Picture taken from www.puppydogweb.com
From the desk of Sharda Baker.
Hi and Welcome Everyone!
This is Sharda with another Basset Hound newsletter!
Today let’s discuss on tips to avoid your Basset Hound obesity!
As a Basset Dog owner, you have the responsibility to watch out for your pet’s diet.
Basset Hounds is one of those breeds that is really prone to obesity so let’s start with overeating shall we?
HERE ARE A FEW WAYS OF KEEPING YOUR PET FROM OVEREATING
CONTROL YOUR BASSET HOUND’S ACCESS TO FOOD
Feed him at specific times and leave food out for 20 minutes, then take away whatever is uneaten.
Also, give him three or four small meals every day.
If he eats 24 hours a day or gets one huge daily meal, he’s sure to be overweight.
KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNTS YOU FEED YOUR BASSET DOG
Use standard measuring cups to give him a fixed amount of dry food. Count cans of wet food and keep track of snacks and “people food.”
ADJUST THE SIZE OF THE SERVINGS TO SUIT YOUR BASSET DOG’S CONSTITUTION
Though feeding guidelines on packages are typically high, you can safely reduce it by about 15% to 25%.
Do you know just what you’re buying?
Since Basset dogs tend to overeat high-fat foods, check labels for “low-fat,” “low-calorie,” “light” or “lean.” Canned food usually has more fat than dry.
CUT BACK ON, OR CUT OUT, TREATS
If you give him treats habitually, he has a 50% of growing obese. Don’t feed him scraps from the table.
Instead, give him low-cal carrots, pieces of apple and air-popped popcorn. Break big treats into pieces.
No crash diets because these don’t give long-term results.
INCREASE ACTIVITY
For every hour of exercise you add per week, you will find your dog’s obesity odds dropping by 10%.
GIVE YOUR BASSET HOUND A HIGH-FIBER DIET
High fiber foods are good for him, apart from adding a feeling of fullness and reducing his calorific intake, thereby resulting in weight loss.
REDUCE HIS DIET BY 25%
If he is overeating, cut back his diet by 25%. This should show a marked weight loss. According to research, dogs do best when they lost at least 1% of body weight a week.
IF HE CONTINUES TO BE OBESE, SEE A VET!
Only a vet can find out his caloric needs and prescribe a special weight-loss food. But be patient—it can take 18 months for an obese dog to regain a normal figure.
CHECK DOG FOOD LABELS AND WHAT YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR IN THEM
To make things simpler for you, here’s what a good dog food label should read:
- Crude protein is not less than 30%.
- Crude fat is not less than 20%.
- Crude fiber is not more than 4%.
- Moisture (dry food) is not more than 10%.
- Soy free
- The main ingredient should be Meat & Bone Meal.
- Ground yellow corn, wheat, poultry meal & poultry fat,
- Citric acid, rosemary extract, Vitamin C, menhaden fish meal,
- Dried beet pulp, dried whole eggs,
- Brewers dried yeast
- Salt
KINDS OF FOOD FOR YOUR BASSET HOUND
DRY, SEMI-MOIST, CANNED FOOD
Dry, semi-moist and canned foods are the three kinds of food available in the market. Of them, dry food is the commonest.
These contain 90% dry food and 10% water. They are a mix of meat and its by-products, fats, minerals, grains and vitamins.
Semi-moist dog food has additives in it.
Canned food has more water; about 68%-78% with 22-32% dry matter.
MEAT
The meat used for dog food should be the kind of meat we eat. Chicken or lamb is preferable to other animal meat.
Sometimes, commercial food makers use meat that is unfit for human consumption or use animal organs that are seen as unhygienic.
Sometimes, even the chicken they use is rotten.
That’s it for today, I hope you learned something from today’s Basset Hound newsletter.
All the best and take care.
Warmly,
Sharda Baker