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The Overweight Dog
Weight Problems in Dogs

THE OVERWEIGHT PET

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A recent survey indicated that 40% of America's pet population is overweight. If you or your veterinarian feel that your pet would benefit from a reduction in body weight, this discussion should help you to understand how to help overweight dogs lose weight.   Weight loss for obese cats is more complicated and should not be done without a veterinarian's supervision.              

Very simply put, if your pet is overweight it is taking in (eating) more calories than it needs. Set all excuses aside ... excessive weight in an otherwise healthy  pet is a direct result of consuming unnecessary amounts of food. If your pet is overweight it should be examined for heart, thyroid or other metabolic disorders. A detailed history should be taken with emphasis on frequency of exercise, amount and type of food being provided and other parameters relative to calorie requirements.

To begin let us set the record straight on some common misconceptions regarding obesity. Healthy dogs and cats do not need to eat every day; the pet food industry has painted the picture for us of the "eager eater." The impression is that a happy, healthy pet will eat every meal with gusto. Please do not try to entice your pet to eat if it isn’t interested. If you provide a good quality food and a liberal amount of water, your pet will eat when it wants and do better than having to eat when you want. See the pet nutrition section.

Another common myth maintains that spaying or neutering causes obesity. This is absolutely false. Any pet, neutered or not, will gain weight if it is over fed relative to its energy requirements. The surgical procedure may slightly slow the pet’s metabolism, as will normal aging, and it will then burn calories off more slowly; therefore it may require less food. Keep in mind the surgery doesn’t cause the weight gain, eating too much does and you have control over that.

overweightdog The following discussion pertains to DOGS ONLY.  Because of metabolic idiosyncrasies that are different from the dogs',  putting a cat on a reducing diet should never be done without the close supervision of a veterinarian.  Cats are prone to developing a dangerous condition called Hepatic Lipidosis if their caloric intake is suddenly restricted.

Let us explore four typical settings we veterinarians encounter when presented with a pet   that is overweight. See if any of these sound familiar! The quotes are the usual responses pet owners give us when we politely suggest that "perhaps your pet would benefit by losing some weight"...

Type I: THE NIBBLER: "But doctor, she hardly eats a thing."
    (My first thought is that whatever she is eating, it is too much!) This pet probably has food out for it all day and nibbles a little at a time. When dinner time comes and the pet picks at the left-overs, it will take the choicest morsels, leave the rest, and still appear not to have eaten very much. However over a 24 hour period "THE NIBBLER'S" total calorie intake is excessive and it gains weight. Hardly eats a thing, eh?

Type II: THE BEGGAR: "But doctor, this rascal won’t keep quiet unless she gets her treats. And she won’t go to sleep at night until she gets her little dish of ice cream."

What has happened here is that the pet has discovered that the more noise and fussing it produces the more likely it is to be rewarded for this behavior. The owner finally "gives in" to keep the pet quiet and the pet sees the food as a reward. In effect the owner is training "The Beggar" by rewarding its behavior. It turns into a fun game but the pet’s health may suffer if obesity is the result.

Type III: THE GOOD DOG: "But doctor, she’s such a good dog we don’t want her to go hungry."
This pet became overweight because the owner’s signal of affection for their pet has focused on feeding. (Usually each family member secretly offers treats to the pet...and doesn't know the other family members are doing exactly the same thing!)   It is an understandable trait but unfortunately for the pet it can be a case of too much of a good thing. The owners' method of showing affection should be directed more toward physical activity than feeding. Think "FETCH" not "FOOD"!

Type IV: THE GOURMET DOG: "But doctor, she just refuses to eat dog food."
In this case the pet has trained its owners to feed it such things as chicken, liver, ice cream, cookies, etc. Although most table scraps are just fine to feed, (stay away from bones of any kind!)  this pet has been given a choice of what it wants to eat and has chosen certain people food. If a child is given a choice it would probably choose cake and candy over vegetables, and its health would suffer. This Gourmet Dog usually overeats because it isn’t getting a proper balance of  nutrition, plus everything tastes so good there is a reward factor in eating.  The solution is . . . you choose, not your pet.

What To Do About An Overweight Dog
(Be sure your veterinarian evaluates Thyroid Gland function in any overweight dog or cat.  Hypothyroidism is a very common instigator of excess weight in pets and this needs to be corrected or your attempts to reduce your pet's weight will probably fail.  So even if your veterinarian says thinks your dog doesn't "look like a Hypothyroid case", request the blood test for hypothyroidism anyway.  I have been fooled often enough to make it a standard practice in every overweight pet I am working with. Dr Dunn.)

First of all remember that research has shown that, in general, a healthy dog can abstain from food for five days before any noticeable health effects occur. They generally don't HAVE to eat every day.  (Very small breeds are an exception...but unless there's really some medical problem present, missing a day of eating isn't a major catastrophe.) Always be sure fresh water is available. So start out by feeding a very high quality, complete and balanced dog food.  Look on the ingredients list...MEAT should be the first item listed, not corn.  You may also want to supplement with a vitamin/mineral/fatty acid product. PetFoodDirect.com has some excellent products... search for SUPPLEMENTS.  Be careful about over supplementing, too!.

Now record an accurate pre-diet weight. Reduce by one-third your pet’s total daily ration previously given. Include in this total all treats, snacks, or left-overs if you insist on continuing to provide these. Reweigh the pet in 2 weeks. (Remember if the pet begs for food, that's a good sign! But don’t give in. Read again if you have to about Type II)

If you find upon weighing your pet after two weeks that it has lost even a little weight, you’re on the right track; keep up this schedule!  If no weight loss is evident, again reduce by one-third the amount being fed. Weigh the pet again in two weeks. Depending upon the results either keep feeding this amount or reduce again by one-third the total amount being fed. If you persist a good outcome is certain. Many veterinarians believe you should not feed the "Reduced Calorie" or "Lite Diets" or "Senior Diets"!    These diets have very restricted fat levels to reduce the calories but by necessity have increased the carbohydrate percentages.  This increased carbohydrate stimulates additional Insulin secretion which tells the body to store unused calories as fat!  There are a multitude of overweight dogs that have actually gained weight on those "Reduced Calorie" weight loss diets.  Your dog needs a meat-based diet, high in protein (which isn't stored as fat) and fat and low in carbohydrate.  Now... YOU have to adjust the quantity being fed to achieve a state where the dog takes in fewer total calories than it is using for the day's energy requirements.  Simple!

It is also quite important to get everyone’s cooperation in restricting the pet’s intake. There is usually someone in the household who feels sorry for the dieting pet and surreptitiously provides "just a little" something extra. More helpful would it be for the person to take the pet for a walk or a run to burn off a few calories.

Keep in mind most overweight pets have a slow metabolism. They simply don’t burn off those calories very fast and in fact don’t generally have "eager eater" appetites. Because of this slow metabolism, though, they don’t require very much; so "just a little extra"   will make a big difference over a period of time.

Remember...high quality, meat-based food, control the amount fed, provide more exercise, and be persistent.  Help your pet live a longer, leaner and more enjoyable life.  Many types of dermatological problems are avoided if the dog or cat is consuming an optimum diet.  In some cases, adding a supplement such as DermCaps, a popular Omega Fatty Acid supplement with a number of beneficial ingredients, is the key factor in avoiding repeated episodes of Hot Spots and other skin afflictions.  If your dog or cat seems to lack good coat and skin health, consider upgrading the diet to a meat-based ingredient formula and adding a supplement such as DermCaps.
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Any copying or reprinting of this material may be done only with verifiable permission.  
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darlene

Weight Problems in Pets


by Darleen Rudnick, Pet Nutritionist
www.purelypets.com
Chubby puppies are adorable and the fatter they are, the cuter they are. However, baby fat stops being cute when it leads to major health concerns. Studies indicate that an overweight pet is at high risk for a variety of weight-related health problems, such as thyroid problems, heart problems, and many other major illnesses.

An underweight pet must also be carefully monitored as sudden weight loss can signal a serious illness such as Diabetes. If you feel your pet has a weight problem, it is very important to first contact veterinarian.

There are many reasons a pet may be suffering from a weight problem and you need to consider all the factors contributing to it. What does the diet consist of? How much exercise is he/she getting? Are there any other health problems? How many high fat snacks are giving? How many times a day do you feed? These are all important questions in determining what may be causing the problem.

Below are suggestions on how to conquer weight issues.
Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle
A high quality diet is the most crucial ingredient to your pet's health. A commitment to diet -- as natural and high quality as possible -- will be well worth your efforts and any additional cost. A pet's diet has a direct correlation to health and longevity. By adding fresh foods, you will immediately see a shinier coat, less odor, fewer bowel movements, fewer digestive problems and many long-term health benefits. Purely Pets offers many recipes if you are interested in home cooking.

A homemade diet is best, however if this is not an option, a pet food containing two meat sources and whole grains is recommended. A diet of chicken meal, turkey meal, or lamb meal as the first ingredient is recommended along with WHOLE grains. For example: Chicken meal, turkey meal whole brown rice, whole barley, etc. versus, Chicken by-product meal, rice flour, corn gluten, etc.

Avoid foods containing synthetic preservatives such as butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol and ethoxyquin. Purely Pets offers foods containing high quality ingredients. We recommend Flint River Ranch, or Azmira.

Structure Meal Times
When you feed one meal a day, your pet's body produces insulin. Insulin prevents fat cells from releasing fat into the bloodstream, where it can be picked up by other tissues and burned. In other words, high levels of insulin cause low levels of fat burning and high levels of fat storing, the reverse of what you may think. When insulin is not stable in the body, it throws the hormones and brain chemicals out of whack and in turn the body starts storing fat to save itself.

Therefore, feeding once a day can lead to many health problems such as hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity, digestive disorders and many other problems.

It is extremely important to feed 3-4 times a day. When you feed several small meals a day, the body burns fat more effectively. By feeding more meals, you speed up the metabolism so they can burn more calories.

Therefore, I recommend the following feeding schedule:

Breakfast:
A high quality pet food or homemade food.

Lunch:
A healthy snack (snack ideas are listed below)

Midday:
Light Snack.

Dinner:
A high quality pet food or homemade food.

Before bed:
Light snack.

Snack Suggestions:
Carrot
Rice cake
Apple
Pear
Peach
Hard Boiled egg
Scrambled egg
Oatmeal
Low sodium saltine cracker with peanut butter
Cottage cheese
Plain yogurt
Celery
Homemade meatball
Chicken
Egg noodles
Exercise

Exercise helps with muscle development, digestion and overall health. A well-conditioned body will work and perform better and increase the ability to carry blood and oxygen to muscles. Exercising burns fat and increases your pet's metabolism.

Be sure your pet gets at least an hour of exercise everyday. However, age, health and weather should be taken into consideration when exercising. Do NOT over exercise older pets, or pets suffering from hypoglycemia, epilepsy, heart problems, etc. Pets suffer from exhaustion just as humans do.

Rule Out any other Health Problems
Rule out other health problems such as thyroid, Diabetes, Cancer, etc. A health problem may be leading to the weight loss or weight gain.

email Pet Nutritionist: darleen@purelypets.com with questions about your pet or our products.
Copyright © 1997~2007 Purely Pets. All rights reserved.
reprinted with kind permission from Darleen Rudnick

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Q.  I know my dog has put weight on recently, but how do I tell if he's too fat?

A.  A good test is to stand in front of your dog and stroke him along the rib cage.  If you can feel the ribs through a firm coat of skin, he's in good shape.  If you can't feel his ribs at all, it's time to look at cutting down his calories.
 
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chloebutton  talabutton  
The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.