All Things Dog Blog

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Get Fit! Natural Balance Photo Contest

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

With such soaring numbers of pets growing overweight, Natural Balance has taken action to help promote a solution. As an NB Insider, I'm proud to say they're not just throwing a product at the problem and stopping there. They've taken a thorough approach to offering resources, tips, ideas, and you'll even be hearing from me on this topic.

Knowing that extra pounds often lead to heart disease, diabetes and other health problems, your pet needs your help to get him fit and healthy. Unlike humans who make their own food choices, our pets depend on us to provide a balanced diet and adequate exercise, while still allowing a few extra calories to reward them for good behavior and training work that are important to our bonding. We believe bonding is important too!

To help you get started on the road to your pet's perfect weight, Natural Balance is sponsoring a photo contest that you'll hardly be able to take a pass on. The payoff for both you and your pet's health, could be enormous:

Who: Overweight Dogs and Cats
What: A Photo Contest!
Where: The Natural Balance Facebook Page: Facebook.com/NaturalBalanceFan
When: April 23 - May 7 (2 weeks to submit your photos of 'Fat Fido' and 'Fat Fluffy'
Why: Terrific prizes and inspiring information and resources, more below...
How: Your entered photo will be judged by Natural Balance's judges

Here's the prize lineup:

6 finalists (3 dogs and 3 cats – all chosen by Natural Balance based on pet’s need of transformation) will win a 6 month supply of Fat Dogs or Fat Cats Food & treats.
2 winners (1 dog and 1 cat – chosen by fan voting on Facebook) will win the following:

o   A one year’s supply of Fat Dogs or Fat Cats Formula

o   An interactive pet fitness kit--wowzer!

o   A feature of your pet on www.NaturalBalanceInc.com

o   A $200 VISA gift card to spend on your pet--double wowzer :)

Selection of finalists and winners:

May 9 – May 15: 3 dog and 3 cat finalists announced; One week voting period on Facebook for winners
May 21: Winners announced (1 dog and 1 cat)

I'll be sharing tips and strategies with you during the contest, as well as some of my own activity ideas that may be a good fit for some of you. In addition, the resources from Natural Balance are terrific. Be sure to visit this link for a ton of great ideas. Watch for more on this healthy-living plan to come. Join me as we all work to have healthier pets.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Ask the Vet, with Dr. Pat: The South
Bark Diet for Dogs

by Pat Bradley, DVM

Is Your Toy-Sized Dog Overweight?

Here's Help

Hello Dr Pat:

My little Chi mix is a real porker; he is a lot overweight. Does the green been diet really work for dogs and if it does how much do I give him and how much food with it? My friend told me half and half. Is this right?

Thank you sincerely, Gen

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Dear Gen,

I commend you for your desire to help your overweight friend. We all want our dogs to be their healthy, happy best, but for many of our dogs, especially small breeds, “happiness” has become equivalent to “eating when I’m bored or upset”. Let’s change that!

The green bean diet can really work. They are low in calories, easy to use, and most dogs like them. But since the appetites, preferences and metabolism of all dogs are not alike, it’s great that we have lots of choices when it comes to weight loss, and lots of information to help us make good decisions. Here are the main strategies:

Decrease overall calories: (a) Decrease the total amount of food by a quarter or a third. (b) Feed the same amount of a lower calorie pet food. (c) Feed the same amount of a grain-free pet food. You know, the “South Bark Diet”.

Increase fiber. Fiber helps dieting tummies feel comfortably full. This is where the green beans come in. Substitute one or more of these for an equal amount of commercial food. I’d start at no more than 1/3, especially in small dogs that tend to need a higher protein level. And add a balanced multivitamin to ensure that all the basics are covered. (a) Green beans: their positive attributes are mentioned above, but to keep them from feeling too self-important, let’s mention some of the other veggies. (b)Yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, carrots, pumpkin, winter squash, or green peas. (c) Oat or wheat bran: ¼ to ½ tsp per day for a small dog.

Increase play and walks and exercise with him. We know it burns calories, but it will also increase the “feel good” chemicals in his brain, making him less likely to give you those gut-wrenching, guilt-inducing stares.

Snacks. Substitute snacks that are high in nutrition and low in calories, such as dried liver, raw carrot slices, or even our go-to friend, the green bean.