Chris Lane And Lauren Bushnell Lane Have Tips For Keeping Your Dog Happy and Healthy

The Bachelor alum Lauren Bushnell Lane and her husband, country music artist Chris Lane, spoke to The Spruce Pets about their family’s reckoning with pet obesity, and the steps they took to get their two dogs to a healthy weight.

“We did not know dog obesity would ever be a topic of conversation in our lives until we went to the vet with our two dogs and Chloe was overweight,” Lane said. “As parents to two toddlers, Dutton and Baker, and two dogs, Chloe and Cooper, we were a little intimidated by the process of getting our dog to a healthy weight, but it was really as simple as changing her food.” 

Now, the Nashville-based couple is teaming up with Hill’s Pet Nutrition to educate other pet owners about how to recognize when pets are overweight, and how to make sure they live their longest, happiest, healthiest lives.

“We want to indulge our dogs a little bit, we love them so much,” Chris said. But the concerned paw-rents took the news of Chloe’s weight gain seriously. “We didn’t know that a little bit of weight, like even two pounds, could have such a negative effect on your dog’s health.”

The Lanes know first-hand how difficult it can be to resist the urge to give your dog a few extra nibbles throughout the day, whether it’s a toddler tossing a scrap of food from the dinner table or those big puppy eyes asking for a treat.

Obesity in dogs can lead to serious secondary health conditions including diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. 

“We didn’t want it to start impacting her health and we want her to live a long healthy life,” Lauren said. 

Fortunately, some of these ailments can be remedied by bringing your dog back to their ideal weight. It’s different for every dog, so the first step is always a visit with your veterinarian–which you should do annually to monitor any changes in your dog’s weight. From there you can follow in the footsteps of the Lanes to help your dog drop the extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight with nutritionally balanced meals, exercise, and quality time together.