The holidays are over and its time for everyone’s favorite New Years Resolution… shedding those recently gained and very unwanted holiday pounds. I myself am no stranger to this New Years resolution, and I am also no stranger to failing miserably in my attempts. I find though that where I may not have much control over my own eating habits I am more responsible when it comes to my pets. Whether it is from a decrease in activity or an increase in holiday goodies; our pets suffer from the same winter weight gain issues that their humans do. So what can we do to help “Fluffy” keep her girlish figure?
Good Nutrition – a healthy food formulated for your pet’s life stage is the perfect place to start, but your veterinarian may recommend a special prescription diet food to help your pet lose weight more easily.
Measure, measure, measure – Saying that you only feed 1 cup of food a day isn’t exactly accurate when that cup is a large fountain drink cup. A marked measuring cup of appropriate size should be used to help you measure how much food you are actually giving at each meal.
Meal feeding – Feeding several small measured meals may keep your pet from begging or snacking when he or she is bored.
Healthy treat choices – Treats do have calories no matter how much we wish they didn’t. As a matter of fact, often pets get more calories in the treats that we feed them than they do in their actual meals. Offer vegetables instead of bones or biscuit treats to keep the extra calories to a minimum. You can reward your pet without putting on those extra pounds.
Exercise – Burning calories is a great way to lose weight. Low impact activities are the best place to start: walking, behavioral training, or swimming. When your pet’s endurance increases try playing fetch, jogging, or agility classes. Start slowly to prevent injury. For an inactive patient a few exercise events of 10 minutes duration are a better start than 45 minutes of steady activity.
Monitor your Pets Weight- It is important to bring your pet in monthly for a weight check on approximately the same day every month and keep a chart of how much your pet loses.
But Be Careful!
Sudden transitions to less fatty diet foods may cause your pet to go on food strike. Some pets, especially cats, can be very picky when it comes to the look and smell of their food. Cats can even favor a specific shape to their kibble. Pets can also get an upset tummy from a sudden diet change.
Like everything there can be too much of a good thing. Weight loss of more than 2% per week for dogs and more than 1% per week for cats is not healthy and can cause problems that we want to avoid.
Sign up sign your pet up for our Fit Club today and lose those holiday pounds!