You can’t resist the pleading face of your pudgy poochie, so you share with her a bite or five of what you’re eating and happiness is restored … but at what cost? Studies show that excess weight — whether due to too many people or doggy snacks, overly large servings of dog food, insufficient exercise, a slowing metabolism, or a combination of factors — increases the risk of earlier onset of disease and a shortened lifespan for your dog.

“Being overweight is associated with and exacerbates and compounds several serious medical conditions.” explains William Fortney, DVM, assistant professor, Diagnostic Medicine Pathobiology, at Kansas State University, including:

• Arthritis. “Additional stress on limb joints eventually damages and wears out the joint cartilage, resulting in progressive painful joint movements and a much less active patient. The end result is a patient that is in chronic debilitating pain.”
• Back problems. “Additional stress on the intervertebral discs increases the chance of a ‘ruptured’ or ‘slipped’ disk in breeds more prone to disk disease (Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund, and Corgi). This condition is very painful, can require expensive surgery and occasionally causes permanent paralysis of the hind legs and loss of fecal and bladder control.”
• Heart and lung problems. “Additional stress on the heart decreases its ability to effectively pump oxygenated blood to all the body tissues including the brain. That definitely aggravates any degree of congestive heart failure that might already exist. In addition, the accumulation of fat in the chest cavity decreases the patient’s ability to breath and pant, and the lungs to inflate adequately. As a result, the patient has difficulty breathing and tires very easily.”
• Diabetes. “Affected patients drink more water, urinate more, eat more, and require daily, life-saving insulin injections to survive.”
• Heat exhaustion and fatal heat stroke. “Excess fat acts as insulation, trapping body heat inside and decreases the heart’s ability to aid in cooling. Overweight dogs have decreased ability to pant and expend heat, making them even more susceptible to the effects of heat.”

It’s never too early to start monitoring your dog’s weight. Both adults and puppies should be trim and have a good body condition score of about 4 or 5 with a tucked-in tummy, noticeable waist, and ribs easily felt and (in short-haired breeds) almost visible. (Get a body condition score chart from your veterinarian or off the Internet.)

To prevent obesity, feed measured amounts of food — 30 calories per pound a day based on your dog’s ideal body weight, advises Deborah S. Greco DVM, of the Animal Medical Center in New York City. Because a dog’s metabolism slows with age, while spaying and neutering decreases energy expenditure by almost 40 per cent, so future adjustments in food portions or exercise will likely be needed, adds Greco.

“For dogs that are already overweight, reduce food amounts by 20 per cent, increase exercise and avoid treats, which are a major source of extra calories.”