.jpg)
We love our families. We love our children. We love our
pets. We buy organic foods for our families because we believe that these foods
are good for people and good for the earth. We ensure that our children are
well nourished so that they can enjoy long and healthy lives. It is not
surprising that we want the same for our furry family members. The problem is
that over nutrition is negatively affecting our pets. Our pets are becoming overweight and even obese as we strive to do
right by them and give them the best foods that we can afford. Pet foods sold
in this country are composed of high quality ingredients which are of high
nutritional value. It is exceedingly uncommon for our pets to experience
disease due to poor quality diets. While we have eliminated nutritional
deficiencies in our pets, we are only beginning to tackle the issue of
overabundance of calories and disease due to over nutrition.
Recent studies have shown that 52% of dogs and
57 % of cats are overweight or obese.(www.petobesityprevention.org)
Weight gain occurs when calorie intake exceeds calorie expenditure. Our pets
are gaining unnecessary and unhealthy weight because they are receiving too
many calories in their diets. I say ‘receiving’ because it stresses the point
that we are providing our pets with what they are eating. Our pets no
longer run free on the farm or perform the work of herding the flocks.
Many dogs spend their days on the couch, waiting for family members to return
in the evening. It doesn’t take a lot of calories to sleep all day. Cats are
kept indoors, out of harm’s way. Our cats and dogs are experiencing
fewer traumatic injuries and fewer infectious diseases because we are careful
to monitor their activities and eliminate hazards. Unfortunately, weight
gain and obesity have replaced traumatic and infectious disease threats
to our furry friends.
Owners set the patterns involved in feeding
pets. Daisy the Labrador Retriever ‘demands’ the 6am breakfast and
6pm dinner because our behavior has led her to this expectation. If it was
Daisy’s decision, every hour would be meal time, she is a Labrador Retriever,
after all. She inhales her food. Daisy ENJOYS her food, or so we
presume from the speed at which it disappears. We feel good about the premium
brand dog food she eats since it brings her pleasure and we believe that it is
good for her. Emily the cat also enjoys her food but more
surreptitiously, because a cat really doesn’t need an owner. (People are
useful, at times, but not necessary.) Emily likes to see that the
food bowl is FULL when she passes by, regardless of whether she is
hungry. Full is good; a concavity in the contour of the food mound is bad-and
she will tell you about it. She does so because she has had success with
this strategy. Protestations yield a freshly topped-off bowl and some
degree of human interaction, even though our sighs and scoldings
were not exactly the type of attention she wanted.
Due
to the abundance of pet food choices, it is difficult to answer the
question-how much brand X kibble should Daisy be eating per day ? Or how many
cans or scoops of wet food should Emily be given? The calorie density of
different foods is far more variable than it was 20 years ago, when we
could ball park “1/2c dry food per 10lb body weight per day” for Daisy. Dry dog
foods now range from 300 to greater than 500 calories per cup. This is why we
ask owners to look at food bags and cans for that brand’s calorie
information( per cup or can)before we can specify an amount of a specific food
to feed. The recommended number of calories to feed per day can
easily be calculated using age, activity level, body size, and standard values
for resting energy requirement(RER).
Successful
weight loss in pets is similar to successful weight loss in people-it is
accomplished by changing patterns and expectations. Weight loss that
occurs because behavior has changed is weight loss that can be maintained.
Re-gain of weight is as common in pets as in humans. Reaching and maintaining a
healthy body weight IS work-it requires thought and perseverance. Owners
cannot go from treat provision to treat elimination without
eliciting a surprised( and certainly confused !) response from the pet. But we
can break the milkbone in half, providing ½ the usual calories per treat
episode. We can also substitute lower calorie items (such as pieces of rice
cakes and vegetables) for the higher calorie alternatives. Daisy
MAY look at us askance if we offer a piece of broccoli instead of that
milkbone-but if we gradually decrease the frequency of the milkbone and
increase the frequency of the broccoli, without changing the
routine and patter( “Good girl! Is it time for your bedtime
treat ?”), she will adjust her behavior. Our exuberance in offering the
‘treat’ need not change. Dogs are social creatures-the interaction
with the owner is as important to the dog as the substance
of the treat itself (although Daisy might not admit to this the first
time she receives a piece of broccoli).
Cats are a different story.
Nutritionists agree that the optimal diet for a cat is 8-10 mice per day.
Cats eat what they catch, when they catch it.(Then they nap!) They expend
calories in the chase-and some days are leaner than others. There is also
mental exercise involved in the hunt-something that our pets do not get
when we open cans and bags for them. One way to regulate calories consumed and
encourage some physical activity, is to take the daily dry food allowance-divide
it into 5-6 portions and place those portions around the house. Another
approach to engage the reluctant athlete is to feed individual pieces of dry
food in a tossing game-the cat needs to chase and consume each piece of
kibble before the next piece is tossed. This is a way to interact with the pet
that is fun for owner and pet alike.
Physical exercise is
important for our canine friends. One hour of walking per day is recommended,
and this is great target for all of us-dogs and people alike! Dogs with orthopedic
issues may need to have their activity adjusted to accommodate their
restrictions. Even dogs with joint issues should exercise daily to maintain
muscle tone and flexibility. It is obviously more difficult for these pets to
lose weight, but it can be accomplished. We first need to identify the type of
activity Daisy enjoys (walking, swimming) and the length of time
she can exercise without becoming sore. In many instances, multiple
short exercise sessions per day are better tolerated than 1 long one. The
exercise goal for cats is 5 minutes of vigorous activity (chasing lights
or objects) 2 -3 times daily. Reluctant athletes can be motivated with the
kibble game. Cats with orthopedic issues are definitely more challenging but
weight loss can be accomplished if we are creative and persistent.
Talk to us about concerns you have
about your pet’s diet and body weight. We are here to help your pet live a
long and healthy life.
Ann Whereat, VMD
Dr. Whereat earned her degree from the University of
Pennsylvania. She also received a B.A. in Biology from Lawrence University in
Appleton, Wisconsin.
She has a veterinary interest in internal medicine and the
human-animal bond.
Outside the office, Dr. Whereat has one pet – a Great
Swiss Mountain dog – and likes to spend time with her husband and three
daughters.
