Sadly, a fat dog is an unhealthy dog. Yes, you intended to be kind but it is a kindness riddled with serious issues!

Dr. Audrey Cook, associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, explained the best way to choose the healthiest option for your pet. “Your regular veterinarian is the best person to give advice on what to feed your pet,” she said. “They will be able to provide an optimal diet type based on the animal’s age and body condition. In general, feeding guides on food products tend to overestimate the amount of food needed, so these guides can be misleading.”

In addition to diet and exercise, pet owners can regularly monitor their pet’s weight by routinely weighing them around the same time of the day. This can be effective in catching your pet’s weight increase before it becomes a more serious problem.

Obesity can also be caused by some serious health problems rather than simply reflecting poor diet and lack of exercise. Weight gain can be related to hormone problems, such as hypothyroidism in dogs and acromegaly in cats, which is defined as excess growth hormone production. Dogs with hypothyroidism gain weight without eating more food than usual, while cats with acromegaly will experience an increase in appetite. Dogs and cats with Cushing's syndrome will appear as if they’ve gained weight with their pot-bellied appearance, but these patients rarely experience a weight increase.

We tend to laugh at chubby dogs; they are so cute and that extra weight just makes them cuddlier. But, as we’ve learned, there are extended issues that come along with that extra fat.

Our pooch’s health is all important. Whether that extra weight is do to a health problem or the cause of an illness, we need to talk with a vet or animal health expert to show us the way! To read more on this important topic visit Modern Dog Magazine.