Better Living

Tip 11:  Switching Foods

For those that do need to switch their pet to a healthier diet so that they can lose weight, the best way to do this is through a steady procedure.

First, find the healthy food that you want them to consume and be sure it is a product that you will continuously purchase for them.  Then, mix it with their current food slightly. 

Eventually work up so that it is a 50 to 50 split between their old food and their newer, healthier foods.  This will help them to be willing to eat both types.  Do not give them more than they are recommended in calorie intake, but do keep them moving up the percentage of new food to the old food.

Eventually, for example within two weeks, they should be eating 100 percent the new type of food.  This will ensure that they do not go hungry and do not notice the difference.  If you switch outright and they do not like the food, chances are they will not eat it at all even over time.

Tip 12:  Diets For Health Conditions

Some pets, especially dogs, will have health ailments that require that they are on a special diet.  When this happens, one of the worst things that you can do is switch them off of it to a new diet.

If your pet is on a diet specially designed for their current ailments, be sure to follow it as the doctor requires.  Medications can be ineffective otherwise.  More so, complications can arise due to the switch.

For the overweight pet in this situation, work with your doctor to determine what is most important and how a weight reduction diet can be followed.  Most often, this is possible with just an adjustment of calories and more exercise for the pet.  Other times, it may be more important for them to lose weight rather than keep on their same diet.

Never make this decision on your own.  Work with your pet's veterinarian instead.

Tip 13:  High Fiber, Low Fat

For many pets, changing their diets will include reducing the amount of fat foods that are consumed and to increase the amount of fiber in that diet.  This is something that many people have to do as well to lose weight.

Most often used for dogs, this type of diet can be helpful in allowing the pet to have the nutrients they need but to help them to reduce the amount of fats taken in.  Taking in fats can often lead to more stored fat around the body and that is what you are trying to stop.



With your vet's help, tailor your pet's diet to take into consideration the amount of fiber and fat that they should consume.  Pets will need some fat, in most cases but reductions can be effective weight loss methods. 

Read the labels on the foods given to your pets.  You will find this is the best way to adjust these elements of their diets effectively.

Tip 14:  Commercial Diet Products

As a conscious pet owner, you may have noticed the large amount of pet foods on the market that claim to be weight management products.

These products differ from one pet to the next, but most often help the pet by increasing the amount of fiber they get, lessening the amount of fat they take in and provide them with more protein and carbohydrates.  Many of these diets are a good option for dogs and cats, but should be used sparingly if they do not fit other requirements for that animal.

Find out how the product will work, its nutritional value to the pet and then incorporate them into your pet's daily lifestyle.  Consult with your vet to be sure that the product will aim at your pet's specific needs in weight loss. 

Most will provide for lower calories, but having a healthy, well balanced diet is most important in any food.

Tip 15:  Serving Suggestions?

If you look at the label of any type of pet food, you are likely to find what is called the "serving suggestion" of that food from the manufacturer.  Most pet products will have this on the nutritional label.  This is the amount of food that the pet should be given based on the average pet with the average amount of activity (from the manufacturer's view point.)

Going by this guideline is helpful as long as you are able to provide your pet with the recommended calories for them as well as balance it between other foods that the pet takes in.  More so, start at the low end of these product portions and make sure that the pet is getting enough, but not so much that they begin to put on more weight.

You should also want to be sure that you consider what type of food you are feeding the pet in terms of their size and type.  For example, a food especially designed for kittens will have more calories than one designed for older cats.  Adjust the amount of food given to them from the manufacturer's suggestions accordingly.

Tip 16:  Flavorings And Sauce

Perhaps you have seen the various products on the market for pet foods.  These are often aimed at dog products.  They are sauces or gravies that can be poured over the foods to enhance their flavor.  If you are planning to provide these to your dog, be sure that you are very careful doing so.

Most of these products are very high in fats and calories, making any dog food, even healthy foods much more likely to cause weight gain.  Those that use them must make sure to reduce the amount of food that the pet takes in to compensate for this increase.

It is recommended that you avoid these toppings as they really do not provide any benefit to your pet's health and diet needs.  Most often, they are simply ways for your pet to gain weight.  You can remove them from the pet's diet in the same way that you will switch to new foods.  Slowly decrease the amount used until it is completely gone.  Be sure to look at the nutritional value of any complimentary product you put on your dog's food.

Tip 17:  Feed Less Or Switch Diets?

For those that are considering if they can simply reduce the amount of food fed to the pet instead of switching them to a healthier diet, think about this carefully.

The only way to do this successfully is to be sure that the pet's new food is the healthiest it can be for them.  Does it meet their nutritional need?  If so, then feeding them less of it can help them to lose weight.

If it does not provide the nutrients the pet needs, you should consider switching them to a type of food that will do so.  Ultimately, you want them to lose weight but also to maintain a healthy diet.  The combination will help your pet to remain healthier, longer.

Look at the labels of your pet's food.  Compare this to what the vet recommends for your pet.  You will find that this is the best way to protect your pet's health requirements. 

Tip 18 & 19:  Dog Breed and Hereditary Causes

Does it matter what type of breed of pet you have in terms of whether they will be overweight or not?  What about their hereditary conditions?

Some breeds are more likely to have a higher tendency to become overweight.  Some of these dog breeds including Beagles, Labrador Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, Collies, Basset Hounds, Cairn Terriers, and Shetland Sheepdogs.

In addition, if the parents of the pet were overweight, they do are likely to be a bit overweight.  But, just because they have these tendencies does not mean that they have to be unhealthily overweight. 

With the right diet and exercise even pets that are overweight through these conditions can be helped to remain at healthy weight levels!  You just have to be more proactive in making this happen for the pet.  Any of the tips here can help you with making that happen.

Tip 20:  How Much Weight How Fast?

Pets are all different in the amount of weight that they will lose with any weight reduction diet.  As their owner, it is up to you to know how much is a safe amount of weight loss for daily, weekly and monthly goals.

For cats, a reduction of .5 to 2 percent of weight per weeks is plenty.  More than this can be a possible health risk.  The same is true for most pets.

The larger the pet is, the more weight he can stand to lose safely in one week.  But, your goal should never to be more than 2 percent per week as this is a sign that the pet is being undernourished.  That can lead to starvation of the pet even if it is overweight.  More so, pets that are overweight and enter starvation will lose weight much slower than those that are on a healthy diet! 

Find the right combination for your pet and work with your vet to find out what specifically your pet's goals are.