Curated by Maria Rita Insolera, Naturopath

Being online for a dog or cat means right weight and right proportions. Right weight also means beautiful hair, good joints, toned muscles, a not overworked heart and therefore good health. Let's find out more about the causes of dog and cat obesity and how to cure it with natural remedies.

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Obesity and its causes

A dog or cat can be defined as obese when their weight exceeds the standard weight for race and age by at least 20% . Obesity is caused by an excess of lipids and liquids that spreads under the skin.

Each breed and each subject has its own characteristics, to determine whether their dog or cat is in the right shape must first be the veterinarian.

However, a preliminary diagnosis is possible by analyzing the "critical points" of the animal . In particular, the rib cage and life .

In the first case it is good to feel the ribs under the fingers, even if these should not be too obvious. In the second case, instead, the waist must be clearly evident.

Of course, some elements affect the weight of the dog and cat more than others . In particular:

• The diet. It is better to prefer a correct diet with foods appropriate to the species.
• The lifestyle . Movement and moderate physical activation help.
• The breed . Small dogs fatten up more easily
• Age . Adult or older dogs and cats have a greater tendency to gain weight because they move less than puppies.
• Sterilization . It always involves weight gain due to some metabolic changes, regardless of race, gender and size.

Among the other causes of obesity, however, some animal health conditions can also be included, which create a series of alterations in the balance between the intake of nutrients and their actual use.

Dog obesity: prevention and natural remedies

In dog obesity, a determining factor for you to control is feeding .

There are many ready-made diets on the market both for obesity problems and for those related to excessive thinness. If they are of good quality, they give a great help because you can easily check the daily quantity according to the current weight and the ideal one to reach.

In dogs it is sufficient to operate the daily amount of feed in two moments, leaving only water to the dog. The dog can also be given:

• Lemon balm, Fucus vesiculosus and Hedera helix in the form of mother tincture: 5 drops every 10 kg of weight, twice a day.
• Bach flowers can help in case the dog eats boredom or if the food has become a fixation: White chestnut, Crab apple and Wild rose .

Cat obesity: prevention and natural remedies

In cats, weight control is different from a dog, because the cat cannot spend too much time fasting, but needs to eat little and often.

The important thing is to replace the usual food with a low calorie one, avoiding snacks between meals.

Natural tips

When the feeding of the animal is changed, it is always good to also adapt the physical activity . Stimulating the dog or cat to make more movements, perhaps inviting them to new games or long walks, helps to block the tendency to obesity.