Adiposity

Overweight causes direct or long-term problems with your dog's health (e.g. circulatory problems).Despite more balanced and constant improvements in pet feeding, today about 40% of all adult dogs are overweight, a condition also known as adiposity.

Overweight is not just an aesthetic problem; it can also quickly cause health problems in dogs, including:

• cardiovascular disease
• joint disease
• diabetes

Scientific investigations have confirmed that being overweight can reduce the average life expectancy of an overweight dog by up to two years; it is also a known cause of osteoarthritis (joint disease) (Kealy et. al. 2002). The cause is always an imbalance in calorie supply versus energy consumption.

Almost 40% of all dogs are overweight today

Diagnosing overweight

• discernible subcutaneous (under the skin) fat over the ribcage and hips
• body weight 10 to 20% above the standard for the breed.
  

 Overweight should be avoided in order to maintain the dog's health. Of course, the means of choice are feeding the dog the right amount for its needs and making sure it gets enough exercise. That is to say, balance the amount of calories with the energy consumed by activity.

Older dogs and certain breeds are prone to overweight. Many dog owners find this hard to understand because they try to ensure their pet is given the right diet and sufficient exercise. However, they can often forget that…

• the dog gets less movement on his daily walk as he ages
• it is not always possible to increase the dog's energy consumption by giving him more exercise
• often, the dog is given additional snacks, leftovers and treats as well as his normal food
• the dog may be given unlimited quantities of a "lite" food. The dog can then compensate for the lower energy content of this food by eating more of it
• es beispielsweise über 9 Monate dauert, wenn man ein it can take over 9 months to reduce overweight of 30% by reducing the energy fed to 80% of the amount required.

Many dog owners are therefore unable, despite their best efforts, to stabilise or reduce their pet's weight.