Obese Dogs

• How to Tell if a Dog is Obese?
• Possible Causes of Canine Obesity
• Health Risks to Overweight Dogs
• Herbal Remedies for Obesity in Dogs

How to Tell if a Dog is Obese?

• Give your dog a "hug" and feel her ribs. You should be able to feel each individual rib with a slight layer of fat over them. If you have to work at feeling those ribs or cannot feel them at all, it means your dog is obese. If, on the other hand, you can see the ribs, your dog may be too skinny.
• Feel the area over the base of your dog's tail. A slight layer of fat over the bones is good. If the bones are hard to find, she is overweight.
• Ask your dog to lie down. Then while standing, take a look at her from above. You should be able to see a "waist" behind her rib cage if she is in the healthy weight range. If she does not have a waist, she is obese.
• Finally look at your dog from the side. The waist should again be visible as a "tuck" behind the rib cage area. If her waist is the same as her chest, she is definitely overweight.

Possible Causes of Canine Obesity

• Basset Hounds
• Beagles
• Cairn Terriers
• Cocker Spaniels
• Collies
• Dachshunds
• Labrador Retrievers
• Shelties

Health Risks to Obese Dogs

• Sugar Diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus)
  Dogs suffering from obesity have elevated blood sugar level, therefore they require an increased level in insulin secretion. However, when requirements for insulin exceed the ability of the body to produce insulin, diabetes mellitus develops. Prolonged over-demand of insulin secretion can cause "overwork" in the cells in the pancreas (which produce insulin), resulting in their inability to produce adequate amount of insulin. This again leads to diabetes.
• Arthritis and Joint Stiffness
  About 25% of fat dogs develop arthritis and other serious joint complications. Because of the extra weight that the joints have to carry, over time they can become damaged. Arthritis can develop and joint pain associated with hip dysplasia can become more severe.
  Obese dogs can also suffer from damage of certain ligaments in the knee. (Ligaments are strands of tissue that hold one bone in proximity to another bone in joints). Extra tension on the joints as a result of obesity can actually strain or tear the ligaments in the knee, making the knee unstable. When this happens, surgery is needed to repair the torn ligament.
• Heat Intolerance
  Overweight dogs are more intolerant of the heat, because fat is an excellent insulator, which makes the body much less capable of regulating its body temperature. This can cause lethargy and fatigue in an obese dog especially in the summer heat.
• Breathing and Lung Problems
  The extra fat in overweight dogs can interfere with the proper functioning of the lungs - The extra fat in the chest area restricts lung expansion. The extra fat in the abdomen pushes against the diaphragm, which also results in less space in the chest for the lungs to expand. However, obese dogs need more oxygen because of the increased quantity of tissue in the body. All these put a heavy burden on the lungs and the result is serious particularly for obese dogs who may already have a respiratory disease.
• High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease
  Obese dogs tend to suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension). The heart has to work harder in order to pump additional blood to the increased quantity of body tissues. Over time, this can lead to congestive heart failure.
• Liver Problems
  The liver is the organ where fat is stored. For obese dogs, it means that their livers have a build-up of fat, resulting in a condition called hepatic lipidosis, or "fatty liver". This condition can result in decreased liver function.

Herbal Remedies for Obese Dogs

An Herbal Formula for Obese Dogs PetAlive SlenderPet This herbal formula contains the above-mentioned herbs (kelp, dandelion, milk thistle) and is effective in aiding weight loss in dogs.