Help Dog Obesity with CBD
Obesity is a growing international health crisis for humans. People have been getting heavier and heavier. It is causing humans a lot of avoidable health problems!
The rates of pet obesity have been skyrocketing as well – it’s now estimated that more than half of all domestic animals are at least overweight.
What do you do if YOUR dog is overweight or obese? How can you help?
What Is Obesity?
Obesity is a chronic health disorder that involves excess fat accumulation in the body.
Human obesity is measured by BMI. BMI stands for body mass index. It is measured in units of kg/m2, which means that it requires height and weight for the calculation. Basically, it is body mass divided by the square of the body height.
Accurate measurements for determining BMI may be taken at home, and free online calculators are available. Talk to your doctor for personalized information.
Being overweight in humans means having a BMI (body mass index) of 25 to 29.9. Being obese is a BMI of 30 or higher.
For a dog, excess weight is not measured the same way. A scale called the Body Condition Score (BCS) is used. The BCS is a nine- point scale developed by Purina in 1997 to help give owners and veterinarians the tools to discuss pet obesity.
Generally speaking, according to the BCS a score of one is sickly and malnourished and starving to death. A score of nine describes a dog uncomfortably full of fat deposits and unable to move without significant trouble.
Most dogs are healthy right in the middle of the BCS, at a 4 or 5. Dogs at a 5 have ribs and vertebrae you can feel but not see. You can see their waist nipping in behind their ribs.
Your veterinarian should be able to assess your dog’s body condition during a brief yearly exam. He will let you know if your dog is over or underweight.
What Are The Health Risks Associated With Being Obese?
There is a huge increase in your risk of developing health problems associated with obesity. Your dog’s weight can also be at the root of some of his major health concerns.
