Dog Obesity and Your Dog’s Joints
Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by doglover in Exercise for Weight Loss
One of the most significant effects that obesity can have on your dog’s body is the increased amount of stress that is put on his joints. Joints, much like any moving object, are subject to a certain amount of wear and tear. The more weight that the joints have to carry, the more wear and tear the joints receive.
Carrying extra weight causes excessive rubbing of the cartilage that covers the bones. Eventually this cartilage can be rubbed away completely, resulting in a situation where your dog’s joints are essentially bone on bone without the benefit of any protective cartilage. Studies have shown that the difference in the amount of force placed upon the joints of an overweight animal compared to a pet in their ideal weight range is extreme. Take the simple act of walking. This is a basic activity that an average dog will do on and off every day of his life. When walking, the force placed upon the knee joints is three times greater than the animal’s body weight.
When you consider that this example focuses on one of the most basic and mundane of all dog activities, you can imagine how much extra pressure would be put on the joints when even more strenuous activities such going for a walk are taken into consideration.
This really limits how much exercise you can give your dog to help reduce his body weight. Why not try swimming? It is low impact and protects his joints and still allows him to burn up calories. It’s the perfect exercise for an obese dog.
