Overweight dogs live with an invisible threat
Much like people, our pups can succumb to an unhealthy burden of weight as their bodies grow and change. These extra pounds might appear quickly and can be written off as their “cute chunkiness” or being “big boned.”
But, according to a recent study of more than 50,000 dogs, those that are overweight live 2 ½ years less than those at their ideal weight.
Keep scrolling to see the research and our two tips to help your dog find their healthy weight.
The numbers are in
From two decades of research, the University of Liverpool and Mars Petcare’s Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, found that overweight dogs are more likely overall to have shorter lives. While this varied by breed, the results were indisputable.
“Using Banfield data, the researchers examined records for more than 50,000 neutered, client-owned male and female dogs aged between 6 1/2 and 8 1/2 years across 12 popular dog breeds. The correlation between being overweight and reduced lifespan was seen in all 12 breeds, although the magnitude of the reduction differed, ranging from five months for male German Shepherd Dogs to 2 1/2 years for male Yorkshire Terriers.”
So what can dog parents do? This leads us to our first tip, talk to your vet!
“Specifically, veterinarians could use the study findings in discussions with owners of new puppies, to highlight the risk that overweight status poses to health and the need for prevention. The findings could also be used in discussions with owners of already-obese dogs to convince them of the need to implement a controlled weight loss program."
Tip the scales
We like to remind dog parents that dogs can’t tell you if they’re being fed too much, or too little, and they only eat what you give them. Often, people give their dogs too much food, which we’ve covered in another blog post.
Pallaby was created to help solve these problems, with the help of professionals like veterinarian Dr. Doron Vardi.
"The majority of the people that I see have overweight or obese pets and almost none of them realize that there is a problem. Pallaby is a unique product as it really does offer a solution. There is just nothing like this out there."
So our second tip is a bit self-serving (we admit) and that’s for you to consider switching to pallaby. With your input, our algorithm will create a premium kibble plan that’s personalized to your dog’s daily caloric intake.
And according to our dogs, it’s tail-wagga-licious. We think your dog will agree!