“Roll Over? Fat Chance” by Stacey Stowe (September 25, 2013)
“Roll Over? Fat Chance” by Stacey Stowe is about the problem of overweight dogs in America and fitness programs to help them shave it off, specifically relaying back successful examples in the Morris Animal Inn in Morristown, N.J.
According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, more than half of American dogs are overweight, and that can lead to health problems such as diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure. Reasons as to why the dogs become overweight include fault of the owner as well as underlying health problems the dogs already have. Some owners tend to “…confuse food with affection and attention” by giving them treats and extra food as to make up for not playing with them. Owners may also not be able to resist temptations to give dogs the treat they want when they given the big puppy-dog eyes. Other owner-related problems include not knowing what is the right food to give their dog, giving the wrong daily diet to the wrong kind of dog, letting your dog go outside to the backyard as a substitute for walking, but mostly lack of exercise and attention to health for the dog. The dog itself may have underlying health problems and therefore the owner of the dog should check with certain tests at home or visit a veterinarian.
In the Morris Animal Inn, dogs like Lolita the dachshund, do a variety of exercises such as swimming in lap pools, walking through nature trails, running the treadmill, and catching ball. They are also fed a healthy diet of food low in carbohydrates, especially foods of raw meat and bones. For treats, they usually give them yogurt vegetable parfaits. Two-thirds of the dogs sent to the “doggy fat camp” are overweight when first sent there and are usually given exercise routines that gradually increase in the amount of activity they do per day. They also help the dogs lose weight at the safe rate of around 1 to 2 percent, which they also recommend to pet owners to use.
Link to original article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/garden/roll-over-fat-chance.html