Shiba Inus - Giving Your Shiba Inus the Best Health
Shiba Inus, just like other dogs, are just like human beings. They have the right to a good living; they get sick; they play; they work….. But these all lie in the hands of their owners - us. Do you know that the Shiba Inus you are admiring might be obese? They look cute with that plump body but there are many risks following it which may cost your valuable dog. Like in human, dog obesity may lead to incurable diseases like diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Of course, these will surely shorten your dog's life expectancy.
To ensure your Shiba Inu dog's health, assess them. Check if they are overweight by looking and touching your dog. Experts tell us that dogs with normal weight have ribs that can be easily felt under the skin and have waistline that has indentation while overweight dogs have thicker fat layers over the ribs making it least possible to feel it and have waistline with no indentation.
If your Shiba Inus are obese, review what could be the possible cause. First, they may be overfed, or they may be lacking exercise, or they may have underlying health conditions such as hyperadrenocorticism or hyperthyroidism. For more information about your Shiba Inus' health, better consult your veterinarian and let him perform a complete examination on your Shiba Inus so that the possible diseases of your dogs may be ruled out.
Now, if there are no health problems present, review the quantity and quality of food that you give your Shiba Inus. Read the labels; these may contain less essential nutrients needed by your dogs. Like humans, overweight dogs should be given high quality foods with low calories. You may give diet supplements to your dogs too as long as you consulted the vet about it. You may also switch your dog food to new one but make sure to do it gradually, giving at least a transition of one week. This will decrease the chances of digestive problems like loose bowel movement and vomiting. And do not forget; always consult your vet for the amount of food to be fed to your dogs to avoid further stage of obesity.
As you are helping your Shiba Inus to lose unwanted weight and promote good dog health, cut out all those enticing treats. Though this is quite hard because we love our pets so much and they may feel bad towards us, the option here is to cut out the caloric treats and give healthier snacks like low calorie manufactured dog treats, or it is also better to give your dogs natural foods like carrots. Further, do not give your dogs leftovers. This is not good for Shiba Inus' health. Leftovers are rich in fats, salt, and calories that are obviously harmful to the dogs. Also, this can trigger undesirable dog behaviors like begging.
Aside from diet, you should be a partner of your dogs in their exercise and workout. You may go for a walk for up to 30 minutes, or play games like Frisbee or fetch. With this workout, both you and your dogs are benefited.
Shedding off excess weight for Shiba Inus may be dangerous if it is an abrupt endeavor. Your dogs should lose weight gradually with at least 1-2% of dog's total weight per week. Weighing your dogs regularly is important to the maintenance of your dogs' health. The Shiba Inu breed is such a great breed to take care of; however, if your dogs are unhealthy, they lose the appeal so why regret at a later time when you can actually keep them healthy from the very start?
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