How do I get rid of my dogs belly fat

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 18, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Dog Obesity: Why Its Important To Manage Your Dogs Weight

Plump puppies may be cute, but when it comes to canine health, lean is better.

Still, as is true with humans, too many dogs are overweight, according to the Association For Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP). In its eighth annual survey of the girth of American pets, released in March 2015, the organization found that 53 percent of the nations dogs are overweight.

International research suggests that this is a global problem, with surveys from various parts of the world showing that the incidence of canine obesity around 40 percent or more.Most investigators say that this health issue gets worse each year. Another part of the APOP survey showed that in 2014, 17.6 percent of dogs were clinically obese (30 percent or more overweight). That was up a full point from just one year before.

Courtesy of APOP

Even worse, 95 percent of owners dont realize that their plump dogs need to drop a few pounds. The APOP calls this a fat pet gap, in which a chubby dog is identified as normal.

Dr. Ernie Ward, veterinarian and founder of APOP says, Pet owners think their obese dog or cat is a normal weight, making confronting obesity difficult. No one wants to think their pet is overweight, and overcoming denial is our first battle.

Health Problems Caused By Dog Obesity

There are many diseases and conditions that come along with extra pounds. These include:

How to Tell If Your Dog Is Obese

The rules range for people, but for pets, figuring out whether your dog is overweight or obese is a matter of both appearance and touch. You should, for example, be able to feel your dogs ribs when you press her sides. Several dog-food manufacturers have canine body-condition charts that can help you determine if your dog needs to drop a few pounds. Heres an example:

What to Do If Your Dog Needs a Diet?

As with humans, there are a few tried-and-true methods for slimming down. First, you should check with your vet to make sure that the excess weight is not the result of an underlying health problem or disease. Also, before you changefood or reduce calories, youll want to get your dog a checkup and talk to your vet about the best options. After taking these steps, check out these helpful tips:

Measure Meals:Keeping a diary is one of the most important steps in any human weight-loss program. Since dogs cant write, youll have to do it for him. Keep track of how much kibble you are feeding by using a measuring cup.

Establish a Schedule:If you free-feed, leaving food down all day, offer meals on a set schedule. Put the food down for a certain time, perhaps 15 minutes, and take up any food that the dog does not eat.

Limit Between-Meal Snacks:Dogs get a lot of calories in addition to their regular kibble. These can include anything from training treats to a biscuit slipped over the fence by a friendly neighbor. Those calories add up. Find out where the extras are coming from and manage how many extra goodies the dog is getting.

Choose Low-Calorie Treats:Many store-bought treats, especially biscuits, can be fattening. The same goes for chews. Some dogs will be just as happy with fruits or vegetables, like bananas, carrots, green beans, and apple slices, for example.

Certain chews, such as the popular bully sticks, are higher in calories than most people believe. A recent study from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University examined the nutrients found in 26 different kinds of bully sticks. Each inch contained between 9 and 26 calories. While calorie information isnt currently required on pet treats or most pet foods, these findings reinforce that veterinarians and pet owners need to be aware of pet treats like these bully sticks as a source of calories in a dogs diet, Lisa M. Freeman, DVM, Ph.D., DACVN, professor of nutrition at TCSVM, said in a news release describing the study results. Several companies have developed low-calorie commercial treats. When you try any new treat, offer just a small portion to make sure it agrees with your dogs digestion.

Get Moving! This may be the best thing you can do to help your heavy hound. Before starting any exercise regime, have your dog checked by your veterinarian to make sure it is an appropriate and reasonable activity. Start slow and work up as directed by your vet to prevent possible injury.There are so many activities you and your dog can do together that its impossible to mention them all. Here are some of the best to start a weight-reducing program:

Swimming is low-impact and can build muscles and burn calories without hurting joints.
Walking, also low-impact, has the added benefit of getting both of you out of the house and into the fresh air.
Fetch is fun, and its quick sprints will do a lot to raise fitness levels.

Women's health

Belly fat in women: Taking and keeping it off

What does your waistline say about your health? Find out why belly fat is more common after menopause, the danger it poses and what to do about it.
By Mayo Clinic Staff

An expanding waistline is sometimes considered a price of getting older. For women, this can be especially true as body fat tends to shift to the abdomen after menopause.

That extra belly fat does more than just make it hard to zip up a favorite pair of jeans, though. Research shows that belly fat carries serious health risks. But the threats posed by belly fat can be lowered.

What's behind belly fat

How much a person weighs depends in large part on four things:

Calories taken in each day.
Calories burned off each day.
Age.
Genetics.

People who regularly eat and drink more calories than they burn each day are more likely to gain extra weight, including belly fat.

Getting older also makes a difference. People lose muscle as they age. And the problem is worse for those who are not physically active. Loss of muscle mass decreases how quickly the body uses calories. That can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight.

Many women notice an increase in belly fat as they get older even if they don't gain weight. This is likely due to a lower level of estrogen because estrogen seems to have an effect on where fat is located in the body.

Genes can contribute to an individual's chances of being overweight or obese too. It also plays a role in where the body stores fat.

Belly fat is more than skin deep

Belly fat

Subcutaneous fat is belly fat you can feel if you pinch extra skin and tissue around your middle. Visceral fat is fat that builds up deep within the abdomen in the space around the organs. Too much visceral fat is strongly linked with a higher risk of serious health problems.

The trouble with belly fat is that it's not limited to the layer of padding just below the skin. That's called subcutaneous fat. Belly fat also includes visceral fat. And that lies deep inside the abdomen and surrounds the internal organs.

Regardless of a person's overall weight, having a large amount of belly fat raises the risk of:

High blood pressure.
An unhealthy amount of fat in the blood.
Sleep apnea.
Heart disease.
High blood sugar and diabetes.
Certain cancers.
Stroke.
Fatty liver.
Early death from any cause.

Measuring your middle

To see if your belly fat is a concern, measure your waist:

Stand and place a tape measure around your bare stomach, just above your hipbone.
Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly, but it doesn't push into the skin. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
Relax, exhale and measure your waist. Don't suck in your stomach as you measure.

For women, a waist measurement of more than 35 inches (89 centimeters) signals an unhealthy amount of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems. In general, though, the greater the waist measurement, the higher the health risks.

Trimming the fat

You can strengthen and tone abdominal muscles with crunches or other exercises focused on your belly. But doing those exercises alone won't get rid of belly fat. The good news is that visceral fat responds to the same diet and exercise strategies that can help get rid of other extra pounds and lower total body fat. Try these tips:

Eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet involves:

Focusing on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Choosing lean sources of protein, such as fish and low-fat dairy products.
Limiting processed meats, as well as the saturated fat that's found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter.
Choosing moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They are found in fish, nuts and certain vegetable oils.

Choose portion sizes wisely. Even when you're making healthy choices, calories add up. At home, cut down your portion sizes. In restaurants, share meals. Or eat half a meal and take the rest home.
Replace sugary drinks. Drink water or other beverages without sugar instead.
Get active. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous aerobic activity, such as jogging, for at least 75 minutes a week. Strength training exercises are recommended at least twice a week. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to exercise more. There is some evidence that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help reduce belly fat, as can strength training.

Losing belly fat takes effort and patience. To lose extra fat and keep it from coming back, aim for slow and steady weight loss. Ask your health care provider for help getting started and staying on track.

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June 28, 2023

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