Obesity and weight management
Recent studies suggest between 25-40% dogs and cats presented to vets are obese. The exact percentage of obese pets is not known, but in some reports it has been estimated to be as high as 50%!! Clearly this is a problem that needs to be addressed, because as with people, there are a whole range of clinical conditions which your pet is more at risk of if he is obese or.
Obesity is the result of what we call a positive energy balance. This means that the animal is taking in more calories than he is using up. This excess food is deposited as fat, mostly under the skin and in the abdomen around the organs.
How can I tell if my pet is overweight?
If you can’t feel your pet’s ribs and there is an obvious lack of waist your pet may well be overweight. He also may show signs of having difficulty walking, be slow to move about, short of breath, bad tempered and sleep a lot of the time.
If your pet is showing any of these signs bring him in for a check up.
What is my pet’s ideal weight?
All dogs and cats vary in shape and size, and even for specific breeds where we have average weights, an exact ideal weight can be hard to pinpoint. A better system for evaluating your pet’s body fat is by condition scoring. This applies for all cats and dogs, regardless of size.
As a guide, you should be able to easily feel your pet’s ribs without seeing them, the waist should be clearly visible from above, and the abdomen appear tucked up when viewed from the side.
We are happy to help you with condition scoring your dog, and advise you on whether he needs to lose any weight or not.
Ideal weight
- Ribs are easily felt, with slight fat cover
- Smooth contour of tail base, slight fat cover
- Abdominal tuck visible from side view
- From above there is a well proportioned waist
Overweight:
- Hard to feel ribs under moderate fat cover
- Some thickening over tail base bones
- No abdominal tuck from side view
- From above the back is broadened at the waist
Obese:
- Difficult to feel ribs under thick fat cover
- Tail base thickened and difficult to feel
- No waist from side view, and fat hangs from abdomen
- From above, the back is markedly broadened
Factors contributing to weight gain:
- Too much food: overfeeding is the most common reason for obesity, through inadequate portion control and giving high calorie treats.
- Limited exercise: Inactive pets will be burning fewer calories, and therefore will require less food than other more active animals.
- Medical history: Occasionally weight gain is associated with a medical condition that may require treatment. If there are any other symptoms or recent changes in your pet’s behavior, it is worth booking him in for a health check before starting on a weight loss program.
- Age: Older pets tend to be less active and therefore have lower energy requirements.
- Breed: Some breeds are more prone to weight gain than others. These include Labradors, Cocker and King Charles Spaniels, and mixed breed cats.
Will my pet be more prone to obesity if he/she is neutered?
When a dog is spayed or castrated, its metabolic requirements are often reduced. This means that less food is often required after neutering to maintain the same body condition as before. This does not necessarily mean that your dog is more prone to obesity, however it might mean that you need to adjust your dogs diet, reducing daily intake slightly, to prevent him putting on weight.
Health problems resulting from obesity:
- Decreased life expectancy: In a new study, lean fed dogs which maintained a healthy bodyweight throughout their life were shown, on average, to live 1.8 years longer than dogs which were fed unlimited food.
- Osteoarthritis: In the same study, lean fed dogs were shown to show signs of arthritis due to old age by an average of 3 years later than dogs which were fed unlimited food.
- Diabetes Mellitus: A common complication of obesity in dogs and cats, as well as humans, often involving a lifetime of treatment
- Heart disease and increased blood pressure
- Increased anesthetic and surgical risk
Weight management and control:
Depending on how overweight your pet is, we have a range of food products specially formulated for weight loss in both cats and dogs, which actually help to fill them up so they do not feel hungry.
Make an appointment with us and we will assess your pet’s weight and come up with a weight management program to suit him. For most dogs an increase in exercise will also be of benefit, by increasing calories used up.
We recommend that you try to reward your pet with cuddles, play times and walks rather than rewarding with food. A reduction in feeding tidbits alone can make a vast difference in your pet’s weight.
You are welcome to regularly pop in and use our scales in the waiting room to monitor your pet’s weight.
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