OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This cat is FAT! Is your pet FAT? That’s right; I said the “F” word. So, is your pet fat? Are you sure she’s not?

Most pets are overweight and most pet caregivers are happily unaware of their pet’s body condition or what their pet’s ideal weight should be. In fact, in my experience, most pet caregivers have a bloated concept of what a dog or cat should look like.

Here are 3 ways to tell if your pet is the right weight.

  1. Feel the ribs – Feel the sides of your pet just behind the shoulder blades. Can you easily feel the ribs? If you have to press through a layer of soft, gushy stuff to feel your pet’s ribs then your per is overweight. If you can’t feel the ribs no matter how hard you press then your pet is obese.
  2. Waist – Now, look straight down on your pet’s body while he’s standing. There is an area right behind the rib cage called a waist. (That means the body is supposed to indent there). Does your pet have one? If not, your pet is fat. (There, I said it again).
  3. Tummy tuck – Look at your pet from the side. The tummy should tuck up, not sag down.

Being overweight predisposes pets to many health conditions. Fat adds weight to the body stressing all the joints and causing the pet to have to work harder to get around. It also stresses the heart by making it pump blood to all that excess tissue.

We used to think that fat just sat there and stored energy. Now we know that fat is an organ that is metabolically active.

Fat cells secrete pro-inflammatory compounds into the bloodstream. This predisposes the body to all kinds of inflammation such as dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) and arthritis (inflammation of the joints).

Your pet’s processed food predisposes him to gain weight due to the excessive carbohydrates it contains. It is best for your pet to eat a species appropriate, raw diet. If you can’t do that, then at least feed less food and treats to help your pet stay fit and healthy.

How fit is your pet? Come on, fess up.

2 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *