How to stop your puppy from becoming an obese grown up

Original article by Dr. Joe Inglis, BVSc, MRCVS*. Edited for blog publication by Kelly Gredner, RVT, VTS (Nutrition).

When we have new puppy patients, veterinary hospitals are busy with their regular vaccinations schedule - but it's not just medical treatments that are crucial at this young age. From diet to training, exercise to socialising, numerous things play a significant role in a dog’s future wellbeing. Prevention will always be better than cure!

All of these areas of health and wellbeing are important, but diet is arguably the most important of them all. A healthy, appropriate diet in those early years can bring health benefits from weight to energy to long-term wellbeing. The wrong diet can present a real danger to dogs’ future health.

The science of the gut microbiome is fast advancing and starting to show clearly how beneficial healthy diets with fresh whole food ingredients can be for dogs. The gut microbiome is full of bacteria and the role of the bacteria is to do much of the work of digesting food to make it available to your dog. The earlier your dog’s diet can start supporting their microbiome the better.

From my perspective as a vet I am convinced that the best way to feed a puppy for long term health is to include as much fresh whole food nutrition in their diet as possible, and this can be achieved in lots of ways, from adding a complete and balanced gently cooked meal to a top-quality dried food, right up to the ideal diet being 100% gently cooked meals with all the nutrients required for a puppy!

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Diet doesn’t just affect health through the microbiome though — the calories in a puppy’s diet are also a key factor in energy and weight control.

Obesity is a major issue for our dogs, with over a third of all dogs in the North America thought to be overweight or obese. Dietary habits (both for the dog and owner) feature in the reasons for a puppy being overweight or obese, and the associated increased risks of a wide range of related health issues including heart problems, diabetes, arthritis and many more.

There are many ways you can reduce the risks of your puppy becoming obese, including your choice of feeding regime. Processed dry foods are super convenient and often more affordable than other types of food, but they are much more processed than fresh foods which makes a real difference to the nutritional benefits your puppy receives. Due to their convenience, it is also super easy to over-feed your puppy (such as leaving a bowl of kibble out all day). Rather, we want to focus on meal feeding!

It’s important to weigh your puppy as regularly as possible and combine this with measuring and monitoring their body condition so you can make a really good assessment of how appropriate their current weight is for them.

This just means looking at your puppy and running your hands over their ribs and hips, a healthy puppy will have a thin but clear covering of fat under their skin, but not so much that the bones of the ribs and hips are difficult to see or feel. You should easily be able to feel the ribs when you run your hands over their flanks, but they shouldn’t be obvious when looking at them.

If it’s hard to feel the ribs, and there’s no obvious waist between the ribs and hips, your puppy is carrying a little too much body weight and you should slightly reduce their daily food intake. If the ribs feel too prominent and very easy to feel, increase their food until they reach a healthier body condition. Regular check-ins with your veterinarian will also help keep you and your pup on track!

If you follow these basic principles, and make sure you’re feeding for a healthy microbiome with plenty of fresh wholesome ingredients, you’ll ensure your dog grows up at a healthy weight and can enjoy a long, happy and healthy life.
*Originally published in Cotswold Life, this article by Dr. Joe Inglis, a UK-based Veterinarian and expert in animal nutrition, has been republished here, with minor edits, with the author’s express permission.

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