You might think that stuffing your pet with more food, back to back treats and indulging them with the offerings from the table is love.
Read also: “7 Signs Your Dog is Fat“
But let’s be honest here, that is dangerous love, and it is likely to be more detrimental to your four-legged buddy’s health than beneficial.
Here’s why overfeeding your dog is a dangerous game to play.
- Obesity
Overfeeding will result in your dog having calorie excess which will be stored as fat leading to weight gain and eventually obesity.Obesity predisposes your dog to a lot of other ailments like diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases and makes her prone to musculoskeletal problems.
Additionally, an obese dog is less active and feels encumbered. Thus, they find it difficult to move about and are less willing to play, run or go for a walk, therefore, exacerbating their condition.
Obesity will reduce the quality of your pooch’s life and set him up for a short life plagued with various health problems.
- Vomiting and diarrhea
Overfeeding can lead to digestive disturbances like bloating, especially in puppies. In a bid to alleviate the condition, the dog will vomit or suffer from diarrhea consequently.Vomiting and diarrhea have its risks, fluid and electrolyte loss can be significant, especially in prolonged cases.
- Bone and Joint problems
In growing puppies, overeating will lead to rapid development of bones. This might lead to swollen and painful joints.The condition is especially true in large breeds.
- Bad Business
It makes no economic sense to overfeed your furry. Dog food costs money, and it will cost you more to deal with the health implications that will arise afterward. Veterinary service, prescriptions and other charges accrued to treatment can sometimes be enormous. - Addiction
Probably not in the real sense of the word, but overfeeding can cause Fido to become “hooked” on food. It thus becomes difficult to correct, as they are already used to it. They might attempt to “steal,” unnecessarily scavenge, show extreme foul behavior, and dip their mouth in the closest thing that resembles food.
Food is good. Feeding your pet properly is even better. Read labels on pet food, follow instructions, and exercise your dog to avoid and prevent the problems outlined above.
