PET OBESITY

Obesity as commonly perceived is not just a problem with human beings. It is prevalent in animals, both wild and pet.. In case of animals it is mostly found in pets. According to a recent research it has been found that about 25% of the pets are obese or overweight. The study and percentages indicate that the problem has reached proportions where it cannot be ignored.

A pet’s weight cannot be evaluated by just measuring the weight. It is more appropriate to observe the physical condition of the pet by comparing it with one of its own breed or species. The overall appearance of the pet is of prime importance since the ideal weight is very varied in case of pets or for that matter in all animals, in judging the obesity factor.
A scale of body condition scores is used in observation of physical condition of a pet. The body condition score is normally between 5 and 9, and a score of 7 is optimal or ideal. This score is assigned after observing a pets build, fat coverage on rib cage and the waist. Other factors that influence this score are sex, breed, age and life style.

Some observations that can help in your own assessment of your pet are suggested. The ribs should not be visible to the eye but should be easily felt without pressing. The stomach or the abdominal area should be tucked in. These simple tests or feels can be reviewed at home if the owner can objectively record the same. A veterinarian would be required for advice if you find that your pet does not possess the much sought after hour-glass physique. The owner should have a good reference point to infer the results from his observations, i.e. he should have good knowledge and information about the general physical appearance of the species of his pet.

Obesity decreases the life span of your pet, and an overweight pet is generally not healthy. Obesity may lead to diabetes, arthritis, heart complications, endocrinal diseases and bad joints. The medication for these conditions is also seriously compromised due to underlying obesity factors and age.

You pet is overweight because of the simple reason that it has more to eat and not enough exercise. The over feeding trend arises from the owners special way of showing love and care to their pets It is very important to keep tabs on the feeding habits of your pet. Many pet food packs carry a dosage level instruction, but it cannot be really depended upon. It is the owner who has to decide how much feed the pet since a lot of other factors like life style, exercise, activities, age etc. Most animals tend to overeat given the opportunity, curbing it is the owner’s responsibility. Taking advice from a veterinarian in regard to determining the pets ideal weight, creating a weight loss and maintenance plan, would be a good start.

Read More..

Adopting a Dog and Dog Training

Adopting a dog from an animal shelter is very rewarding for the new owner, as more and more dogs are put to sleep if they are unable to find a home after a certain length of time. You are rewarded in the way that you have saved a dogs life, and additionally rewarded the animal shelter by helping them feed and look after the other dogs, and also that they have managed to save a dogs life and find it a new loving home.

When you purchase one from a shelter, it should have had the necessary injections, be checked for diseases and parasites and the new owner should be informed of the dog’s temperament and past history. This should come as standard.

The dogs at a shelter are not always strays and abandoned dogs, but quite a high percentage are handed in by the dog’s owners, for many reasons. This is beneficial for the new dog’s owner as they have more information about its history, whereas abandoned or strays have no history.

New owners should be informed of the dog’s behavior with children, if it is a noisy dog, and also whether or not the dog needs training, and if so pointed in the right direction for a dog training school.

Animal shelters provide a valuable service to the community by helping to keep the streets free of abandoned pets, and are mainly funded by the public, but the majority is voluntary. Adopting a dog, not only saves the life of one dog, but also allows space for another off the streets, potentially saving another dog’s life in the future.

With regards to Dog Training, one of the most important outcomes of dog training is to teach your dog that your are his or her master and that you are in control, which in the long round will take a lot of stress from your dog and allow them to lead a healthier and happier lifestyle. This is especially true of older dogs that have got into bad habits. Always carry on teaching your dog after training school, as it is like doing homework, if you do not practice it, you will not know it for the future, and therefore all of that hard work and time will have gone to waste.

About The Author

Paul Callis is a long time keeper of dogs, and has put together a very informative resource site on dog training that can be located at http://www.abc-dogtraining.info.

Read More..