Happy Thanksgiving (How to keep your pets fit over the holidays)

Obesity rates have risen dramatically over the last few years, mostly contributed by over eating, poor diet and lack of exercise. Obese pets are usually accompanied by obese owners if owners exercised there dogs more it would improve there health as well.

I'm not saying they're bad owners they probably love there pets very much, but they are killing them with to much love.

I've heard people use excuses like it's to cold, to wet and a host of other excuses for not walking there dog if you're wrapped up well there's no excuse apart from laziness and if that's the case they would probably be better off with a cat or a gold fish as a pet.

I know times are hard financially but feeding cheap crappy food is not the way to go, all those colourings, E numbers and every other number number of the alphabet and all the other chemicals included plus most of the time it's not proper meat included it's all the crap scraped up off the slaughter house floor feathers saw dust, hooves and anything else that's lying around.

In the long run cheap food accompanied by lack of exercise works out more expensive because you end up with more frequent vet visits which don't work out cheap, cheap food will end up going straight through your dog were as better quality food stays in the system longer enabling the dogs to draw out the nutritional value from it so you end up feeding less and will also lead to firmer stools making it easier to clean up after them.

Ben Franklin said that “Experience is the best teacher, but a fool will learn from no other”.   Although dear old Ben was not known for his svelte body, he was quite a brilliant man.  With that said, we would like to share our second, reader inspired infographic with tips for keeping your dog fit and slim.   (You can see the first instalment here).

This infograph is loaded with great tips that have worked for others and that can be helpful to anyone who is trying to keep their dog fit.  Take advantage of this collective ‘experience’ to make it easier to keep your dog fit and slim.  Please share with your friends, family & readers.

Infographic kindly provided by SlimDoggy.

Getting  out for a good walk or a run on the park with your dog before the festivities begin can be a big help if they're tired there likely to be less of a pest and better behaved overall. A tired doggy is a happy doggy.

Despite the fact that it is easy to stay indoors and be lazy when the weather turns cold, it is more important than ever to keep your dog exercising through the fall and winter months.

Overweight pets are susceptible to the same types of life-shortening, chronic illnesses that humans can suffer from, such as heart disease, kidney disease, cancer, arthritis and diabetes. And given the fact that the Association for Pet Obesity estimates that more than half of all U.S. pets are overweight or obese, it is your duty as a pet owner to ensure that you furry friends gets the proper amount of exercise and activity that is necessary for their body in the colder months.

Here are just a few ways in which you and your dog can stay healthy and keep fit indoors this fall and winter season:

Teach Them Advanced Tricks.

As they say, you can never teach a dog too many tricks―and they are right! Not only are basic dog training commands a good way to stimulate your dogs mind and build up their basic skills and knowledge, but they also are a great bonding activity for you and your furry friend.

    Spinning: A good example of a dog tricks which will really get your dog moving is spinning. This fairly simple trick will teach your dog to spin in one direction, or can even have them switching between spinning left and right. Be sure to start your dog off small and work their way up to spinning all the way around once they get the hang of it.

   

 Backing Up: Not only is backing up a fun trick for dogs, but it can also come in handy in your day-to-day activities. If you have a dog who tends to jump at people when they walk through the door, or crowd you whenever you are in the kitchen or laundry room, backing up will help you to claim back your space. All you need is a few dog treats and a little bit of patience to get your dog to back up a few steps when they hear the signal.

 Play Tug-Of-War: Many pet owners are unsure about playing tug-of-war with their dogs because they feel as though the game may bring out aggressive behaviour in their pets. However, this game is actually a great form of physical and mental exercise for your dog.

Find An Indoor Pet Centre: If you have a large dog and do not have enough space to get some quality exercise in your home, try enrolling your dog at an indoor pet centre. Many of these centres are available across the United States and offer classes such as agility courses, canine play dates, pet yoga classes, and even dog-friendly meet and greets for both pet and owner.

Play Hide and Seek: One favourite indoor activity for both pet and owner is good ol’ fashion hide and seek. This game can be played several different ways and can involve multiple people and toys to keep your pets attention. When playing with toys, hide your pets favourite things in various spots around your home when they are not paying attention. Once everything is carefully hidden away in different spots, ask your dog to go and find each of them. They can become fooled for quite awhile, while also getting plenty of exercise racing and running throughout the house.

You can also play this game with yourself and a friend. Try hiding in different rooms or spots in your house and call your dog once you are completely hidden out of site. Once they have found you, reward them with a piece of dog food or their favourite treat, and tell them to go and find your friend. This will not only help to get in a good workout for your dog, but it is also a great bonding activity for the both of you.

Information taken from PetAG

(Click image to enlarge)

[ SOURCE: Carrington's Veterinary Assisting Program ]

Related posts.

History of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving pet safety.

Happy Thanksgiving stay safe and keep healthy.

Scoop the Poop Campaign and blog hop. #ScoopThatPoop.

I am proud to be part of this campaign.

This Campaign is hosted by my blogging friends Sugar the Golden Retriever and co hosted by  Oz the Terrier, The World According to Garth Riley, Terrier Torrent, My GBV Life, Pawsitively Pets And Boingy Dog and now Dogster have also come on board.

As responsible dog owners Mum and Dad always pick up after me, it's really not that hard the task that is not the poop your supposed to be picking up BOL.

It would be great if we could do the job ourselves, we might be clever but not that clever it's the handlers responsibility.

Not only is it unsightly but a serious health risk our local beach has banned dog walkers because of the amount of poop being washed into the sea making the water unsafe for humans to go into, the stupid thing is though they bring all these rules in but never enforce them so law abiding citizens obey and the people who created the problem carry on regardless.

Why should I be deprived of off leash runs along the beach or in the park because some humans are to lazy to clean up after there dogs, it's always the minority of dog owners who spoil it for the majority.

My staff always use these bags for scooping the poop.

Pick up the poop turn the bag inside out tie the handles and put in bin, job done.

The only problem with the above statement is finding a bin when you need one you can never find one, so you need to take it home with you not hang the bags from the trees like christmas decorations I know it's not nice carrying poo bags around but neither is standing in the stuff there's lots of other products as well as the bags for scooping the poop I will provide links later.

Facts about the dangers of dog poop.

1) Dog poop is NOT good fertilizer. It's toxic to your lawn! The high nutrient concentration in dog poop will burn and discolor the grass, creating "hot spots".

2) Nearly two decades ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified pet waste as a dangerous pollutant in the same category as toxic chemicals and oil.

3) You may not live near water, but unscooped poop from your yard is carried by overland water flow or is washed into storm drains, ending up in far away streams, rivers and ground water.

4) Dog poop often contains roundworm larvae, which cause blindness. If a human ingests a roundworm larva, it can migrate through the body causing disease to the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, heart or eyes. So when people (especially children) touch soil, dog toys or anything that has been in contact with dog feces and then touch their mouths, they can become infected.

5) The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms pet waste can spread parasites including hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms and Salmonella. When infected dog poop comes into contact with your lawn, the poop will eventually "disappear", but the parasite eggs can linger for years! When a human or animal comes into contact with that soil through everyday activities like walking barefoot, gardening or playing, they risk infection from those eggs ... even years after the poop is gone.

6) Some of the possible ways a dog or cat can obtain various different parasites, viruses and stages of bacteria from their own poop include: rolling in their feces, pawing at it, and in rare instances even eating it-coprophagy. Some ailments that can affect humans are: Parvo Virus, Trichinosis, Whipworms, Hookworms, Roundworms, Giardia and Coccidia.

7) Pet waste is teaming with E. Coli, Giardia and other harmful bacteria including fecal coliform bacteria, which causes serious kidney disorders, intestinal illness, cramps and diarrhea in humans. (There are 23 million fecal coliform bacteria in a single gram of pet waste!)

8) One pile of dog waste can take a year or more to fully break down.

Scoop the Poop song by Steven Urbanc.

Poop scooping products.