Ever wonder why some dog owners dedicate a lot of time walking around your neighborhood with their dogs? From keeping arthritis and obesity away to ensuring they remain physically fit, these dog owners definitely understand how important exercise is to their dogs.
… if your dog continuously consumes more than it uses, weight gain and obesity could be the end result.
The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in several countries enforcing nationwide lockdowns in a bid to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. This restriction on movement also affected people’s daily activities, including daily walks with their dogs. Lots of dogs gained weight due to their inability to exercise and people began to see that effect on the health of their dogs.
Obesity in dogs refers to the development of excess white adipose tissues in the body. It occurs when the energy expenditure of a dog is lesser than its energy intake. In other words, if your dog continuously consumes more than it uses, weight gain and obesity could be the end result.
WHY IS OBESITY BAD FOR YOUR DOG?
- Shortened life span: Obesity shortens the life expectancy of dogs by 6 to 12 months. This reduction in life expectancy is linked to the associated health consequences and it reduces their quality of life.
- Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis occurs when the joint cartilage wears down. An increase in weight means more pressure on the joints, which can significantly limit your dog’s mobility.
- Diabetes: Diabetes can be linked to obesity in both humans and dogs. Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Diabetes can develop as a result of insulin resistance or damaged insulin receptors. When the insulin receptors are damaged, high blood glucose levels, also known as hyperinsulinemia, occurs. This can be very bad for your pet.
- Kidney disease, cancer, high blood pressure: The negative impact of obesity on the life of a dog is quite numerous.
KEEPING OBESITY AWAY
A good way to avoid obesity is to ensure your dog doesn’t overfeed, especially if you still want it to maintain a consistent body weight. You can have a veterinarian choose the appropriate dog food, practice portion control and also have a consistent feeding time you strictly follow.
Exercise has also proven overtime to be very effective in keeping obesity away.
Exercise has also proven overtime to be very effective in keeping obesity away. Even with Covid-19 restrictions, your busy lifestyle and unfavorable weather, your dog can still get enough exercise through Run Doggy Run Mobile Gym’s dog walking service.
The Run Doggy Run Mobile Gym is a new dog walking service that provides a mobile dog gym to dogs to help keep obesity away. You can book a 30-minute walking session today by visiting rundoggymobile.com.
Header image: Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash