The dangers of pet obesity

Lately, Jim noticed his dog Bismarck was getting too fat. Being a canine equivalent of Garfield, Bis hates the outdoors. He despises exercise and will prefer to sit on my favorite TV couch all day. Since he reached six months of age, he was feeding him only one square meal a day with a snack or two in between because he was afraid he would become overweight. His vet had given me this advice. But that didn’t stop him intelligent pooch from getting those extra meals which gave him the extra pounds. Obsessed with food, he ‘thought’ of ways to get them. One night, his sister, arriving late from work caught him on top of the outdoor kitchen counter eating the cats’ leftovers. Once when he was busy, he caught a glimpse of him outside where his nephews and niece were playing. He was begging for those Oreo cookies they were munching on. They have this naughty habit of eating only the filling and the lower half of the cookie, giving the other half to Bis. Later on, he learned that this happened all the time.

In other words, Bis was overeating behind my back. He has even learned a neat trick of opening the plastic container under the kitchen sink where his kibbles were stored. Sure enough, he was gaining unwanted weight and he knew it will cause him health hazards. He introduced him to a strict diet and regular exercise. In a few days, he had started shedding those unwanted pounds. Hopefully, he will get back to the healthy weight he’s got before.

Jim learned his lesson, too. This will teach him to carefully watch his pets’ food intake and teach his other family members the right way to feed their animal companions.

•          Fat pets are more prone to heart diseases. Heart attacks are not uncommon.

•          Extra weight can weaken bones, cause lameness, arthritis and rheumatism. They could also suffer from spinal disorders.

•          Skin lesions and infections can also occur and will ruin your pet’s looks and cause body odor.

•          Incorrect diet can also cause bad breath and cavities.

•          Diabetes is also a hazard for fat pets.

•          Obesity can ruin your pet’s quality of life. Fat pets have a shorter life span and they may become unproductive and give their owners more problems.

•          Obese pets reflect their owner’s lack of responsibility.