Keeping your dog fit isn’t just about exercise. Just as you need a healthy diet in addition to regular workouts to stay fit, so does your dog. It can be difficult to get your dog in shape when other members of your family refuse to stick to feeding your dog a proper diet. If your family is the type to give your dog dinner leftovers, mountains of treats, and its dog food throughout the day it’ll take a ridiculous amount of nonstop exercise to keep your dog from putting on the pounds.

While exercise is always a good thing even for dogs who don’t have proper diets, it’s always best to tackle your dog’s fitness from all angles rather than just one. Talk to your family about keeping your dog healthy through workout sessions and a proper feeding plan. Here are some points you can bring up to convince your family that your dog needs a healthy, balanced diet:

A diet of human leftovers can make your dog ill

Human leftovers can make your dog very sick if you don’t watch what’s in the food you’re giving it. Dogs’ bodies can’t digest various foods that humans can, so if you aren’t careful with what you give your dog you may see harmful effects hours, days, months, or even years down the road.

Human food is not a balanced diet.

High quality dog food is specifically formulated to give your dog the various nutrients it needs to stay at its peak physical condition. This includes your dog’s digestive system, joints, coat, muscles, and everything else in your dog’s body. Leftovers simply cannot provide your dog with all of the benefits it needs to stay as fit as possible. Many dog owners make their own food for their dogs, but a responsible owner will take all of their dog’s nutritional requirements into account and do proper research into what their dog needs. Leftovers simply don’t cut it.

Talk to a vet

If your family is still not convinced, see if you can arrange a talk with your vet about what kind of a diet your dog should be getting. A veterinary professional holds a great amount of authority in the field and your family may be more willing to listen to a vet and apply his or her suggestions.