The Fattest Bulldog I Have Ever Seen!
Every day I see many dogs. Some I see often, and others occasionally or only once. Every day, something doggy crops up which could make a great post for this site. And yesterday was one of those days.
I parked my car at the northern entrance to Sutton Park, right next to a lady (Lady no 1) with a hyperactive Springer Spaniel. Nothing unusual about having a hyperactive Springer - my brother has Springers and they are ’dash’ dash’ dash’ – all day! She was talking to a very fit looking lady (lady no 2) who I assumed was a keen jogger. They were clearly going for a walk together.
Lady no 1 unloaded her Springer, who rushed off making great crashing noises in the forest. Lady no 2 opened the car and out popped the fattest bulldog I have ever seen. Its back was so broad and flat that you could have placed a tea tray on it without it falling off. Looking at it head on, its body was actually oval shaped, with the wide bits over the ribs (or at least where the ribs would have been in a normal weight bulldog).
The poor thing was clearly in distress from it’s incredible obesity. Bulldogs often suffer breathing difficulties but this was rasping and puffing just jumping out of the car. The strangest thing of all was that the lady owner (lady no 2) obviously took great care of her own fitness, but was oblivious to the damage she was doing to her dog.
Obese dogs get the same problems as obese humans. They get breathing problems, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, strokes, liver disease, joint problems and more. You’re not treating your dog kindly when you over-treat to that extent. Just shortening it’s life and giving yourself expensive vets bills.
Owners want to spoil their dogs. I spoil mine – but I do it without treats. I spoil them with affection and love. I spoil them with long daily walks. I spoil them with good quality dog food. I let them sleep on the sofa. Don’t misunderstand me – we do have rules and I am definitely The Boss – but there are ways of spoiling which prolong and enhance your dog’s quality of life.
Because the problem is dogs don’t know how to say no to a tasty treat. They’re not biologically made that way or mentally rational like us. Offer a dog a treat and it will take it because it doesn’t know where its next meal is coming from. In the wild “food = eat!” so that’s what they do. They don’t wonder if they’re hungry or not first before they take it.
So if you want to treat your dog do it the right way. Give them love, home comforts, quality dog food and good exercise first. I don’t know any dog who wouldn’t find that a treat enough in itself. But if you do use treats, use them wisely – such as for training – and always reduce the amount of normal food you give.
One other point. If you have an overweight dog, the answer usually isn’t an expensive ’light diet’. It’s the good old-fashioned method of ‘more exercise, less food’!
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