The epidemic obesity problem in America isn't just limited to people. As humans continue to chow down on fast food, fatty treats and sugary desserts our pets are expanding right along with us. Of course its hard to ignore those big eyes our pets give us when they beg for food, but we have to be firm -- because their health depends on it. Studies have shown that obese dogs are at risk for joint and skin problems. To keep our pets happy and healthy for a long time, we need to control their weight. Helping your pet slim down isn't all that difficult -- and author Martha Garvey will show you how. MY FAT DOG (Ten Simple Steps to Help Your Pet Lose Weight For a Long and Happy Life) by Martha Garvey deals directly with our pets' weight problem from causes to cure. More than a dog diet book, readers will learn the facts (and myths) about animal obesity and discover real solutions to insure our pets' heath and longevity.
Updating recommendations last made by the National Research Council in the mid-1980s, this report provides nutrient recommendations based on physical activity and stage in life, major factors that influence nutrient needs. It looks at how nutrients are metabolized in the bodies of dogs and cats, indications of nutrient deficiency, and diseases related to poor nutrition. The report provides a valuable resource for industry professionals formulating diets, scientists setting research agendas, government officials developing regulations for pet food labeling, and as a university textbook for dog and cat nutrition. It can also guide pet owners feeding decisions for their pets with information on specific nutrient needs, characteristics of different types of pet foods, and factors to consider when feeding cats and dogs.
Fat Dog Farm: Tails of Farm Failures illustrates the many mishaps as Aleah and Andrew navigate city life to farm life. The book showcases the multi-species family and subsequent farm calamities. We all love a good failure, don't we? This is a humorous, inspirational tale of back-to-the-land dreams that encounter some challenging, but ultimately surmountable rough patches of reality. The tale begins in their urban home in Asheville, North Carolina when Andrew's brother suddenly drops off his dog, a Great Pyrenees mixed breed, named Samosa. As Andrew and Aleah navigate their relationship, life shifts from a downtown city space to acreage, thanks to Samosa. Aleah is the dreamer and optimist; Andrew applies the practical and financial brakes, which are needed often for the farm dream to mature. The story chronicles their first six years of homesteading in Tryon, North Carolina. What do you get when two suburbanites naively bring several farm species into their lives and hearts? Excitement, sad times, and failures, but a few successes, too. Each chapter relives the many fiascos that incur while living close to the land and caretaking livestock. The journey revealed becomes the muse for Aleah's first book.
Albert is an ageing labrador. He lives with his master, the Professor, an academic of some renown, in a small town somewhere in Germany, a community largely untouched by history and the larger world beyond. Much bereaved by the loss of his beloved mistress, the Professor’s wife, Albert leads a quiet existence observing the follies and foibles of the humans around him. The arrival of Fräulein Breitfuss, the new Head Librarian, a flamboyant young woman of dubious provenance, sends ripples through the slumberous town. The male populace is agog, the womenfolk suspicious… and Albert is not happy when she moves into the Professor’s life. Neither are the locals when she also attempts to shake the community out of its habitual lethargy with an Arts Festival. The affair between the Professor and the librarian takes a dramatic turn when the woman's unexpected and intricate past presents itself. Rendered homeless by the tragic end of the liaison, unable to renew love and fealty to a new master, Albert takes to the woods above the town, in imitation of imagined ancestors hunting in the wilds. Albert’s narrative weaves together episodes from the lives of a colourful cast of characters. Blending high farce and sombre realities, small vanities and impossible dreams, love found and love lost, the tale winds through a century of drama and conflict with a seemingly guileless innocence. Finally, Albert dimly perceives human lives as the tragicomic sum of accident, whim and fancy, rather than the orderly outcome of principles and high ideals. Fat Dog is narrated by Albert the Labrador, but is not a traditional 'pawtobiography'. As the tale proceeds, the canine voice gradually becomes merely that of a raconteur, allowing the events and episodes to unfold on their own, with occasional and detached musings on the human condition. It is an enjoyable read for any fans of fiction that offers a quirky insight into human nature.
It’s the ideal Christmas gift – the first ever collection of pictures of the world’s fattest pets! Marvel at the supersized cats, dogs, rabbits and others to be found in this astounding and entertaining book. Will fit in most stockings.
A dog is an ideal workout partner: always supportive, happy to go for a walk and never judgmental. The human-companion animal bond is a great way to help you and your dog lose weight or stay fit. When people and dogs exercise together, fitness and health happen on both ends of the leash. As the obesity epidemic spreads, 70% of Americans and 50% of dogs are overweight or obese, resulting in staggering health care costs and suffering. The causes, consequences, and treatment for overweight and obesity are strikingly similar in people and dogs. Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound, written by an expert veterinary surgeon and a leading nurse researcher, helps you move from a food-centered relationship with dogs, to an exercise-centered relationship. Even better, you don’t have to own a dog! The book gives several creative suggestions to exercise or walk a dog even if you do not or cannot have one. This volume is designed for dog lovers, dog owners and families. Based on the latest scientific findings, it will also help professionals (including physicians, veterinarians, and physical therapists) fight obesity and promote fitness in both people and pets. Dog-walking programs can easily be implemented in neighborhoods, parks, workplaces, animal shelters, hospitals, retirement homes and obesity clinics, and this book shows you how to establish them. In nearly every health care profession, practitioners are teaching human patients and dog owners on a daily basis about the risks of obesity. Never has there been a more compelling time for innovative approaches to increasing physical activity, reforming sedentary lifestyles, and enhancing fitness. Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound provides specific strategies for people and dogs to exercise together, lose weight together, and have fun in the process.
#1 New York Times Bestseller In this pathbreaking guide, two of the world’s most popular and trusted pet care advocates reveal new science to teach us how to delay aging and provide a long, happy, healthy life for our canine companions. Like their human counterparts, dogs have been getting sicker and dying prematurely over the past few decades. Why? Scientists are beginning to understand that the chronic diseases afflicting humans—cancer, obesity, diabetes, organ degeneration, and autoimmune disorders—also beset canines. As a result, our beloved companions are vexed with preventable health problems throughout much of their lives and suffer shorter life spans. Because our pets can’t make health and lifestyle decisions for themselves, it’s up to pet parents to make smart, science-backed choices for lasting vitality and health. The Forever Dog gives us the practical, proven tools to protect our loyal four-legged companions. Rodney Habib and Karen Becker, DVM, globetrotted (pre-pandemic) to galvanize the best wisdom from top geneticists, microbiologists, and longevity researchers; they also interviewed people whose dogs have lived into their 20s and even 30s. The result is this unprecedented and comprehensive guide, filled with surprising information, invaluable advice, and inspiring stories about dogs and the people who love them. The Forever Dog prescriptive plan focuses on diet and nutrition, movement, environmental exposures, and stress reduction, and can be tailored to the genetic predisposition of particular breeds or mixes. The authors discuss various types of food—including what the commercial manufacturers don’t want us to know—and offer recipes, easy solutions, and tips for making sure our dogs obtain the nutrients they need. Habib and Dr. Becker also explore how external factors we often don’t think about can greatly affect a dog’s overall health and wellbeing, from everyday insults to the body and its physiology, to the role our own lifestyles and our vets’ choices play. Indeed, the health equation works both ways and can travel “up the leash.” Medical breakthroughs have expanded our choices for canine health—if you know what they are. This definitive dog-care guide empowers us with the knowledge we need to make wise choices, and to keep our dogs healthy and happy for years to come.
Victoria Stilwell, positive reinforcement dog trainer and star of the hit Smithsonian Channel TV show, Dogs With Extraordinary Jobs, explains how to use her force-free, scientifically-backed training methods to solve common canine behavior problems. Victoria Stilwell, America's favorite no-nonsense trainer, has rehabilitated some of the world's most difficult dogs—and now she's revealing her scientifically proven behavioral training secrets for you to use at home. Victoria's all-new training guide shows how positive reinforcement is more effective than other methods: by changing the way your dog thinks, feels, and learns, you can actually encourage your dog to want to behave. With tips and tricks for understanding canine language, harnessing the power of reward-based training, and tapping into dogs' natural instincts, there are no hopeless cases! So get ready to boost your dog's confidence, improve your communication, and build your bond with your best friend today.
