‘We are 100 percent responsible for what goes into our pet’s dish’
The Atlanta Pet Expo
10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Free. Pets, from lizards to dogs, are welcome. 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. gwinnettcenter.com
Harrison Forbes, former Atlantan and frequent guest on national TV news shows when the topic is animal behavior and pets, is coming home as a speaker Saturday at the Atlanta Pet Expo.
The event typically draws more than 11,000 people to the Gwinnett Center in Duluth and will include speakers, classes, entertainment, and more than 100 booths and organization for everything from on-site adoptions to pet toys.
Forbes will host a question-and-answer session for pet owners and be at a his Pet Talk booth as well. He has trained dogs for movies and police forces, written the book “Dog Talk” and is developing a pet-talk radio show. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution caught up with him this week to talk about a growing problem among American pets that reflects a similar problem among their owners, pet obesity.
Q: Why should we care if our dogs are fat? What’s the problem?
A: It's very similar to some ailments people have if you have a fat dog. It shortens their life tremendously and you are setting yourself up for a lot of medical bills. Extra weight on dogs can lead to diabetes, heart problems, joint problems. … You are doing your dog a disservice.
Q: If you have a fat dog, what do you do to start slimming it down? What’s the regimen?
A: We are 100 percent responsible for what goes into our pet's dish. As owners, we have to take responsibility if they get fat, and we need to cut the food and up the exercise. … With dogs, they can gain and lose weight pretty quickly. (So start the new regimen and adjust in two weeks or so after checking results.)
Q: And as dogs age?
A: It's a little counterintuitive. … An owner thinks Barney has been a good dog and lived a good life and now he can get fat and lie in front of the fireplace. In truth, he needs to slim down more than ever. It helps tremendously with arthritis (and other illnesses). … It's better to be 2 pounds under what you think he should weigh than 2 pounds over.
And pet nutrition has come so far in the last 10 or 15 years. (Pet food is more nutritious and packed with calories), but some owners still fill up the bowl and let the animal eat out of it all day long. That’s the flip side of supernutritious food.
Look at your dog, and if you don’t see a slight taper after their rib cage, then your dog is overweight.
And people underestimate the amount of exercise a dog may need. They go for a quarter-mile walk around the block and that barely fits the needs some dogs have. Some dogs can run miles alongside a bicycle, and that’s good for them.
(Forbes suggests finding some backyard or dog park exercise that your dogs like, such as fetch or chasing games.)
About the Author
Christopher Quinn is a writer and editor who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1999. He writes stories on Veterans Affairs, business including high-tech growth in metro Atlanta, Georgia's $72 billion farm economy, and he oversees assigning and editing news obituaries.
