Controlling our weight is hard. What we eat, when we eat, and how much we exercise are at the forefront of our minds when we decide we need to lose a few ponds. There are many options to aid us in achieving our goals from gym memberships, to personal trainers, nutrition experts, and diet foods. However, our busy lives and lack of money can impede us from sticking to any plan. So, if it is this hard for us to lose weight with all our options, it makes sense that it is even harder for our pets. According to a recent survey, more than half of our beloved cats and dogs are overweight.

The media and certain campaigns focus on raising awareness about the risks of being overweight for humans. Well, our risks are a lot like those our pets are exposed to if they are overweight. These include breathing problems, type two diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease. And if your pet is sick, your wallet is surely going to cry. Vet bills are astronomical and very few pet owners have any type of medical insurance for their animals. Only two pounds overweight for cats can cause complications, and only 5 pounds for dogs.  Pets might be cute and fluffy when a bit overweight but if their weight is endangering their lives, shouldn’t you help the stay healthy and happy?

There are a few steps you can take to help you pet lose weight.  The first and most important step is a visit to the vet. These can be expensive but this visit alone can help you save money in the future. Also, the doctor can determine what exactly is causing your pet to gain weight. You might be feeding him too much, the pet might not be getting enough exercise, but certain conditions, like thyroid problems, might also be the cause. So you want to make sure you are not starving you loved animal in order to help him lose weight because you feel the pet might be eating too much, only to find out he is suffering from a condition.

If the reason your pet is overweight is that you overfeed him, you have to find out more about the food’s nutritional facts. It is very hard to understand exactly what each ingredient in our pet’s food is. So talk to your vet during the visit about switching to the healthiest food out there and then use a measuring cup to make sure you do not offer your pet too much food. Pets, just like children, love treats. However, you should not give them treats every day. If your pet begs for treats or tries to not eat his regular food in order to get treats, remind yourselves that raising you pet is like raising a child. They cannot get each and every thing they want. Also, if you give your pet a treat every time he begs, he will associate begging with receiving treats and you will have a rough time trying to alter that behavior.

Next, exercise, exercise, exercise!!! With dogs, this is easier than with cats. Take your dog for daily walks, even runs. Let your dog swim or just let them run in the back yard. If you do not have time to exercise with your pet, hire a professional dog walker or a neighbor to do it for you. If you have an outdoor cat, let the cat run around in your back yard for exercise. However, if your cat does not leave the house, buy her climbing structures and foraging toys (these toys require the cat to put in effort in order to get to their food).

Last but not least, measure your pet’s weight regularly to make sure that he is losing weight or have reached his optimal weight. You do not want your pet to lose too much weight as this can cause complications as well. Keep your pet’s weight under control and you will help him live longer and healthier.