The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
December Issue #110
By Megan Miller of Animal Care Centre
Have
you ever run into someone and they comment on how much your kids have grown or
how long your hair is? We are often surprised at peoples’ observations! Since
we see them every day, we don’t notice the changes. This can also happen with
our pets. We may not notice how giving them that extra treat has added a little
to their waist (yes, our pets have waists, too!). It is when we visit our
veterinarian and they comment that Fido is overweight that we get a look of
shock on our faces. This recently happened to me. It had been a month or so
since I had brought my dog to work with me and when Dr. Rand saw him, he
immediately commented that he had gained weight. Shocked, I took him straight
to the scale and lo and behold, my little guy had gained 0.8kg in 8 months! This
was due in part to our youngest child dropping more food on the floor and a few
little snacks before bed. But, I took Dr. Rand’s suggestions for weight loss to
heart after he told me that an overweight pet can have a decrease in life
expectancy by up to 2.5 years!
How
can you tell if your pet is overweight? According to Dr. Rand, it is important
to look at the whole pet, rather than just a number on a scale. When standing
over your pet, looking down at their back, you should see a wider chest that
narrows into a waist, and you should also see the chest narrow to a waist from
the side as you look from head to tail. If your pet resembles more of a sausage
when viewing them from the top or the side, it is time to take action on weight
loss! One last method of scoring your pet’s body condition is to feel over
their ribs. If you can feel their ribs with a thin flesh cover (similar to
feeling across your fingers between the knuckles) then your pet is in good
condition. If it feels like there is a bit of a ‘fat sweater’ over their ribs –
then this is another indicator that weight loss needs to be a priority.
Some
of the other medical conditions that come with excess weight are osteoarthritis,
type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain forms of cancer, as well as
respiratory and heart disease. Those are some pretty scary conditions; none of
which I wanted for my dog.
So, I got started by consulting with Dr. Rand about
the best ways to take the excess weight off.
1.
Food. Check the energy content of your pet’s food and make
sure you are feeding them an appropriate amount for their target body size.
(Your veterinarian can help you determine this if you are unsure!) For those
overweight pets that are on free choice feeding rather than meal feeding, you
may want to consider switching to scheduled meal times. This will make it
easier for you to limit intake and to assess how many cups he/she is actually
eating. You may also need to switch your pet’s diet to one that is specially
formulated to help your pet lose weight while still feeling full. Your
veterinarian can help you decide what weight loss food is right for your pet.
Lastly, it is easy to love your pet with treats, but 1-2 per day is plenty! Try
giving them a piece of their kibble rather than a table scrap, and remember
that you are helping them live a longer and healthier life by not overfeeding
them!
2. Exercise. This will require regular commitment on your part as well as
your pet, but I promise it gets easier! Walking, running, throwing squeaky toys
or Frisbee chasing with dogs requires at least 15-60 minutes a day for 5-7 days
a week. If you have an overweight cat, consider investing in a laser pointer for
them to chase on the floor for exercise. It may also be a good idea to move
food bowls around the house (up or downstairs) so that your pet has to travel
for food.
3. Lastly, regular weigh-ins at the vet clinic are free
and a helpful way to track your pet’s progress!
Most pets will achieve
ideal weight in about 6-8 months, with monthly weight loss of about 3-5+% of
body weight per month (depending on age and starting physical condition). If
weight loss is taking longer than this, you may need to change your strategy, or
have your pet’s blood taken to analyze for underlying conditions such as
hypothyroidism that might be causing slowed metabolism.
We are also hosting a FLAB
to FIT 90 day Challenge for our 4 legged family members in January. We want to
help you give your pet and long and healthy life! If you are interested in
participating, give us a call for more details.
Megan Miller, Practice
Manager
Animal Care Centre of
Strathmore
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