Your Pet’s Get Fit Action Plan
January 14, 2018
Food for so many people has emotional ties. There’s comfort food, homemade food, and your mama’s baked goods; we love food and we love to feed our pets. That’s a whole lotta love but it can be too much.
Especially at this time of year when there’s so many leftovers sitting in the fridge, it’s easy to overindulge and eat too much. That often means sharing with our pets too. Probably over the holidays, your dog or cat has tasted a few tender morsels they’re not used to – turkey, gravy, stuffing, cookies. So many goodies that seem to last and last, somebody’s gotta eat them!
Sometimes it feels cruel not to include your pet. We love them, we want to share. It’s one of the ways we show them how much we love them. Besides, they’re part of the family, we can’t help it! But you have to know when enough is enough, and what better time than New Year’s to rein it in.
You want your pet to live a long and healthy life, right? You don’t want a sick animal, living a miserable existence, unable to move or go out for a long walk, having to take medicine several times a day. That’s no life for you or your pet. So let’s get serious. It’s a new year. Let’s make a plan to make food fun but to put a limit on it. Let’s make a pact to get more active with our pets. Let’s strive to commit to this plan throughout the year. It’s easy, and I’m going to show you how.
Your Pet’s Get Fit Action Plan
- Every morning measure out your pet’s food with a measuring cup or scale. Do not guess. Check the feeding directions on the label and be precise. Some experts say that as little as three extra kibbles every day can add up to an extra pound of weight in a year. Also, make sure you factor in daily exercise.
- Save some of this dry food for later when you play with your pet.
- If you give your pet treats every day, decide on how many you’re going to give them and stick to it.
- Let’s say you give your pet two treats a day. Make sure you subtract this amount from their daily requirements of dry food, as listed on the feeding label.
- Set up a daily exercise schedule that you know you can commit to. Dogs need at least 30 to 60 minutes a day of active exercise.
- In the winter months, get creative and come up with some indoor games you can play with your cat or dog. Cats love laser pointers and dogs love running down the hallway after a ball. Just make sure they’re safe from falling down the stairs or sliding on slippery floors. I like to use a soft toy to get my dog to jump from the couch to the ottoman. They’re the same height and the ottoman is big, so it’s perfect.
- Use the dry food you saved as a form of play. You can hide the kibble and get your pet to find it. You can throw it and make them run for it. You can toss it in the air and make them jump for it. All of these are great forms of indoor exercise. Use your best judgement and have fun.
- A kibble ball is also a great toy to get your pet moving. My dog actually prefers to eat their meal from the ball. It’s more fun and she loves the challenge and reward. It gives her mental stimulation as well as physical.
There’s lots of fun ways to to keep your pet active and healthy. All you need is a plan and a little consistency to see it through. Trust me, it’s not as hard as you think. Plus it’s a lot of fun and your pet will love it. There’s nothing better than having fun to show them how much you love them.