Dear Dr. John,
Our Beagle combine is seven years outdated and weighs 45 kilos. Every member of the household has at all times cherished feeding her to say nothing about how a lot she begs for meals. As you would possibly count on, all of us give in more often than not. So, what do we have to fear about? She is a cheerful canine who’s in any other case in good well being, and he or she has been this manner for a number of years. Our vet has steered diets, however we by no means appear to stay to our weapons. There has been point out of prescription diets earlier than. Do they work? — Thanks. T.S.
Dear T.S.,
The Beagle is a type of breeds that’s extra vulnerable to being obese. According to the AKC and different breed registration organizations, Beagles sometimes ought to weigh between 15 and 30 kilos, relying on measurement. Since your canine is a blended breed and I have no idea what else she is blended with, it’s laborious to establish how obese she would possibly actually be, but I believe she does must be on a food plan. Most canine house owners don’t even notice that their canine are certainly obese, so you might have taken step one in recognizing the fact of her weight.
Overweight canine are vulnerable to all kinds of maladies together with arthritis, propensity for torn ligaments, coronary heart illness, numerous endocrinopathies like diabetes and Cushing’s Disease, and a shorter life. Despite her good well being up till now, there’s a danger as she will get older and continues to be obese. Veterinarians use a scale known as Body Conditioning Score (BCS) of 1-9 that provides one a way of the place their canine is weight-wise. You can discover this on-line or ask your veterinarian .
The reality is that you simply and your loved ones must exhibit some self-discipline and never give in to your canine begging and must make your canine go for extra and longer walks. As for prescription diets, they do work so let your veterinarian recommend which they deem acceptable. The weight reduction must be gradual to not set off points. The finest vacation present you can provide your canine is the begin to a wholesome weight reduction food plan that can hold her more healthy for years to return!
Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic.He might be reached at 781-899-9994.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”