Obesity
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One of the most devastating and potentially serious diseases to affect our dogs is that of obesity. Thankfully, it's also one of the most easily prevented and treatable diseases. Usually the result of neglect or misinformation, oftentimes all it takes to reverse the adverse affects of obesity is education and a willingness to help your dog improve his or her quality of life.Obesity is a condition in which your dog's percentage of body fat is significantly higher than it should be, resulting in their carrying around a lot of extra weight. This extra weight affects the entirety of your dog's health. It places them at a much greater risk during any surgeries that might be necessary for other diseases; weakens their joints and cartilage, leaving them prone to injuries; and creates an incredible amount of stress on organs and bones that are surrounded by thick walls of fat. [...]
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Regardless of what type or breed of dog you may choose, all dogs need regular, routine exercise. It is also important to note that while some breeds are naturally more active or energetic, no breed of dog has been bred to be a complete couch potato. This means that even the toy dogs that love to just sit on their owners laps still need to get out and go for a walk, a run in the park or play games that encourage physical exercise. [...]
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If you are one of those people that sets yearly weight loss goals for yourself on New Year's Eve, maybe you might want to include your dog in your plans this year. According to results obtained by a national survey of vets, approximately 44% of all domestic pets, including both cats and dogs, are considered to be obese. Cats are actually worse than dogs with almost 57% of the cats examined by the vet clinics on the survey date coming in at obese or overweight. This same study, done by the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention estimates that in the United States alone there are some 26 million dogs that are overweight and at least and additional 7.2 million canines that would fit into the category of obese. [...]