A lot of dogs are overweight these days, putting them at risk of joint pain, diabetes, and shortened life spans. Several studies show that more than half of all pets are overweight or obese. The reasons for this obesisty is the same reason for obesity with people. An unhealthy diet and not enough excersise. Just as we’re eating larger portions and more snacks than a decade ago, so are our pets. Because our lives are busier, we’re less likely to get the exercise we need and less likely to take a long walk with our dogs. It might seem that an extra pound or two on our fourlegged companions isn’t so terrible. But that little bit can be a significant percentage of a pet’s total weight.

Some owners disregard the health hazards associated with overweight pets and instead focus on how cute their fat puppy looks. But overfeeding a fat dog is basically a form of cruelty. Overweight and obese pets not only have shorter life spans but also suffer from more medical problems during their lives, including back pain, arthritis, kidney disease, and diabetes, they’re also more expensive to care for as a result. Your dog can become stressed, depressed or agressive from an unhealthy lifestyle or diet. So it’s not only in the best interest for their physical health it is also very important for their mental health to get the right food and in combination with the right amount of excersise.

Bulldogs Weight

With Bulldogs I think this is even more important than with most other breeds. The Bulldog is a dog that might be hard to judge on weight cause of its unusual build. A lot of people think that Bulldogs are overweight when they are not. Some dogs are just build with broad chests will be labeled fat. But on the other hand there are a lot of Bulldog owners who love the natural chubbyness and wrinkles of the bulldog and by adding more pounds they think they are making their dog look better. Conclusion: You need to know the difference between muscle and fat and know that overweight dogs are not cute but unhealthy and unhappy.

How to Weigh your Dog

For puppies and small dogs you can use a kitchen scale.  To weigh your dog correctly, weigh yourself while holding your dog, then weigh yourself and substract your weight from the total. To check up on your dogs health it is best to regularly check your dogs weight. On average a Bulldogmen will weigh about 53-56 pounds (25-30kg)  and bitches  will weigh about 49-52 pounds (21-26kg). When your dog weighs more than the average it does not necessarily mean your dog is overweight.  If you have any doubt about your dogs weight contact your vet.

1 kg is ± 2.2 pounds

Read more on Dog Food and Dog Diets here:
http://baggybulldogs.com/2012/07/05/dangerous-dog-food-and-food-tips