Like humans, animals can suffer from weight problems that can lead to internal health problems. Due to the fact that animals are so much smaller than you and me, one pound gained causes much more stress on their little bodies. It is very important to maintain the healthy weight of your pets as you do your own body.

The two most common reasons for obesity in dogs is a low activity level and over-feeding or feeding people food you your little guy. We love to shower our pets with love and attention and sometimes slipping them a few pieces of turkey on Thanksgiving or extra treats when they behave well can slowly pack on the pounds.

Extra fat on their body can strain the heart, slow down circulation and even shorten their life span. Talk to your vet about what healthy weight your pet should be at and start to take action if he or she is carrying around a little extra baggage.

Here is a great homemade dog food recipe to promote weight loss while still satisfying your furry friend:

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups cooked vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans, corn, etc.)

1 cup oat or wheat bran

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup uncreamed (low fat) cottage cheese

1/2 pound (1 cup) ground or chunked turkey, chicken (without skin), lean beef, heart, liver or lean hamburger

2 1/2 teaspoons Animal Essentials calcium

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

balanced dog vitamins

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook vegetables, using 3-4 cups of water. When they are soft, add the bran and oats.

2. Cover and let sit for ten minutes or until the oats are soft.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except the vitamins. Refriderate extras.

When serving a meal portion, add a balanced dog vitamin that supplies the minimum daily standards, as recommended on the label.

As Americans, we have heard over and over about whether or not carbs are good for your body and if eliminating them can help promote weight loss and other health benefits.

When it comes to your canine, carbs can be an excellent source of nutrients. For your furry friend, it’s not about whether or not they should eat them, it’s what carbs they are putting in their body.

Often times owners will focus on proteins and leave out the healthy carbs your pup needs to stay healthy and sustain energy. Many dog foods contain empty-calorie sources such as sugar, propylene glycol and corn syrup. It is rumored that even leftovers from doughnuts and fast food chains have been used in dog food to supplement the needs for carbohydrates instead of using natural and healthy resources. This is absolutely shocking!

Other examples of SHOCKING unhealthy carbohydrate sources used in dog foods are:

- Rice Flour

- Beet Sugar

- Corn Gluten Meal

- Brewer’s Rice

- Rancid or Moldy Grains (unacceptable for human concumption)

Be sure to read your dog food label carefully. As wary as you can be about what you put in your body, you need to be careful about what you put in the body of your pet as well.

When reading labels, avoid brands that list ingredients in loose, generic terms such as:

- Meal and Bone Meal

- Meat By-Products

- Dried Animal Digest

- Poultry By-Product Meal

- Poultry By-Product

- Digest of Poultry By-Product

- Liver Glandular Meal

- Fish Meal

- Fish By-Products

High quality products contain complex carbohydrates that come from whole grains. These are more nutritious and naturally healthy for your dog’s body the same way they are for you! You want to look for the word WHOLE GRAINS in the ingredients–if you don’t recognize an ingredient and are suspicious as to if it’s a natural ingredient…it probably isn’t!

For more information or to speak to a K9 Klass professional on finding the perfect healthy brand of food for your dog, call: (310) 322-3649.