Pet Obesity

I just spent the weekend with my wife’s family. They have a Norwegian Forrest Cat named Patches. He also goes by the name Big Man, and for big reason. Patches struggles with pet obesity. He is not alone in this struggle, pet obesity is a growing problem that can cause serious health problems.

Obesity can damage the joints, bones and ligaments. It can cause damage to organs. It can also lead to diabetes, heart disease, and increased blood pressure. The list grows longer with every new study.

Pet owners should know that some breeds are more prone than others. Below is an excerpt from a Flint River Ranch article that discusses pet obesity.

“Some cat and dog breeds are genetically predisposed to being overweight, a predisposition that can be made worse by lack of regular exercise and/or overfeeding (including free feeding). All cats have the potential to become overweight, but the problem tends to be more prevalent in mixed-breed cats, Persians, Domestic Shorthair and Manx breeds.

Some of the more popular dog breeds prone to obesity are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Beagles, Weimaraners, Dalmatians, Basset Hounds, Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties), Mastiffs, St. Bernards, Great Danes, Elkhounds, English Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, Pugs, Dachshunds, Miniature Schnauzers, Miniature Poodles, Shih Tzus, Welsh Corgis, Bichon Frise (Bichons), and Cairn Terriers . Unfortunately, many of the dog breeds prone to obesity are also predisposed to suffering from bone and joint disorders such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia.”

How do you combat this problem?

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to curve a weight problem. Low fat, low calorie food will also give your pet good results. Perhaps the best method is portion controlled feeding. Increasing the number of meals and decreasing the portions will help your pet to lose weight. I know that it requires more work on behalf of the pet owner, but there are solutions out there to make your life easy.

There are an abundance of electronic timed portion controlled feeders on the market. The Ergo Auto Pet Feeder and the Five Meal Electronic Pet Feeder are two great options for dogs. The Six Day Automatic Pet Dish and the Le Bistro Electronic Pet Feeder are great options for cats.

I will continue on with this topic later this week. It is one of the most important pet care topics.

July 9, 2007 | Filed Under Pet Obesity | 1 Comment 

And so it begins…

I have started this blog to discuss pets and pet care issues. We will dive into topics such as pet training, pet obesity, funny characteristics of certain types of pets, etc. I will also attempt to breakdown every dog and cat breed. We will see how that goes.

Feel free to leave comments and engage in discussion. I want this blog to relevant to the pet owners of today. I will start off by telling you about one of my pets, Massimo.

Massimo is a Ragdoll cat. He is pictured below. He is almost two years old. My wife and I bought him because her cat of 17 years had just passed away. I was not a big cat person, so I told my wife that I wanted the biggest cat we could find. She got on the Internet and did the research and we decided on a Ragdoll. Here I am today… the world’s foremost lover of the Ragdoll breed.

Massimo Cat... It is his world, I am just living in it.

More to come about Massimo later, I am certain that you will get to know him very well. I am excited about where this blog will take us and hope that it becomes a refreshing read for pet owners worldwide.

July 7, 2007 | Filed Under Pet Supplies | 1 Comment