"Should I put my dog on a diet course?"

The answer to that question is Yes, however only if your doctor recommends it. The same care, thought, and advice should be taken when your dog needs to be put on a special diet program, as you yourself would get from your personal doctor if you were put on a diet. You cannot diet your dog correctly without expertise, and in this case, as in most problems with animals, your pet's best friend is always his veterinarian.

Your veterinarian has at his hands many compounded special diets. There is one for the overweight dog as well as the dog with heart ailments or kidney disease. Manufacturers also supply him with special dietary foods for puppies, pregnant dogs, the allergic dog, and dogs with intestinal problems.

There are dry, as well as canned, diet foods. The canned foods come in many sizes to meet the needs of the smaller dog and the larger dog. Your pet's doctor may recommend mixing different foods together. Special diets are often strengthened with mineral and vitamin supplements. So if your veterinarian states that you put your dog on a dietary program, you know that he will be getting the best nutrition possible.

The Obese Dog

Now let's look at the most normal reason why a diet is typically instructed by the veterinarian: the overweight dog. There are no "crash diets" for the fat dog. If your dog is outsized, you are the one who is responsible for it. The overweight dog is much like a fat person. He is short of breath and is often called lazy. Exercising is just too much trouble for him. All the energy he can muster is used carrying that extra weight.

One also must keep in mind that it is the fat on the inside of the animal that causes the most trouble. The last time I chatted with a veterinarian about this issue, he explained to me what excess fat can do to the body. There may be fatty tissue around the heart, the lungs, or the digestive tract which could cause these organs not to function properly.

The overweight dog needs low-calorie food for weight reduction. Your veterinarian will weigh your pet and determine how much he needs to lose. He will then prescribe the amount and type of dietary food he needs. Your full cooperation is needed if the diet program is to be a success. Do not feed him snacks in between his allotted meals, or any tidbits from the table for that matter.

Article written by Lisa Reid of ohmydogsupplies.com, check out our complete assortment of car seat covers for dogs online.