Best Friend

The temperature is dropping and persistent raindrops are just around the corner. For many of us that means staying in by the fire or hanging out in the kitchen while were making a great dinner (for us and our pets hopefully). Lets not forget that our dogs have been hanging out in the house all day, so raindrops or wind they still need more exercise and stimulation than a five minute potty break in the back yard provides. Aim for 30-45 minutes a day walking around the neighborhood or spending some time in a local park. Its good for the mental health, waistline and relationship of both of you.

I know there will be a few days or strings of days where the darkness and the rain challenge you to get out. It happens in my house too. Nows a good time to check your pets shape and determine whether any adjustments need to be made in the portion sizing. During the winter months I reduce our dogs food by 5-10% to prevent excess calories and reduced exercise from expanding their waistlines. Its not much of a reduction, but over the course of these cold months it makes a difference. (Dogs who live outside actually need more calories in the winter because their metabolism is working harder to keep them warm.)

The below chart is an excerpt from Feed Your Best Friend Better that illustrates how a dogs proportions should look. Ideally youre looking for a slight hourglass figure just behind the ribs and a nice abdominal tuck. (Click on the image for a larger view.) Different breeds have slightly different body shapes so if you have concerns, contact your veterinarian. Your vet can also tell your pets ideal target weight and they have that handy scale right inside the entrance so its worth a trip.

For a serious weight reduction do it in steps - if your dog needs to lose 15 pounds, aim for 5 pound reductions every 12 weeks. Obese dogs usually need their food reduced by about 20-25%. Each increment will also mean an additional reduction in the amount of food that you feed, but additional reductions are about 10%. Stepping down in increments helps to prevent your pet from going bonkers with hunger. If your dog is just slightly overweight, talk to your vet about reducing the food by 10-15%.

If your pet is underweight, simply increase by the same percentages depending on your dogs body type.

Questions or comments on this topic? Just drop me a line and let me know and Ill respond here.