Thursday, March 5, 2015

The Joy of Helping Your Pet Maintain a #PerfectWeight

This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Science Diet® Perfect Weight 10 Week Turnaround, but 'Pixel Blue Eyes: Her Tails of Adventure' blog only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
"Being a pet parent is one of the greatest joys in the entire world!" Mommy said that to me just this morning when we were having our special morning time before breakfast. There is so much love shared between a pet and their human. I know Mommy wants to spoil me like crazy, but I also know she wants what is best for me, so I can imagine that being a pet parent can also be a challenge, as she balances her need to spoil me with doing what is best for me. Keeping me at a perfect weight is one of the greatest and most loving things she does for me. It's also one of her biggest challenges. Thankfully she, and many other pet parents, don't have to tackle that challenge alone.
Many pet parents may ask, "Is my precious little one overweight?". I've shared with you in the past that I had a bit of a weight issue a few years ago when I was 2.5 pounds over my ideal weight. Now, that may not sound like much, but 5 lbs on a small dog is like 30 lbs on a human, so I was carrying the equivalent of 15 extra pounds on me. Watch this "Is your pet overweight" video by Dr. Ashley Gallagher:

It turns out that over 50% of all pets are overweight. Excess weight can cause many issues for pets, but it's difficult to shed those extra pounds, whether you are human or canine. It is very important to address a weight issue as soon as possible. Talk to your veterinarian and set up a plan to help your pet shed the pounds. There are things you can do, tools you can use, and products that can help overweight pets.
The most important thing to do is to make an appointment to have your pet(s) evaluated by your veterinarian. They can best identify a plan of action for your pet.
If your pet is overweight, your vet might suggest the Hill's® Science Diet® Perfect Weight pet food. Yes, my friends at Hills have done it again! They are always concerned about pets being at a healthy weight, and continually strive to create pet foods that help pets successfully lose weight. Hills strives to work in partnership with pet parents to get their dogs and cats to a healthy weight so their pets live longer, healthier, happier lives. I'm super excited about their breakthrough nutrition formulated to achieve & maintain a healthy weight & improve quality of life in small & toy breed dogs like me: Hill's® Science Diet® Small and Toy Breed Formula. You can read all about it here: http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-canine-adultperfect-weight-small-and-toy-dry.html. 70% of cats and dogs who used Science Diet Perfect Weight lost weight within 10 weeks.
Tips and tools to help you and your pet succeed in achieving and keeping a perfect weight:
1. Always measure out your pet's food each time you feed them. Find out what the total amount of food is they can have for the day, then split it out to the number of meals you want them to have for that day. For example, I have to take medicine 4 times a day, so I get my total amount of food split into 4 meals. I LOVE getting all those mini meals from Mommy throughout the day.
2. Exercise your pet. Even in the dead of winter, your pet can still get exercise. We love to play in the snow, even if we get cold quickly. You could try incorporating several small indoor or outdoor play times, or small exercise/activity times throughout the day. Even 5 minutes of throwing the ball down the hall with your pet is excellent way to keep you both active, happy and a little healthier.
3. Learn a new trick together. It will keep both the mind AND the body active.
4. Check out your pet's weight using the petMD Healthy Weight Tool - Enter in some basic information to get the answer.
5. Discover just how negative an impact "people food" from your plate can be on your pet by visiting the Treat Translator Tool - You only think that "one tiny bite of cheese" isn't much.
Being a pet parent is both rewarding and challenging, but we're all here for each other. A healthy weight for your dog or cat is one of the most loving thing you can do for them. Achieving a perfect weight for your pet is possible. If you'd like to read some success stories of cats and dogs who have achieved their perfect weight with the Hills 10 Week Turnaround, visit the Hillspet website. Hills Science Diet Perfect Weight pet food is available at your licensed veterinarian or at Pet 360.

10 comments:

  1. Luckily no overweight issues here so thankfully we can just enjoy our hunting and sleeping. Prevention is better than cure peeps believes. Have a tremendous Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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    1. We agree that prevention is always a good thing Molly! Sounds like you keep active with the hunting, and sleeping is one of my favorite past times.
      Have a great week my friend and thanks so much for stopping by!
      Pixel

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  2. Pixel, Thanks so much for the wonderful and informative post about Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight doggie food. You truly do look like an Iditarod doggie in the snow photo!!

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    1. Awe, thank you Anita! I'm pretty sure I could have pulled a sled if called to the task. I'm so glad you enjoyed the article. :)
      Your friend, Pixel

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  3. I'm so glad that Science Diet is coming out with some new weight loss alternatives that work in the real world!

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    1. Hi Gunthrie Pet Hospital,
      Hills is always coming up with new and improved food to benefit pets & their health. Thank you so much for reading my post and taking the time to comment my friend! Come back anytime. Pixel

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  4. I was very concerned about the lady who posted this though about Science Diet... .Amber Lockspeiser I have and many of my clients have. In fact, everyone I know who went on Science Diet passed away from the exact reason they went on it. My cat for example ended up with triple the amount of stones within one year of being put on Science Diet. It ferments in their stomachs in fact. Also, the vets are given SD for free in vet school and since they have no nutrition classes at all, they are led to believe it is good food. Check source of where the food comes from. Is it grass fed, grass finished beef? Is it organic? etc SD gives the Vet Association a ton of money to push their products. As a CAMT we are schooled in nutrition. I just want to share info.

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    1. Thank you for your comment. You should always contact the dog food company if you have an issue with them. Pixel has eaten Hills Ideal Balance in the past and done great on it before. Pet parents should always make the best choices they can for their pets based on research and good judgement. Hills has nutritionists who work to create balanced nutrition for their pet food. I know personally of a lot of pets who also have used Hills Science Diet who thrive on it. Thank you for taking the time to share your input on the matter.

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  5. Hope it helps some pets lose weight and get healthier.

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    1. I hope it does too Emma. Thanks so much for stopping by my friend!

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