(This is an original article published in AmericaOutdoor.com)
Even pets have the tendency to gain an extra belly especially if their owners eat a lot too while lacking exercise. People who want to lose weight would want quick and effective solution that's why they turn to diet pills or weight-loss meds. This is what most owners do too when they have overweight pets. However, losing the extra pounds through the natural way is more suggested to ensure pet health.
Natural way means no pills or meds, just plain diet and exercise. Owners should feed their pets less while giving them more time to exercise. Some owners are very delighted to see their dogs or cats pigging out, thinking that they will be healthier with more food and nutrition. But having an overweight pet carries problems and inconveniences on both pets and owners.
In 2008, a research by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention revealed that an estimated 50% of dogs and cats in the United States are overweight or obese. This is quite a disturbing fact which means that most owners are really spoiling their pets with too much food but are not able to let their pets shake off the extra pounds with proper exercise.
Exercise is a very effective way to lose weight especially if done along proper and healthy diet. Pet owners can take their pets for a walk or go jogging every morning in the park. Walking can already contribute to weight-loss and as a matter of fact, is a recommended to burn calories and fats. Jogging also makes both the pet and his owner more active. It is important for health and wellness, and of course to weight-loss too. Pet owners can also conduct dog training to exercise not only the pet's body but also his mind. However, most pets can be stubborn at the beginning especially if they've gotten used to their pigging out and potato couch lifestyle. There are ways to motivate pets to participate in training such as commending them or giving treats. For pets that are really hard to teach, there are dog training collars that can aid owners in teaching their pets. One of the most widely-used is the Petsafe dog training collar which is very effective especially when used with proper collar training techniques. There are pet owners too who prefer to conduct agility dog training. This is a good way not for pet health but also for pet intelligence. Figuring and running through agility courses makes pet smarter.
Without a healthy diet and proper exercise, overweight pets are likely to experience numerous health risks such as osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, respiratory disorders, hypertension (high blood pressure and heart disease. Avoid these health problems and get pets into the active and healthy lifestyle.
