Why is My Dog Obese?

Why do dogs become obese?

If your dog has an obesity problem the first place to start is at the Vets office. There are medical conditions such as Thyroid insufficiency and other disease which can play a major role in creating obesity. Have a health check to be sure there is no underlying medical conditions. Let the Vet determine the amount of weight your dog needs to lose.

The simple fact of obesity is over eating. More calories are coming in then the body puts out. Insulin is a key component to weight control and use of calories in the body. Simple sugars such as carbohydrates are converted into energy when needed and stored as fat in the form of glycogen until needed. Insulin is the hormone responsible for this happening. When the body takes in too much sugar, the insulin becomes ineffective and the body becomes insulin resistant. Insulin not being used, enters the blood stream where it float freely. Now insulin creates an opposite effect of actually producing more fat cells. Dealing with obesity becomes as much an issue of controlling insulin as well as food intake.

A calorie is a unit of heat measurement. Calories from food indicate the amount of energy the body can get from food sources. Proteins and carbohydrates equal 4 calories per gram while fats have 9 calories per gram.

Weight Loss for Dog