Weight Control

The Dreaded Question - Is My Pet Overweight? 

Picture from: https://www.google.com/search?q=overweight+dog&rlz=1C1EODB_enUS592US593&espv
=2&biw=1440&bih=745&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=
X&ved=0ahUKEwjarbn_jsXSAhWJ6oMKHYWbARkQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1#tbm=isch&q=
overweight+dog+before+and+after&*&imgrc=zExAbKdY1m78FM:

Being overweight in the pet world is likely much more common then you would think. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention website the following was noted:

• 53.8% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese
• 20.2 % being obese
• 58.2% of cats in the United States are overweight or obese
• 28.1% being obese

Being overweight and/or obese can lead to a number of different problems and can decrease a pet's quality of life and take away 2 years of the animals life. Below are a list of diseases that are more common in overweight and/or obese animals:

• Diabetes Mellitus. 
• Fat increases insulin resistance. Insulin is vital for the control of sugar levels, so these start increasing and causing damage to other organ systems. Left untreated it can lead to Diabetic Ketoacidosis, which is life threatening. 
• Cancer
• Heart Disease and Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Urinary Bladder Stones 
• this is seen more often in obese animals, but I believe it is mostly due to a unregulated and unbalanced diet. This changes the pH of a pets urine therefore allowing stone development. 
• Osteoarthritis and Cranial Cruciate Ligament Damage
• This leads life with pain
• Respiratory compromise
• Overwiehgt animals are not as able to take deep breaths due to increased restriction around their chest. This leads to an increased risk of overheating. 
• Increased anesthetic risk
• Drug calculations become less acurate due to more difficulty of determining lean body mass
• Anethesia is suppressive to the respiratory system (overwieght animals are already compromised with thei respiratory system)
• It becomes increasingly more difficult to visualize in a patients abdomen and harder to grasp what you need due to excess fat
• Hepatic Lipidosis in Cats
• When an overweight cat goes off of food, they mobilize their extra fat, often accumulating in their liver. Many cats will stop eating even for very minor illnesses, in a fat cat this can become life threatening instead of easily treated. 
• Chronic Low-Level Inflammation
• It has been found that fat tissue is biologically active. The fat cells produce and secrete inflammatory hormones which cause oxidative stress to the body and it's tissue. This then leads to disease processes. More studies have to be done to really understand everything that is effected. 

How To Determine If Your Pet Is Overweight/Obese

• This is the first step to fixing your problem
• Best thing is to bring your pet in to a veterinarian so they can evaluate their Body Condition Score and give you information and guidelines
• You want to be able to feel SOFTLY along your pet's rib cage and feel their ribs. If you have to push at all, then your pet is carrying a little extra padding
• You also want your pet to have a nice hour glass figure when looking at them from above.
• Their abdomen should be tucked up - you should be able to easily differentiate their chest from the belly
• Use the pictures below as guidelines:

·  

How Did My Pet Get Overweight?

• 1 cup means 1 cup
• A drinking cup may actually hold 2 cups of measured food. Make sure to get an accurate measuring cup when feeding your pet
• Package guidelines are not accurate for all
• Just like humans, all animals also have different metabolisms
• Dog foods generally over-estimate the amount of food a dog needs
• Genetics
• Some breeds are more likely to become overweight - Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund, Beagle are a few.
• It is possible that your dog has a disease causing them to increase their pounds. Such diseases are hypothyroidism and Cushing's. It is always important to rule these diseases out with lab work to make sure your animal is getting the treatment they need. 
• Children?
• This is impossible to control (I know because I am a mom). I recommend either putting your pet away while your child eats or decreasing the amount of daily food consumed to compensate for the extra calories. Make sure the human food does not become the majority of their diet though, as this can lead to other problems. 
• Treats
• Treats usually hide A LOT of calories; 4-5 treats can equal an entire extra meal
• I recommend measuring out your pet's daily food consumption and setting aside some of this kibble to be used as treats during the day
• Another option is taking out dog treats all together; instead use carrots, green beans, peas, cucumbers of blueberries. 
• Castration/Spay
• There are so many animal health and public health benefits from neutering and spaying your animals!! However, their metabolism will slow down after the procedure. Just remember that they do not need as much food after they are sterilized. 

Treatment/Prevention

• Choose an appropriate food for your animal. Ask a vet for help
• Portion control, portion control, portion control
• Stop allowing begging behavior, which leads to overfeeding
• Interactive feeding toys will increase food time and activity needed to get food, which will mean burning more calories
• Feeding schedule for multiple animals - that way the other one cannot snack on it's sibling's food during the day
• Increase exercise (it is good for you too!!)
• Schedule regular weigh-ins (every 3-4 weeks) with your vet 
• Start a weight loss competition with your friend's animals :) 

So here are some of my tips to help your pet stay in a healthy condition. Please comment below with any of your questions, as I would be so happy to help!