Pet Obesity.....

Lately you read a lot about the human population and how obesity has literally become an epidemic  in the US. Well it isn't just us humans who are reaching epidemic proportions, it's out pets also who are suffering from obesity.

Face the facts here, like us over 40% of our pets are obese and dangerously overweight. Obesity shortens their lives also and creates compounding illnesses, such as Diabetes, Arthritis, Pancreatitis, Inflammatory bowel disease, Congestive Heart Failure, Cardiac disease, thyroid problems and a myriad of other problems.

One myth on the cause of obesity, spaying or neutering your pet will cause obesity. This is absolutely untrue. Any pet, altered or not will gain weight if it is over fed and not exercised enough. And aging will naturally alter a pet's metabolism, therefore burning off calories at a slower rate.

Types of overweight pets:

The Nibbler: this type probably has access to food all day, and nibbles off and on all day. Thereby giving you the impression that they hardly eat anything. However..... over a 24 hour period they have probably taken in an excessive amount of food and thereby gaining weight.

The Beggar: This type has learned that by begging, (the sad starving puppy look) or by being annoying they can get what they want which is your food and scraps. They have trained you to give in to their desires and cravings for things that probably aren't the best for them in the first place. The more fuss and noise they make the more likely they will be rewarded with food.

The Good Pet: This one is overweight because the owner's signal of affection has been focused on feeding. Usually each person in the household will secretly offer the pet treats and doesn't know the other people are doing the exact same thing. Unfortunately for the pet, too much of this can be a bad thing.

The Gourmet Pet:  The usual excuse to the vet will be, "But Doctor, she just refuses to eat her pet food!" In thi scase the pet has trained it's owners to feed it select foods like chicken, ice cream, cookies, etc. Although some table scraps are ok to feed, and there may be times when you need to feed a special made food (i.e. boiled chicken and rice), this type of pet has been given a choice of what it wants to eat and it has chosen people food. This type also usually overeats because it isn't getting a proper balance of nutrition, plus everything to him tastes so good there is a reward factor in eating.

Ok, so how do you help your pet be healthier and live a longer, happier, more energetic life? Well here are some ideas....

Find a good quality food, you choose, the pet doesn't. A grain free or one with very low carbs. Pets need more protein than carbs and grains really aren't so good for them. The first 3 minimum ingredients should be meats, or meat broth. No meat by products, or meal, these are just the unedible parts, like beaks, feet, feathers, etc. Canned is preferred over dry. Dry simply does not have enough moisture content, and is too easy for it to get spoiled. When you are feeding a good quality food with good quality meats,  your pet will require less as it is using all of the food for nutrition and to keep their systems running properly. Weight loss foods simply don't work, they are lower in protein and higher in the fillers, carbs. One way to know you are feeding a good diet is the amount and how often your pet defecates. When they are using the maximum of their food, their stools will be much smaller, much less frequency, mostly dry looking and will crumble easily, and don't smell hardly anymore!

Take your pet on longer walks, play more, or find your area dog park so he can socialize and play with others. For your cat, provide more toys to keep him entertained and moving more.

And always make sure there is fresh water available. Change your pets diet slowly, this helps avoid digestive upsets, and yes, it is ok to provide a variety of good meals so they don't get bored with one flavor or type.

You will find as you get your pet on a good food, that the weight will come off, slowly, but it will come off and they will maintain a healthy weight. And as their body adjusts to having nutritional food in it, instead of fillers that don't do anything for them, that their craving and amount they eat will decrease naturally too.

There are many resources of good feeding practices on the web, my favorite is Dr. Lisa Pierson, DVM's site: www.catinfo.org , however, her site mostly pertains to cats. But the basics are not that different for dogs.