Overweight in pets: what you need to know

How do you know if your pet is overweight?

Because weight gain usually happens gradually, not all dog and cat owners always notice that their pet has gained weight and may therefore be overweight. Overweight can occur in any animal at any age, but it usually develops when the animal is adult and fully grown.

To determine if your pet is overweight, it is important to know what the ideal weight of the animal is. The ideal weight depends on the breed, size, age, and activity level of the animal. A dog or cat is overweight if it is 5 to 10% heavier than its ideal body weight. Is your pet 15 to 20% heavier than its ideal body weight? Then it is considered obese.
Note: every animal is an individual and can differ in build regardless of breed standards.

You can easily monitor your pet's weight yourself. At an ideal weight, the animal's ribs are not visible but can be easily felt. From above, you can clearly see the waist. With overweight, the ribs are not visible and difficult to feel due to the fat layer. Also, there is hardly any waist visible. Another way to keep track of weight is to weigh your pet regularly.

How can you help your pet lose weight?

If you want your pet to lose weight, it is important to adjust its lifestyle. This means the animal needs more exercise and the right nutrition. When the animal is severely overweight, it is advisable to create a treatment plan together with a veterinarian. If necessary, the animal will temporarily need to switch to special diet food. Has your dog or cat suddenly gained a lot of weight? Then also contact the veterinarian to rule out any medical causes.

Have any medical causes been ruled out? Below we share some tips on how you can help your pet lose weight yourself:

• Choose good nutritionWhen your pet is overweight, it is wise to feed food specially made for weight management. These foods contain easily digestible protein sources (such as venison or turkey) and have fewer calories. In addition, they are enriched with a combination of healthy vegetables and fruits, active herbs, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. In the Riverwood range, the variant with Venison, Lamb, and Rabbit for dogs and the variant with Venison, Lamb, and Wild Boar for cats are specially formulated for weight management. Note: these foods are not special diet foods.
  
  
• Weigh the amount of food and snacks. This prevents your pet from getting too much food. If you want to occasionally treat your four-legged friend, give slightly less than the daily recommended amount of food. You can also choose to use part of the daily recommended amount of food as a reward.
  
  
• Give responsible snacks. Many treats contain a lot of calories. If you want to treat your dog, choose healthy snacks. Healthy snacks contain natural ingredients and no added sugars or salt. View the range of healthy reward snacks for dogs from Riverwood here.
  
  
• Provide more exercise. For example, make your daily walks with your dog a bit longer or go swimming with him. Keep in mind that you should build this up gradually to prevent injuries if your dog is not used to extra exercise. For extra exercise for your cat, you can play with him every day and, for example, give his food at a height.
  
  
• Offer the food in play form. When pets have to work for their meals, this also provides extra exercise. Hide the kibbles in a snuffle mat or hide them in different places around the house. Wet food can be given in a Kong or on a Lickimat. Making them work for their food is also relaxing for the animal!
  
  
• Keep a feeding diary. This way, you are aware of all the food your pet consumes in a day and can more easily find out where things go wrong if it turns out your four-legged friend is not losing weight.

With the above tips, you can join your pet in the fight against excess kilos. Note: it is important that your pet loses weight gradually and responsibly. This means the animal should not lose weight too quickly. A weight loss of 1 to 2% of body weight per week is healthy.

Many pets already enjoy Riverwood every day. Do you want your dog or cat to also enjoy our delicious foods and are you curious which variant would suit your dog or cat best? Then answer here a few questions about your dog or here about your cat and order a discounted trial package right away.