Weight Control
This is critical to the health of your pet. Dogs and cats who are overweight are more prone to heart disease, joint disease, diabetes mellitus and breathing difficulties.
Every time you go to give that little treat, think, “Am I willing to shorten my pets life expectancy by giving this?” A study has shown that dogs who are ideal body condition or a little on the lean side lived up to 2 years longer than their overweight counterparts.
Carrying too much weight slows metabolic rates down, makes nutrient metabolism less effective and makes animals feel like they don’t want to exercise- thereby causing more weight gain.
Regular exercise is the key to weight control alongside food portion control. For example, your dog will benefit much more from a short walk every night than a long walk on the weekend only.
Cats can be encouraged to play to increase caloric output. See our fantastic range of cat toys.
Remember, the old adage of being cruel to be kind is true when it comes to those extra treats. Because premium foods are so calorie dense, a few extra bikkies on your pets meal, or when they are crying for more food, can equate to a whole extra meal in human terms!
Measure out your pets daily requirements for the day and put these into an icecream container- kids can paint the container with your cat or dogs name and picture! Everyone in the family must feed your cat or dog only from this container- once the bikkies are gone, daily requirements have been met, and the container is refilled the next day!
Feed small meals over the day- a lot of owners feed their dogs once a day. They are more likely to beg if this is the case, and cannot utilize their food adequately if they have one big meal (often at night when they are least active) , and then have to wait 24 hours to be fed again.
Use attention as a reward rather than food- Dogs in particular love any attention from you- throw the ball outside rather than giving that extra little treat. Click here for some dog toy ideas.
Every time you go to give that little treat, think, “Am I willing to shorten my pets life expectancy by giving this?” A study has shown that dogs who are ideal body condition or a little on the lean side lived up to 2 years longer than their overweight counterparts.
Carrying too much weight slows metabolic rates down, makes nutrient metabolism less effective and makes animals feel like they don’t want to exercise- thereby causing more weight gain.
Regular exercise is the key to weight control alongside food portion control. For example, your dog will benefit much more from a short walk every night than a long walk on the weekend only.
Cats can be encouraged to play to increase caloric output. See our fantastic range of cat toys.
Remember, the old adage of being cruel to be kind is true when it comes to those extra treats. Because premium foods are so calorie dense, a few extra bikkies on your pets meal, or when they are crying for more food, can equate to a whole extra meal in human terms!
HINTS TO PREVENT OVERFEEDING YOUR PET
Don’t have your pets in the room when you are eating, this stops your pets begging for scraps, picking up any dropped bits of food and removes the temptation from you and your family to “ feel sorry” for them!Measure out your pets daily requirements for the day and put these into an icecream container- kids can paint the container with your cat or dogs name and picture! Everyone in the family must feed your cat or dog only from this container- once the bikkies are gone, daily requirements have been met, and the container is refilled the next day!
Feed small meals over the day- a lot of owners feed their dogs once a day. They are more likely to beg if this is the case, and cannot utilize their food adequately if they have one big meal (often at night when they are least active) , and then have to wait 24 hours to be fed again.
Use attention as a reward rather than food- Dogs in particular love any attention from you- throw the ball outside rather than giving that extra little treat. Click here for some dog toy ideas.
