How to Help Your Dog or Cat Drop Excessive Weight

So, you left your pets with a friend while you finally lived that dream of travelling the Orient Express and when you came back, they were hardly recognizable. Your dog looks like he’s been working quality assurance at the Scooby Snacks factory and your cat could’ve spent the entire month in an Italian restaurant. What do you do?
First of all, it’s necessary to recognize how your pets got to the state they’re in so you don’t let it happen again. When a pet gets overweight, it usually happens for two reasons:

• Overfeeding – The practice of “free feeding,” or giving a pet a massive amount of food and letting them eat what they want, is usually the culprit here. Unfortunately, pets aren’t very weight conscious. If you put it in front of them, chances are, they’ll eat it.
• Too little exercise – Unless you have an iguana, chances are your pet needs to be active to be healthy. At the very least, dogs need to be walked and cats need some play time.

To slim them down, think diet and exercise, just like if you were trying to drop a few pounds yourself. Don’t let your pet eat whatever he/she wants; cut down on the portions. There are some weight loss foods and vitamin supplements on the market you might try, but leave them as a last resort. Start with giving your pets less and exercising them more.