I have a confession to make: my Moose is a fat boy. He’s a good 20 pounds overweight – though the vet tells me he should weigh around 75lbs, he tips the scales at 96lbs. I know this is bad for his health. I know this puts him at risk for hip displaysia, plus some of the same ailments overweight humans face like diabetes, arthritis, and cardiac disease.
At least I’m not alone; a recent survey of British dog owners found that about a third of all dogs are overweight. This isn’t good! But I suppose it makes sense that as people get chubby, their pets will too.
There are two factors that make Moose (and me) overweight: lack of exercise and excess of eating.
I have a big, fenced backyard. When Moose and Lally want to go out, all I have to do is open the back door and let them go. So I figure they don’t really need regular walks, they can run around the yard as much as they want! But look out the window when Moose is in the yard and you’ll see him sitting at the fence watching the world or laying in the grass. He only runs when there’s a squirrel, bird, cat, or kid on a bike in the vicinity.
For 2006, I resolve to take Moose and Lally for more frequent walks. Not only is it good exercise, it gives them a chance to experience new sights, sounds, and smells. Regular walks keep your dog from getting bored.
As for the excessive eating, that’s something Moose and I both need to work on. At the vet’s suggestion, I eliminated wet food from Moose’s diet. (To be fair, Lally doesn’t get it either.) Moosie also gets fat-boy formula (weight control) kibbles. I also don’t buy soft treats anymore, only the crunchy kind.
The combination of regular exercise and healthier food should help the Moose work off some extra baggage… now I just have to figure out what I’m going to eat! Funny how it’s easier to get my dog to lose weight than to get ME to… I’m going to read the Weight Loss blog now!