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.

Howl-O-Ween safety tips to keep your pet safe.

It's getting close to that time of year again when there's danger lurking just around the corner, with Halloween, Bonfire Night, Thanks giving in America, Christmas and New Year it's time to be extra vigilant with all the dangerous food lying around, alcohol, fireworks going off scaring pets, Chinese lanterns, small items found in Christmas crackers and the list goes on and on.

Our good friends at The Uncommon Dog have very kindly made up this fantastic Infographic about pet safety during Halloween and have kindly gave me permission to share it.

Have a great Halloween and stay safe.

Happy Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. It precedes Black Friday. 

Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday in the United States.

 What do people do?

Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have.

Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends.

  Public life

 Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses are also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.

Thanksgiving Day it is one of the busiest periods for travel in the USA. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to local traffic.

 Background

Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year.

 There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast.

In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.

 I think the UK should adopt thanksgiving Day.

Here are my reasons.

1) We'd get to eat Turkey. You can never have to much Turkey just ask Sheba and Cody.

2) We would get to have an extra bank holiday and it would be on a Thursday which would make a nice change from the usual Monday or Friday. You can never have to many bank holidays.

3) It’d be an opportunity to all get together and do the one thing we don’t do enough of – give thanks for everything we love and are grateful for. Be they friends, family, neighbours or pets. And what is worth celebrating more than that?

4) It would make Christmas so much easier. Because it is so close to Christmas  it would save arguments of who you're visiting for Christmas. You could visit one set of parents for Thanksgiving and the other for Christmas.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been a holiday on the second Monday of October since 1957. It is a chance for people to give thanks for a good harvest and other fortunes in the past year.

Many people have a day off work on the second Monday of October. They often use the three-day Thanksgiving weekend to visit family or friends who live far away, or to receive them in their own homes. Many people also prepare a special meal to eat at some point during the long weekend. Traditionally, this included roast turkey and seasonal produce, such as pumpkin, corn ears and pecan nuts. Now, the meal may consist of other foods, particularly if the family is of non-European descent.

The Thanksgiving weekend is also a popular time to take a short autumn vacation. This may be the last chance in a while for some people to use cottages or holiday homes before winter sets in. Other popular activities include: outdoor breaks to admire the spectacular colors of the Canadian autumn; hiking; and fishing. Fans of the teams in the Canadian Football League may spend part of the weekend watching the Thanksgiving Day Classic matches.


The native peoples of the Americas held ceremonies and festivals to celebrate the completion and bounty of the harvest long before European explorers and settlers arrived in what is now Canada. Early European thanksgivings were held to give thanks for some special fortune. An early example is the ceremony the explorer Martin Frobisher held in 1578 after he had survived the long journey in his quest to find a northern passage from Europe to Asia.

Many thanksgivings were held following noteworthy events during the 18th century. Refugees fleeing the civil war in the United States brought the custom of an annual thanksgiving festival to Canada. From 1879, Thanksgiving Day was held every year but the date varied and there was a special theme each year. The theme was the "Blessings of an abundant harvest" for many years. However, Queen Victoria's golden and diamond jubilees and King Edward VII's coronation formed the theme in later years.

From the end of the First World War until 1930, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving Day were celebrated on the Monday closest to November 11, the anniversary of the official end of hostilities in World War I. In 1931, Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day and Thanksgiving Day was moved to a Monday in October. Since 1957, Thanksgiving Day has always been held on the second Monday in October.

 Thanksgiving Day in Canada is linked to the European tradition of harvest festivals. A common image seen at this time of year is a cornucopia, or horn, filled with seasonal fruit and vegetables. This represents the "Horn of Plenty", which was a symbol of bounty and plenty in ancient Greece. Turkeys, pumpkins, ears of corn and large displays of food are also used to symbolize Thanksgiving Day.