Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound: How You & Your Dog Can Lose Weight, Stay Fit, and Have Fun

by Phil Zeltzman, Rebecca A. Johnson

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557535818
Publisher:	Purdue University Press
Publication date:	05/15/2011
Series:	New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, is a traveling, board-certified veterinary surgeon near Allentown, Pennsylvania. His professional interests include soft tissue, orthopedic, cancer, and neurosurgery. A prolific international speaker and writer for twenty-five years, he has often written about pet obesity. He writes an award-winning, free, e-mail-based newsletter read by pet lovers in all fifty states and twenty-eight countries (visit www.DrPhilZeltzman.com). He is a contributor to Dog Fancy, The Bark, and Veterinary Practice News. Rebecca Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Millsap Professor for Gerontological Nursing and Public Policy at the University of Missouri. She holds a joint appointment at the College of Veterinary Medicine as the director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (visit www.rechai.missouri.edu). Author of over forty publications, she is called upon nationally and internationally to speak about human-animal interaction. In 2010 she was elected president of the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface: Walking toward health
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Dog walking, the ideal activity for fitness and weight loss
Chapter 2: Know the health numbers for you and your dog
Chapter 3: Why getting fit is so important for you and your dog
Chapter 4: Dog walking, step by step
Chapter 5: Outfitting for fitness
Chapter 6: Hate walking? Here are other great activities with your dog
Chapter 7: Get help from the pros
Chapter 8: Start something big!
Chapter 9: Create new patterns
Resources
Index

Editorial Reviews

Named after a successful pilot program in Columbia, Mo. that paired volunteers with shelter dogs for walks, this one-note guide instructs current and would-be dog owners on the various whats and hows of something necessary to the health and happiness of all animals: regular exercise. The number of obese dogs in the United States is approaching 50%, and health risks vary by breed. Vets don't always inform owners of their pet's obesity problem, and owners often believe that their dog's weight is normal. The authors cover all of the bases, including information on obesity self-assessment, helping dogs diet, exercise safety, gear necessary for walks. A rundown of the top 10 serious health hazards of obesity shows that man and his best friend are rather similar. There's nothing terribly surprising here, but perhaps a few eyes will be opened; that profusion of table scraps and treats may feel like a show of love, but it's not. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Zeltzman, a veterinary surgeon and veterinary journalist, and Johnson (gerontological nursing and public policy, U. of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction) explain how dog owners can fight obesity and promote fitness by exercising with dogs. Arguing that people and animals experience many of the same illnesses and can benefit from the same solutions, they draw many ideas from the Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound project in Columbia, Missouri, to explain benefits for both humans and dogs, assessing risk factors and health indicators, the importance of fitness to ward off disease, guidelines and safety, clothing and equipment, support systems, walking in groups, and non-walking activities. (Annotation C2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

From the Publisher