5 Tips To Get Your Boston Terrier In Shape

Boston Terriers are always full of energy so it will be hard to imagine them in a fat shape. But, they are like any animals too! They can get overweight, and of course, it will lead to double trouble. It’s important for your pet to stay healthy so here are 5 tips to get your fluffy and fat Boston back in shape.

It’s necessary that your Boston’s weight must always be kept in check. If you are not sure whether your dog is packing extra pounds or not, these are the signs that you must watch out for:

Their ribs can’t be felt

Boston Terriers have a muscle car figure. They have big ribs that should slim down to lean and powerful hindquarters, and they also have deep chests. You would know if it’s time for your dog to diet when you can’t feel their ribs or tell where his ribcage ends and his hips begin.

Shortness of breath

Since your Boston Terrier is a brachycephalic dog breed, it’s natural for him to snort and make noises.

However, it should not have real trouble breathing when going out on a walk or when doing light exercise. If your Boston Terrier starts to pant or stops moving after just a block, then that means that he may be too heavy and out of shape.

Cannot reach the itch

Observe your Boston. If your fur baby tries to scratch its ear and just cannot reach it, then that means that it’s now getting extra weight. If your pet is overly round, grooming itself will become impossible.

Your Boston Terrier should be able to do these things without a struggle if it’s in shape.

Your dog may look extra cute when it’s getting fluffier and round but you should know that it has some serious effect on their health. It may even lower their lifespan. Here are the health risks that you should be aware of:

Digestive Disorders- they may be at the risk of developing constipation and will have problems with intestinal gas

Decreased immune function- obese or overweight dogs will have decreased resistance to viral bacterial infections

Increased risk of cancer- a study found that dogs who are obese at one year of age are at great risk of developing mammary tumors; they will also have an increased risk of developing cancer, including cancer of the urinary bladder

Decreased liver function- when a dog is overweight, an increased amount of fat will build up in its liver and it will decrease the function of the organ

Heart disease and increased blood pressure- theexcess weight will make the heart of your dog have an increased workload for it must pump blood to excess tissues; this can lead to congestive heart failure

Damage to joints, bones, and ligaments- when the bones and joints are required to carry excess weight, then they will start to become damaged; Arthritis can also develop and it may become severe

Diabetes mellitus- sugar diabetes may develop in your dog if it’s overweight because it will cause increased secretion of insulin in response to the increased blood glucose level

Now that you know the health risks for your fat Boston Terrier, you must also know what to do in order to avoid them. It’s time to keep your pet in shape, now let’s get down to the tips on how you can do it.

5 Tips To Get Your Boston Terrier In Shape

1. Measure Meals

Just like humans, dogs gain weight by eating too much and exercising too little. If your dog eats an excessive number of treats, table scraps, and food at mealtimes, will of course be fat, especially if they are not active. That’s why you should prepare a diet plan. You should first let your veterinarian approve the new diet or exercise plan though.

One good plan is to feed your Boston Terrier with its normal food in the morning and replace his second meal with food that is mostly green beans, and just give him a multi-vitamin in the evening.

You should also remember to not make the common error of associating food with love. Not because you cut down his food intake, it doesn’t mean that you don’t care for them. On the contrary, you are concerned about your dog’s life that’s why you take care of its health.

If you want to learn more what to feed Boston Terriers check out our Food Section and you'll see some detailed guides to help you out!

2. Cut the Calories

There may be treats that you are giving your Boston Terrier that is extremely high in calories. You should be aware of that. Check the treat bag and see the number of calories in each treatment so that you can control the number of treats that you will give to your dog.

Here are some low-calorie treats that you can give to them:

· Baby Carrots

· Small apple piece

· Small training treats

· Dry dog food kibble

3. Make Exercise Fun

You can bond with your dog while making them lose weight at the same time. Canine sports will be a great way for your dog to keep excited while staying active.

There is some timed obstacle course that requires you to communicate with your dog via hand signals and body language while they zoom through tunnels or do some over jumps.

It will help in burning the calories.

Your Boston Terriers are also usually up for a walk, swim, or run so make sure that you’ll make the most out of it and enjoy some outdoor activities with them.

Just start slow and increase their exercise over time. Make sure that you aren’t overexerting your dog and watch out for signs of heatstroke.

However, if you find it difficult to push them to exercise, then you'll have to train your Boston Terrier with a program that fits their needs.

Don't know where to start? Find out more here and you'll know everything about their training needs!

4. Give Smart Supplements

Your pet can benefit from taking a daily omega-3 fatty acid supplement. A couple of supplements will keep them fit and trim. The powerful fish oils have a potent anti-oxidant punch that is already proven to help prevent and treat numerous diseases. It will also help ease their achy joints.

L-carnitine has also been shown to aid weight loss and promote lean muscle mass in some studies. Just make sure that before you give them to your pet, you ask your veterinarian first if it makes sense for the condition of your pet. They can also tell you which supplements are of good quality.

5. Let everyone in the family be involved

When making a plan for your pet’s weight loss, it is important that everyone in the house knows about it.

If there is only one person in the family that doesn’t know and will give your dog lots of snacks, then the weight loss plan will be ineffective.

Everyone should commit to the plan and work together to help you Boston lose weight.

We know that you would like to spend a long period of time with your pet, so we hope that you will watch out for their health.

Keep your fat Boston Terriers in shape so that you will have more moments to spend and enjoy with them! Read about your Boston Terrier's food-related health conditions as well here to be more informed.