Bella just turned 10 this December and she has lost a lot of weight since last year. Age is no excuse for a dog being obese or overweight. Can you see the difference between the photo above and the photo below? There’s actually a nice upward tuck in the second one and not a solid waist.
Bella gained a lot of weight the year mom went away to college-she became disgustingly overweight. Actually, she became obese. Before she had been somewhat overweight (no definitive tuck), but not obese (a solid waistline). We’ve been trying to help her lose the weight since then and Bella got to come to college the next year too, which helped prevent her from gaining more pounds.
All three pups were a bit chunky last year, but we will do separate posts for each one so you can see the difference and so each has their own celebratory post.
Bella is almost ideal weight now. She just has a bit more excess fur that needs to come off and maybe about one more pound to lose before she will be perfect weight, sleek, and fit.
People think that overweight dogs = happy dogs
However, we are going to respectfully disagree with this. How can an overweight dog be a happy dog? As you can see here, the skinnier Bella looks much happier. Why? She’s not lugging around all of that extra weight and she can move. She loves chasing tennis balls and frisbees and doing other active activities, but when she had those extra pounds to carry around, she would tire quickly. When we found out that being overweight can cause joint problems and can cause a host of health problems and that it can also decrease a dog’s life span, we committed to getting in shape and then to stay in shape.
We know many people like to share food with their pups as a way to show their affection (mom likes to indulge in this too) and we think there is absolutely nothing wrong with this (and this is assuming you are sharing food that is not toxic to your pups. Here are some things to never give your canine friends).
However, it only becomes a problem when the extra treats are not compensated for. Mom is very vigilant about how much food we get and she is also working on portioning herself too and getting active with us. If we get lots of treats during the day, we get less food for dinner. But if we get lots of exercise, then we even if we got extra treats, we may still get the regular amount for dinner.
The best way to show affection is to play with your pup (a puzzle, hide and seek, a quick game of fetch, learning a new trick, going for a walk, taking a car ride, taking up a dog sport like Dock Diving or Agility competitively or for fun, and more) and this also strengthens your bond and enhances your relationship with your pups. It’s a win-win for everyone! This is what we do on a weekly basis and how we are kept fit. If you want to check out an awesome blog about getting your dog in shape and tips for staying in shape, check out SlimDoggy.
If we can do it, so can you!
Do any of your pets needs to shed a few pounds? Or have your pets lost some weight and you are super proud of them?
Celebrate with us!
Live Life to the Fullest,
2 thoughts on “FitDog Friday: Age is NO Excuse to be Overweight!”
I am often accused of Neeko being “too skinny.” She has a BCS of 4, and the vet is perfectly fine with it, as am I. I love a lean dog.