Tips To Help Your Dog Lose Weight

One fine day when you’re looking at the mirror and find yourself bulging with a big belly hidden under the layers of cotton clothes, how will you feel? We humans have a sense of awareness regarding all the changes that happen around us or within us. Therefore, it is best advised to be aware of your extra calories displaying the signs of being overweight. A big belly is a house of bigger health issues. Just like us, even our pets are prone to gain kilos if not taken proper care. Obesity in dogs shortens their breath, lowers their energy and comes with assortments of alarming health concerns. Your chubby furry pal may be looking like a ball of cuteness but those extra kilos can lead to serious health issues.

At times, pet parents aren’t aware enough to heed that their pet is becoming overweight. Here are the ways that can help them to find if their dog is overweight.

How You Can Tell If Your Dog Is Overweight?

It is imperative for pet-parents to understand that the excess of fat on their pet can be the most influential factor for the quality of their life, disease prevention and longevity. It’s quite easy to figure out if your dog is overweight. It’s even easier if he’s bulging visibly; you can weigh him your pooch at home using bathroom scales and do weekly follow-ups. To make sure whether your dog has any underlying health conditions, take him to the vet for checking his weight as it is important to his ideal weight.

Once you find out that your dog is overweight, ensure to put on all your potential to help your pup shed kilos. Here are some really helpful tips that will help you to trim excess kilos from your pup and maintain his well-being.

Tips To Help Your Overweight Dog

Keep Your Dog Active

A small step of changes in your dog’s daily routine can make a great difference to keep him fit and pawsome. It is always better to start small to gain big, therefore, instead of introducing a vigorous workout session for the dog, start with keeping him active at home. It may be soothing to watch your dog freely laying all day, but their lethargic behaviour detriment their quality of life by leveraging their weight. It is best advised to stimulate an indoor environment that gets your dog moving more often. Stay energetic to keep your pup active!

Limit Treats & Table Scraps

The love that you have for your poodle shouldn’t be just shown in the form of serving food to them. It may be tempting for your pup to receive treats and table scraps from you out of affection but the same can be a major factor to add extra kilos in them. Instead, alternate your affection by giving him hugs and back rubs when you train your dog or when he does something amazing. You can also replace treats for your dogs with low-fat and low-calorie option and limit the amount.

Customize Your Dog’s Diet

There is an abundance of diet food for dogs available in the market. A dog should be fed two or four small portions a day instead of free choice feeding as it can contribute to unnatural hormonal changes. Moreover, feeding the right diet to your pooch is the key to help them reduce excess weight. Not all foods for weight loss are sufficient enough to fulfil all the nutritional needs of your dog. So, it is important to match your dog’s body requirements with the nutritional plan or diet foods that directly address their specific needs.

Introduce Your Dog To Regular Exercise

Thinking of helping your pet to shed kilos can be a great idea but implementing the plan of action is something that really works. Therefore, it’s high time to introduce your pet with some fitness and fun. Start with taking your pup out for a walk at least for 15-20mins a day, then keep on increasing the time to 30 minutes. Take him to the park where your poodle can play, run and have fun which can ultimately help him to stay fit. Gradually increase your dog’s daily activities that burn offs their calories.

Above all the tips and tricks for your dog’s weight-loss, it’s crucial to stick with it. Achieving major targets takes time; therefore, consistency is the key to witness significant weight-loss in your Fido.

Is It Okay If Your Dog Licks Your Face

One fine day when you’re relaxing on a sofa with a book in your hand, engrossed in reading and suddenly your pooch jumps with a wagging tail on you and with love comes a slurp on your face, how does it feel? Do you feel the same amount of joy for your pup when you’re slobbered over by your adoring furry friend or you just sit there minding your own business by ignoring his annoying licks? Well! Sometimes you don’t have a choice about that. There’s a set of default human nature which cannot be changed that easily or at all. Similarly, licking is a dog’s nature as they have a natural licking instinct.

But, despite this adorable licking gesture, many pet parents are sceptical about the lick-mindedness of their pooch. There arises a question about why a dog likes to lick its pet parent? Is it really safe to allow them to do the same? Here we will explore why dogs like to lick certain parts of the body and whether we should let them.

Why do dogs lick and what does that mean?

Puppies are deaf and blind when they come to this world, the only thing they have is a sense of taste through which they learn about their mother and another environment until they develop other senses. Though, licking remains a prime mode of communication between dogs throughout their lives it’s important to know that it hasn’t developed into a pattern. When your dog licks your face, it conveys several different meanings-from expressing their joy and respect towards you, to concern and fear for your safety.

We might have heard the heroic tales of first-aid of your dog including the stories about the ability of dogs to clean a wound with their tongues. But, when unfolding its other side it is found that there are bacteria in most dogs’ mouth. Let’s understand how a dog’s licking can affect you.

Is it hygienic to let your dog lick your face?

A dog’s mouth consists of various bacteria and organisms and humans are not built to fight those nasty creatures. Most of the bacteria may not be that harmful but there’s a high likelihood of your dog’s mouth containing zoonotic organisms. You don’t know where that mouth has been, your dog may be playing with other furry friends or may be licking its genitals right before it decides to lick you. Your dog may carry parasites or sepsis that can be detrimental to your health.

Parasites

Dogs can carry parasites such as hookworm, ringworm and Giardia which causes diarrhoea and intestinal upset. These parasites can easily pass to a pet parent when a dog licks their face. The parasites can be harmful to the immune system of the human body because it damages the intestinal tract and digestive system.

Sepsis

A dog’s mouth is a house of organisms and these organisms is the cause of severe sepsis infection. Sepsis makes a person fall ill immediately and it may take weeks to recover. Sepsis infection can cause symptoms such as fever, fatigue, sweating or experience chills. Therefore, it’s better to stay away from your dog’s licks rather than contracting this infection.

Debunking the myth of a dog’s licking tendency

There’s an old myth that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s. But, it is crucial for pet parents to know that a dog’s saliva can contain mucous membrane found in the nose, eyes and mouth. A dog’s muzzles are packed with germs, viruses and bacteria where some of them can be potentially detrimental for a human body. Dogs tend to stick their nose into everything, so, it might be adorable to see your dog licking your face but it’s equally dangerous.

What are the ways to prevent your dog from licking your face?

Divert Their Attention

When you are playing with you Fido and you are aware that he’s about to or trying to lick your face then try to divert their attention by initiating a playing session or by offering a treat.

Train Your Dog

Though it’s a dogs’ tendency to lick something they like, you can train them to show their affection in another manner. You can encourage their other ways to show the affection and joy such as wagging their tails, circling you or jumping. It may be a slow process for your dog to change their lick-mindedness but their favourite treats and extra rubs on their belly can surely fix it eventually.

Should you let your dog lick you at all?

No matter how much you constrain your dog, they will find their way of expressing their emotions by licking your face. So, sometimes it’s fine to let your dog lick you but responsible pet care is immensely required in order to reduce the chances of contracting any diseases to you and your family. Therefore, here are the things you need to pay heed on.

• Make sure that you regularly provide vaccinations, flea and tick controls and dewormers to keep him free of parasites such as worms and fleas and ticks.
• Keep your pet well groomed
• Wash your hands after cleaning up your pet
• Keep your dog’s water and food fresh.

Do not let your dog lick children as they can be at greatest risk of picking up an infection from a dog’s lick. But, when it comes to you, allowing your dog to give you an occasional lick or kiss strengthens the intimacy and bonding that helps your pet feel connected to you. So, it’s okay to play it safe when your dog comes to lick your face.

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Things to Remember While Grooming Your Dog

Keeping your furry pal hale and hearty at all times is what every pet parent strives to do, and this includes grooming your furry friend. Grooming is extremely important and must be done by dog parents. There are two ways of grooming your fur baby; one, do it yourself at home and two, seek a professional groomer’s assistance or help. If you plan on grooming your buddy all by yourself, it is imperative to remember a few things. Below is a list of do’s and don’ts that you must keep in mind before or while grooming your munchkin.

Grooming Your Dog – The Do’s

Brush Fur and Coat Regularly

Every once in a while, make sure you brush your buddy’s fur and coat. Not doing so can leave your poor pal’s hair in a messy and terrible state. Brushing the fur regularly also helps to quickly identify whether or not your canine friend has the dreaded fleas, ticks or any other creepy parasites.

Stay Calm and Be Patient

Perhaps the most important step towards good grooming is for you, the pet parent to stay calm and patient. Being calm and patient not only helps your pet stay calm, but it also helps you in grooming your buddy the right way without injuries to them or you.

Use the Appropriate Grooming Tools

Grooming requires tools such as a brush for brushing the fur, nail clipper for cutting the nails, etc. Using appropriate grooming equipment is essential; for instance, a regular brush may not be useful for a specific dog and will require a special brush. Hence, know which tools to use and how to use them.

Groom in a Well-lit Location

Before you begin your mate’s grooming session, make sure you are in a well-lit location. A place with proper lighting will help you see what you are doing, and it is also much safer. Furthermore, ensure that the area where you are about to groom your pal has a non-slip surface. This will help prevent your pal from any accidents.

Shampoo Before Bathing

Bathing your fur baby is important, but make sure you are shampooing him too. Just by applying water onto his body is not enough. Applying shampoo on his fur not only makes his fur soft, but it will also help to remove all the dirt and debris from the skin. Bathing with shampoo is always the correct way to bathe a dog.

Remember to Trim Nails

Lest you forget, trimming furry pal’s nails is also part of grooming and mustn’t be ignored. Long nails tend to hurt your furry munchkin while he walks and may make him feel uncomfortable. Trimming his nails not only helps him overcome his difficulties in walking, but it also helps in maintaining proper hygiene in your pooch.

Use a Towel for Wiping Water Off The Fur

Always use a dry towel to wipe the excess water off your buddy’s fur. After a bath, make sure you do this because a wet fur coat can lead to matted hair as well as the possibility of excess dirt sticking onto your pal’s fur. Hence, ensure you wipe off the excess water off your buddy’s fur with a clean and dry towel.

Make Sure To Clean the Ears

And lastly, remember to clean your pooch’s ears. They are arguably the dirtiest and the most neglected body part. Pet parents tend to forget to clean a dog’s ears, so make sure you clean his ears with the appropriate equipment.

Grooming Your Dog – The Don’ts

Do Not Rush and Be Pushy

Never force your dog to do something he does not want to. And even if you want him to do something, make sure you are patient and polite. Similarly, when grooming a dog that does not listen to you, it is important to not rush or push him. Doing so can cause a panic attack to him, and you may well have to reschedule your grooming session.

Avoid Using Scented Shampoo

Do not use scented shampoos on your furry pal. Scented shampoos can irritate your poor buddy’s skin, coat, and nose and can lead to irritations and discomforts. Thus, stick to antifungal and antibacterial dog shampoos.

Do Not Bathe Everyday

Bathing your dog is good, but bathing him every day is not the smartest thing to do. Everyday bathing strips dogs off their natural oils and can lead to skin and temperature-regulating problems. Thus, in summers bathe him once a week and bathe him once in two or three weeks during the colder months.

Avoid Cutting the Quick

While trimming your buddy’s nails, be very careful. Do not cut his nails too short because you may cut the quick, and doing so can lead to blood loss. Even if you cut the quick by mistake, do not panic. Instead, grab a piece of cloth and press it against the cut toenail. Then pour styptic powder or cornstarch on it to stem the flow of blood.

The next time you groom your buddy, make sure you follow these tips. Also, share them with other pet parents you know so that they too can groom their furry munchkin the right way.

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