If your dog or cat - or any animal - is overweight, it's a sure sign he's eating too much.  Period. Unless he has an underlying medical condition, his weight is directly related to the balance between the calories he takes in and the calories he burns. So it's time for you, as his owner, to take a good, hard look in the mirror, and admit that you've been giving him too much food, or too little exercise, or both.

Your dog doesn't sneak out for donuts while you're asleep.  He only eats what you give him to eat.  If he's a picky eater, and won't eat anything but ice cream and beef scraps, you need to take a good, hard look in the mirror, and admit that you're spoiling him. He won't starve himself to death.  Honestly, he won't.  When he's good and hungry, he'll happily eat the right food, given the chance. But you have to give him that chance.  You have to limit his options to exactly what he needs - not what you think he wants. And that starts with strictly limiting the treats. 

Of course, the other side of the weight management coin is exercise.  Very few American pets get the amount of exercise they actually need. We like to remind our clients that "If your dog is overweight, YOU aren't getting enough exercise!"  In the wild, dogs spend their days chasing prey and foraging, but in your living room, your dog spends his days sleeping, for the most part.  Just like humans, dogs and cats need daily, rigorous exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight and optimal health.  If you aren't providing him with the opportunity to exercise properly, you're neglecting an important aspect of his health.  Time to take a good, hard look in the mirror again.

If you don't have the time, or the physical strength, or the inclination to give your dog the exercise he needs, pay someone else to do it.  Yes, that's a service Bewaggle is proud to provide, and your pets will love you for it!