Weight management tips for dogs is a paid collaborative post with Royal Canin UK & IE as part of their #PerfectingPetWeight campaign but all thoughts are my own.
Research conducted by the University of Liverpool and Mars Petcare’s WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition.
Did you know that 1 in 5 dogs in industrialised countries are categorised as obese and 1 in 2 in the UK are overweight? I am not going to lie Alvin is a fair-weather dog and puts on weight during the winter months as he often just refuses to walk and sits down!
At the moment, Alvin is seeing the vet on a monthly basis for injections due to a skin condition and takes Royal Canin Canine Anallergenic. Therefore he is weighted monthly and we have noticed a slight increase in his weight, which was just as we expected.
It is crucial to keep an eye on your pet’s weight and you can even check the ideal dog weight for your specific breed, but it is important to know that there is more to a healthy dog than just its weight.
Another way to check is to look at the dog body condition score which is fab if you don’t have scales or take regular trips to your vets. It talks you through how to use other methods to see how your dog’s doing health-wise.
If your dog is in need of slimming down a little then we have some top tips that might help, but first and foremost talk to your vet, as they often have a clinic or nurse trained in weight management.
Ways to keep on top of your dog’s weight
Exercise them more
This is hard if like Alvin your dog doesn’t want to exercise during winter or has a condition preventing it. But exercising doesn’t just need to be walking.
It can be swimming, playing tug, hide & seek or even making them go up and down the stairs a couple more times each day.
Feed them less
Again, I know from experience just how hard this is, but we now actually weigh Alvin’s food and have a scoop that’s the perfect size for his needs.
Stop the treats
The only treats that Alvin gets are carrot batons due to his allergy. Even so, I cut a week’s worth and place them in small bags in the fridge. Once they are gone, that is it. It is so easy to treat, especially when you have children that just want to be kind.
