Pet Obesity

Pet obesity is considered one of the most common nutritional problems in cats & dogs, two scientists from the University of California, Davis, reported last year at the Waltham International Nutritional Sciences Symposium in Washington. Studies in Western Europe & the United States show that more than 24% of dogs & about 25% of house cats suffer from pet obesity. Why is fighting pet obesity important? Pet obesity can shave 2 to 5 years off your pet’s life.

Surprise surprise! One study found a strong correlation between extra weight in pet owners & in their pets.

Dogs & cats are considered overweight when their body weight is 15 percent above what is optimal for their breed, & obese when they weigh 30 percent above ideal.

Like mothers are poor at assessing their children’s childhood obesity risks, pet owners are notoriously poor at assessing their animals’ pet obesity risks.

Causes:

Normally pet inactivity & overfeeding are the main causes of pet obesity, including the feeding of human food. Human food is much higher in calories than most animal food.

Hypothyroidism (under activity of the thyroid gl&) & hyperadrenocorticism (disorder of the adrenal gl&s, a.k.a. Cushing's disease) are also known causes of pet obesity. You can have lab tests done to see if these are issues.

Genetics may have a role in a pet's chances of suffering from pet obesity. Dog breeds at higher risk: labrador retriever, cairn terrier, cavalier king charles spaniel, scottish terrier, cocker spaniel.

Cat breeds at higher risk: the domestic shorthair. Being neutered is a big risk factor for obesity in dogs & cats. In a French study, neutered dogs were more than twice as likely to be overweight as dogs that were not neutered.
Female dogs are more likely to be overweight than male dogs.
Pet obesity risk rises with age. 2 & 3 year old dogs were nearly three times as likely to be overweight as 1 year-olds. Dogs over 12 years old are 12 times as likely as 1 year-olds to be overweight.

Solutions:

Ridding your pet’s diet of people food & feeding light versions of adult dog food, coupled with increased exercise, are usually all that is necessary to fight pet obesity. Take your dog on more walks or to the dog park. Exercising your dog can be good for you too!

If light food & exercise are not enough, prescription special diet food may be necessary (see your vet for the type of food & instructions for feeding) to fight pet obesity.

Keep tabs on your pet’s progress with weekly weigh-ins at the vet; it’s usually free at most clinics.