwashers and their computers to make their lives easier so that they don't have to work as hard. This is supposed to leave more time for us to do things like walking the dog or spending time with your kids if you'd rather do that. Although why anyone would rather spend time with his kids than with his dog is beyond me.
The tasks that we have to do -- all of that dishwashing and stuff like that -- gets done. But it seems like folks are finding other things with which to fill their time. Those other things include the internet -- which can gobble up hours at a stretch, as can the television. These are things that interfere with getting outside and walking the dog (and yourself, incidentally). It seems as if people just can no longer find the joy of a simple life and simple things. As a result of that, our pets are suffering.
Not only are you overweight, so is your dog. While you may not care about your own health, but your dog suffers. In addition, there is a tendency now for people to move into areas where there is even less room for dogs to run around. Fewer people have back yards. Fewer people live in an area with a nearby park where they can walk the dog.
In addition to all of this, overprocessed pet foods are contributing to the problem of overweight pets.
And you may -- unintentionally, I recognize -- be feeding your dog a diet of unhealthy scraps and not realize that it will have a deleterious effect on her health.
You need to notice and you need to take action if your dog is overweight. It will lead to her early death and it could lead to any one of a number of diseases that are associated with obesity. Among these diseases are:
If you think your dog is overweight, or if you can take a look and know that your dog is overweight, it's time to take her to the vet. Your vet will be able to provide you with an exercise plan and a diet that will suit your dog's needs. Your vet may be able to tell you of things that you have been doing wrong that directly contribute to your dog's weight problem.
Another thing that you can do -- even without a vet -- is arrange your own schedule so that you are not too busy to spend time with her. You may think that there's not an extra minute in your schedule. But I challenge you that you can find time for your dog. She will be a lot happier and healthier if you feed her the right things and take the time to do some healthy exercise with her.
Frankly, some healthy exercise wouldn't hurt you either, would it?
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