On the Morning Breeze we’ve talked about HUMAN weight gain during the pandemic. What about pets? It’s something to think about.
The average weight gain among dogs during the pandemic has been seven pounds. How did this happen? Lots of times pets are given human food out of convenience, like high calorie packaged snacks. Also, pets end up spending lots of time indoors with their owners, so pets’ exercise levels drop.
What can be done to fight this? Here are some ideas:
Both cats and dogs need about 30 minutes a day of exercise.
Instead of packaged treats, dogs or cats can be given a bit of their food. Subtract the amount of treats from the mealtime food.
For the indoor/outdoor cat, make sure that no one else in the neighborhood is feeding the cat.
Use the chart on the package of dog or cat food as the guide of how much food to give. Pets that are spayed or neutered can be given 25 percent less than the chart on the bag.
Feed on a schedule instead of free-feeding. If a dog or cat doesn't eat food within an hour, pick up the food and offer it again at a later time.
Jack & Carolyn talked about this on the Morning Breeze. Listen here: