Dog obesity is a serious issue for any pet owner who wants to own an animal. Overweight dogs can die earlier in life, have severe health issues and be generally unhappy when they can’t get around. Yet, 84 million dogs and cats in the United States are overweight and obese. Add to that the idea that the FDA has approved dog obesity medications to give dogs when they are overweight; the world is facing a real crisis.

Experts have pinpointed a few basic problems that cause most dog obesity. The single biggest problem is giving too much food, especially leftover human food and scraps from the table. While owners think it is cute to feed Fido off the table, it could be actually killing him. Human food just can’t be handled properly by dogs, nor does it really provide the nutrients that they need for their health needs.Another reason dogs are seriously overweight includes lack of exercise. When the owner doesn’t get out often enough, neither does the dog. This can be a particularly big problem for indoor dogs, since they don’t have room to exercise if they’re not taken out. So unless being walked by the owner, dogs don’t smell the fresh outdoors.One of the best ways to address dog obesity is to look at your own lifestyle. Since Fido follows his master, there can’t be anything changed without the owners starting first. Getting out and enjoying life every day when you walk is the first way. Then make a pact that nobody in your family feeds your dog off the table. Have your dog eat only from his source of food and regulate it. Based on how heavy your dog is, feed accordingly and wait to see if your dog appears hungry before feeding more.The dog obesity issue will stop when people recognize the health of their animal should be a way of life and the behavior of the dog reflects the owner. As we know it all starts with the dog owner.