Barksgiving: Five Ways to Prevent Holiday Weight Gain for Your Furry Friend

November 28, 2017 4:10 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Eating too much and gaining a few pounds happens to the best of us during the holidays, and the same thing can happen to your furry friends. There’s Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s—all holidays that are filled with food and merriment—and we want our pets to share in these food celebrations with us. What’s more is that, with so much delicious food right in front of us and leftovers in the refrigerator, eating in front of the TV and watching a holiday movie special is much more appealing than walking the dog.

As the holidays end, you notice your stretchy pants are maxed out and Sparky looks like a stuffed sausage with legs. While you can choose to stay active during the holidays and make good food choices, your pets don’t have so much control. You have to help them. Luckily, there are ways to prevent holiday weight gain for your furry friend, including stocking up on quality dog supplies in Henderson, NV in advance:

  • Schedule a pre-holiday vet visit: Monitoring your dog’s weight this holiday is an excellent idea, but you should know how their overall health is first. The vet can tell you their health status and whether they are predisposed to weight gain. Ask what their ideal weight should be and any health goals you should be striving for.
  • Reduce treats before the holidays: It’s a nice gesture to give your dog special treats (but not table scraps) during the holidays. After all, they are a part of your family, and you want them to enjoy the holidays with you. But you might want to cut down their normal daily treat intake early in the season if you tend to offer more treats than usual over the holidays. This will keep calories low and prevent weight gain from overindulging.
  • Don’t feed them from your plate: There may be a little turkey skin, meat fat, meat scraps, bones, potatoes, buttered bread and cranberry sauce left on your plate after Thanksgiving dinner. While it’s tempting to want to give the scraps to your dog, don’t do it. Scrape it all into the garbage immediately, because not only are things like fat, bones, sugar and yeast dangerous to pets, but overconsumption can also cause weight gain.
  • Adjust your dog’s food needs accordingly: In general, the colder months mean less active dogs. This means feeding your dog less food to account for reduced physical activity and watching the treats you give during the holidays. Get prepared early in the season with the right dog supplies in Henderson, NV to encourage good health.
  • Keep them active: Harsh winter and late fall weather can put a halt on your regular neighborhood dog walks. Instead of forgoing their daily exercise, you can take shorter but more frequent walks, play in the backyard or play inside games like racing them up and down the hall or staircase.

You will find all sorts of dog supplies in Henderson, NV when you visit The Soggy Dog. We’ve got it all—dog food, dog treats, grooming supplies, dog beds and a selection of fun toys. Come in and see us this holiday season!

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