Being overweight is a major problem to dogs.
It increases their risks for other related health problems which can be very serious and life-threatening if left unchecked.
A dog usually becomes overweight or suffers from obesity when their eating habits are left unchecked such as when they are allowed to eat more than what their lifestyle demands and when they binge on food. Some, can be caused by other external factors such as exercise and diseases.
Some of the other health complications that your dog can get are listed below. If you do not get these to be treated by a professional veterinarian, it will most probably lead to your dog’s untimely decease. These are shown in order to warn owners of the other more serious problems that they can get if they let their dogs become obese.
First, it most likely that your dog will develop some sort of arthritis one way or the other.
The additional weight that your dog suffers will put a lot of pressure on his legs and joints which are often the beginning causes of hip dysplasia, a type of dog arthritis. It can also affect some of his muscles and even lead to some problems with his ligaments and spinal discs.
Diabetes will also be a health risk for an obese dog. Of course when your dog develops extra fats due to his diet, his body will be more subject to an overdose of sugar or glucose which are the causes of diabetes. When your dog’s body uses most of the insulin or sugar-controlling substance, he will develop a tendency to resist too much of it.
When your dog has a lot of extra weight in his body, he will have a lot of those fats under his skin.
Those fats become the food for various bacteria and viruses which will be one of the cause for him to develop skin allergies or diseases. It can lead to serious infections and other skin problems which may irritate your dog.
A dog which is also overweight will suffer a lot when the temperature gets too hot. The amount of fat under their skin will make it hard for them to cool their bodies off. Hence, there is much more chance for them to suffer from heat-stroke during warmer months of the year.
They are also likely to suffer problems with the circulatory and respiratory systems. The chest area becomes accumulated with fat deposits and makes it hard for the lungs to expand. T
his makes it really hard for dogs to breathe and will also put some pressure on the heart to pump more blood as there is lesser oxygen taken inside the body. When this gets prolonged, it will definitely lead to more serious respiratory and heart problems in your dogs.
