Just like humans, dogs can struggle with weight issues. Some dogs have a hard time keeping the pounds off while others need help putting some on. There are a variety of reasons behind weight management issues in dogs including medical conditions, exercise, stress and diet.
What we find in boarding environments is that dogs can suddenly drop a startling amount of weight. This type of weight loss can be attributed to stress, increase in exercise and a change in diet (when owners don’t bring their own food). Boarding kennels shouldn’t be used as a boot camp where your dog experiences a sudden change in weight. Weight loss should be monitored by a veterinarian and done in a safe, gradual manner.
High Tails Pet Resort identified weight loss as a potential health issue for our guests. So we’ve taken some unique steps to ensure pets in our care don’t experience a sudden change. We carefully monitor the weight of all pets in our care just like your veterinarian does at your dog’s annual wellness check. We weigh dogs on intake and then every three days throughout their stay if they are boarding for a week or longer.
This allows the staff to see if a dog is losing, gaining or maintaining weight. It’s incredibly helpful when meal planning. Pet parents often feed their dog based on a lower activity level that pets experience at home. However at High Tails we keep the dogs busy and they need more calories. When we identify a pet that’s losing weight we will adjust their daily meals to offset the change in activity level.
One of the best things a pet parent can do is bring extra food along with their pets during a stay. This allows the kennel to feed your dog’s own food as a top up or if something should happen and your return date is delayed then we have your extra food on hand.
Certain dogs are at a higher risk to lose weight in a boarding situation. These factors include:
- Age (young animals burn calories quicker as they grow and tend to be more active)
- Breed (highly active breeds need to be monitored closely)
- Sexual status (intact animals – particularly males have a harder time keeping weight on)
- Stress level (if your dog is anxious or stressed then they may not eat or digest their food properly)
The main goal during your dog’s stay should be to have lots of fun and return home in the same or better condition than you dropped your pet off in. This is why High Tails goes the extra mile.
