For humans, one of the prerequisites of maintaining health is managing the weight of a body. And not only for humans, but the above statement also stands true for your pooch as well. It might be surprising for you but according to the Association for pet obesity prevention,” 56% of dogs in the United States were overweight or obese in 2018”.This is not good news as far as the health scenario for dogs is concerned because excessive weight can cause several negative effects on your body. And these negative effects can lead to some serious health complications.

You should know about these health issues that an overweight dog can suffer so that it’s clear why it is so important to maintain your dog’s weight?

Complications That Overweight Dogs Have

Complications

The Efficiency of the Digestive System

It’s obvious that the efficiency of the digestive system gets affected as the system struggles to perform due to less use of the nutrients and energy generated by digestion. There is a lot of input but the output is not utilized, this cripples the digestive system and makes it lethargic. Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal issues along with increased flatulence.

Diabetes Mellitus

It is a type of diabetes that dogs may suffer if they are overweight.  Increased level of sugar in the blood increases the demand of insulin in the body which is very difficult for the pancreas to produce thus causing the pancreas to burn out or get damaged. Some of the symptoms are increased thirst, frequent urination, increased appetite, and weight loss.

Joint Issues Or Arthritis

Excess weight puts more stress on bones and the cartilages that function near joints this can damage and wear the cartilage down quickly eventually causing joint pain or arthritis. The most affected areas are hips, knees, and ankles because there is direct pressure on these parts.

To avoid joint pain and ensure sure the joint health is maintained you can start giving your dogs joint supplements. These supplements will reduce the joint cartilage degeneration also alleviate pain if your pooch is already suffering from joint pain. Supplements like Joint Gard, Arthrimed tablets, Arthrimed Joint Supplement, and Nature’s Answer Glucosamine also help in treating arthritis and prevent joint health issues due to excessive weight, while you are working on reducing your pooch’s weight.

Heart Disease

Heart health is heavily affected by high blood pressure because the heart has to work to pump blood into an overgrown body. Due to extra effort that heart puts it causes the body to get tired quickly and panting is also observed even after a small physical effort. This can sometimes cause congestive heart failure as well.

Reproductive Complications

Yes, even the reproductive system is affected by obesity, a condition called dystocia that makes the process of labor very inconvenient for the pregnant overweight female dogs. In some cases, C-section remains the only option.

Hence make sure that you maintain the body weight of your dog because failing in doing so have some severe repercussions. Overweight dogs also have a tough time doing exercises so please start with mild exercises like walking and playing with toys. Maintaining the diet by cutting down the extra food that he/she gulps down every now and then.