Over lockdown many of us found there to be an unfortunate side effect of not being able to get out as much, having to control our weight! With the closure of parks and the rules allowing for only one walk a day, this may have been a problem for your dog too. Dog owners being at home all of the time may have contributed to this problem as well, as there's only so many times we can ignore those doleful eyes before we give in and give them another treat or chew. At The Pets Larder we know that it's as important for your dog to maintain a healthy weight as it is for us humans. Thankfully it can be as easy to maintain your dog’s weight at healthy levels as it is for us too. With regular exercise, appropriately low fat treats and changes to their feeding routine, being simple and effective ways to keep your dog as healthy as they can be.
We’ve got together with all the amazing staff here at The Pets Larder to give you our top tips and products to aid in controlling your dog's weight and to help you prevent problems associated with canine weight gain in the future.
If your dog seems to have a more serious problem with managing their weight you should always contact a vet first before taking any further action.
Tantalising Low Fat Natural Dog Treats
Of course the single most important thing when considering controlling your dog's weight is being aware of the amount, and the quality, of food and treats they consume. A simple way of reducing the amount of fats and calories your dog consumes is to switch to a low fat, all natural option when it comes to their treats. At The Pets Larder we have an excellent range of low fat treats and chews so you can reward your dogs without the risk of unwanted fat being gained. We've chosen a couple of our favourites to show how easy it is to make small changes to your dog's routine which can result in a big change to their health.
Soopa: Low Fat Coconut Chews For Dogs
These 100% coconut dog chews aren't just low in unhealthy fats, they can help to stimulate the metabolism too making them the perfect chew to help with weight control. Coconut contains medium chain triglycerides which are fats that are used directly as an energy source rather than stored. Coconut is also al natural detoxifying agent so can help remove nasty toxins from your dog's body all whilst keeping them trim at the same time.
Exercise
Keeping your dogs exercised goes without saying when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, however if your dog is struggling then we have a couple of tips for you. The first thing to try is extending your walk times by about 20%. With the recommended walk time being 20 minutes twice each day that would mean extending to 24 minutes each day. Although this doesn't seem like a lot it can make a big difference. The second tip is adding some new toys to your dog's walks and playtimes. Toys such as the KONG Fetchstix or the Chuckit! Rugged Flyers are designed to make your dog's exercise feel like a pleasure rather than a pain and increase your dog's activity levels when out.
Puzzle Toys and Meal Plans
Another simple way to reduce the amount of fats your dog is storing is to increase the workload when it comes to having their favourite treats or food. Puzzle toys can help with burning calories whilst they are being rewarded as it requires physical and mental energy to get to the treats. Some toys such as KONG Lock-It can even be used to feed whole meals to your dogs, using your dogs dry kibble to stuff inside, making every mealtime a workout too! These puzzle toys are also a great way to slow down your dogs' feeding, preventing them from wolfing their food down meaning they should feel fuller for longer too.
You can also try feeding your dogs small even meals throughout the day to avoid insulin spikes and therefore fat storage. Using the same amount of food you’d feed your dog on a usual day, split it up into small even portions and put the food into a puzzle toy or bowl at evenly spaced intervals throughout the day. This can help with digestion as well as burning more calories at every feed, making for a simple but effective way to control your dog's weight.
