Is Your Maltipoo Overweight (How To Avoid It, And What To Do If They Are)
Thorough studies have shown that 56% of dogs in the U.S. are actually overweight or obese. While it is never healthy to let your maltipoo be overweight as it can cause many health problems and complications, especially as they get older, consult your vet to determine whether your maltipoo is in fact overweight, or if your maltipoo is bigger than expected. Your maltipoo being overweight will cause a variety of health complications such as:
Increased risk of cancer
Damage to joints, bones, and ligaments
Increased surgical and anesthetic risk
Decreased life length and quality
What to Avoid
As you may already know, Maltipoos take a lot of time, energy, and attention to keep healthy, but where should you start? Here are the biggest causes for an unhealthy Maltipoo:
Lack of Exercise
Exercise may be one of the biggest factors on your Maltipoo’s health. Just like for a human, exercise is an essential to living a healthy lifestyle for a four-legged furry friend. For a dog, exercise can vary from playing fetch in the backyard to going on a walk through the park. An inactive dog will get overweight much faster than the dog that stays active throughout the day.
Over-Feeding
Overfeeding your Maltipoo can cause your puppy’s stomach to bloat. A Maltipoos bloated tummy puts pressure on other organs and can cause tears in his stomach lining, delay blood flow to the heart, and give them difficulty breathing.
You can avoid feeding your dog too much by putting your little friend on a food schedule. Their food schedule should depend on your dog’s age. Most of the time, the food bag should have a chart on the back that tells you how much to feed your dog, but it can vary depending on the product and product brand.
In general, a young puppy should eat more often than an adult dog because they are growing rapidly. Feeding them about three or four times a day will help them to digest easier. However, it is much more important to not overfeed them. An overweight puppy is more likely to grow up to become an overweight dog.
Signs Your Maltipoo is Overweight
Typically, it is actually really easy to spot some of the symptoms showing whether or not your Maltipoo is overweight, but some are more difficult to spot, especially if you aren’t looking for these signs:
No Palpable Rib Cage
Your maltipoo’s rib cage should not be visible or feel like sharp ridges when you pet him, however, you should be able to feel its ribs with little muscle covering them. You should not have to push through a layer of fat to be able to feel the ribs. If you do have to push through an excess layer of fat to feel your dog’s ribs, your dog is overweight. If you can easily see your Maltipoos rib cage or feel the sharp ridges of your dog’s ribs, your Maltipoo is underweight. It is important to pay attention to these things because this is one of the best signs for telling you whether your dog is malnourished, overweight, or ideal.
No or Hardly Visible Waistline
When you look at your Maltpoo from an above angle, you should see a slight hourglass shape. You should see where their ribs are, and then a waist in front of their hind legs. If your Maltipoo is overweight, you won’t see a waist on your dog as prominently as the ideal weight of Maltipoos. Their body shape will look straight or round.
Remember, if your Maltipoo has a thicker layer of fur, it is really important to make sure you aren’t only watching for the visible signs. A dog that does hav a thicker layer of fur will be much harder to see whether or not he is overweight rather than the dog who has a shorter, thinner layer of fur. It may seem obvious, but not may people actually take the time to use the fee method despite their dog having thick fur, and that sometimes leads to an overweight maltipoo.
So, What If My Maltipoo IsOverweight?
Every dog is different so you should first take him to a professional, or even a local vet, to get a check-up and some advice. If your Maltipoo is overweight, it will take a lot of time, effort, and attention to get your dog back to a healthy state. Despite all that, it is definitely worth it for both you and your dog. Here are some simple ways you can get him back in shape:
Playing Active Games
This can take place almost anywhere. All you really need is space. You can play different games like Fetch, Chase, and any other active games that come to your mind. They are all fine, as long as your dog is being active and moving. For some dogs, you may need to motivate them to get moving with a healthy dog treat, or even some exciting dog toys. Your dog needs to keep moving no matter what.
Taking him on a hike will also help a ton. It will get your dog fresh air and keep him active. However, if your dog is too overweight, he will need to lose a bit before going on this adventure. You should always take your dog on walks, this will help indefinitely. You need to constantly give your dog exercise, as expressed above as it should always be a priority when owning a four-legged friend like yours. It doesn’t matter the breed or the age. Exercise is always one of the keys to a healthy dog.
Feeding Your Dog The Right Food At The Right Time
Feeding your dog the right food is also really important, as well as putting your dog on a food schedule. Feeding your dog too much food is probably going to make the biggest impact on his health. Sure, you should constantly be giving him exercise, but if you are feeding your dog too much anyway, it isn’t going to make the biggest difference.
I cannot stress this enough. If your dog is overweight, you NEED to get your dog on a food schedule. It would also help your dog get faster results if you buy dog food specifically for your dog’s needs. There are many dog food companies that specialize in putting your dog on a diet. Sure, it might be a little more expensive, but it’s definitely worth it considering your dog’s health and life quality is on the line.