Posts tagged "pet obesity"

It's a tough coming up against a moment in your life when you can't deny that you've gotten fat. You stopped getting on the scale every day, you rationalize and explain away way you see in the mirror, telling yourself little lies. And then one day you just straight-up can't button your jeans. Bummer.

But look on the bright side. Unless you're one of those people on TV who have to be airlifted out of their houses by cranes, you can still walk through a door. Not so for the tubby cat. Oh, it's a cruel day for a feline when he tries to come into the house and only manages to get stuck like Pooh at Rabbit's house after scarfing down all that honey. But Leroy here doesn't let it break his stride. He just uses his big fat butt to open that door the human way.

As Americans struggle to keep our waistlines in check, it's no real surprise that our unhealthy lifestyles have been weighing down our pets as well. In fact, a new study has found that American dogs and cats are facing an obesity epidemic much like our own!

According to a study conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, more than half of U.S. pets are now considered overweight or worse. A full 20 percent of dogs and 20 percent of cats are now considered obese, meaning they're 30 percent above their normal weights, the Wall Street Journal reports. But veterinarians and owners are tackling this problem with new diets, pet weight management software and more.

Underworked and Overfed
It's a sad fact, but our pets are logging more hours on the couch and getting less exercise than ever before. And with the country suffering from bad weather this winter, pets had even less opportunity to exercise.

But one of the major issues, according to the Wall Street Journal, has to do with owners who routinely overfeed their pets -- and not just table scraps. As many pet owners have discovered, it's not always easy to determine how much to feed their pets each day.

That's in part due to the fact that most pet food manufacturers don't list caloric information on their packaging. "Just 10 extra kibbles of a typical dry cat food could add up to one pound of weight gain annually," APOP founder Dr. Ernie Ward tells the Wall Street Journal.

You adore your little dog, but are you taking care of his or her special nutrition needs?

It isn't just about feeding your dog the proper serving size (though that is critical), it is also about taking into account a variety of factors that determine a pet's metabolism requirements, including age, activity level and reproductive status. To help guide you, Paw Nation spoke with animal nutritionist Susan Lauten, Ph.D., of Pet Nutrition Consulting, and Liz Palika, author of "The Ultimate Pet Food Guide," about how to ensure that our tiny friends live long, well-fed lives.


1. Use food manufacturer's guidelines as the starting point for determining proper portion size.
Unlike humans, there is no specific recommended daily calorie allowance for dogs. So begin with what is on the package and then modify to keep your pooch at the right weight. (See more on this below.) If you want to create a special diet for your dog -- whether by mixing types of store-bought foods or preparing meals from scratch -- consult a professional to make sure you are meeting your animal's nutrition and portion needs.

2. Adjust food amounts depending on whether you have a lazy lap dog or an active dog.
As with humans, healthy eating is all about calories in versus calories out. "Calculated caloric intake can vary up to 30 percent based on a dog's activity level and breed. What they recommend for active terriers is 30 to 40 percent higher than active dogs in general. Terriers, like the Jack Russell, are zooming around. But small pets that are carried around everywhere don't require as many calories," explains Lauten. Most bigger dogs are inactive in comparison.

Things are looking up for Taz! Australian scientists have discovered a colony of Tasmanian devils with an apparent immunity to the cancer that has severely reduced the population of the furry little animals. Currently an endangered species, Tasmanian devils spread the deadly cancer when they bite each other's faces. Hopefully this colony will give researchers answers on how to keep their brothers and sisters healthy.

Move over, Ken. Barbie's got a new love in her life. Russ is unveiling the Barbie Pet plush collection, which will include three pets: Sequin, a white poodle; Blissa, a kitten; and Lacey, a chihuahua puppy. Each pet has a story explaining its friendship with Barbie.

Is your Fido a fatty? Obesity isn't just a problem for humans. Pet obesity in the United States is growing. While that pun is intended, the situation is far from funny; obesity is now the single biggest pet health threat in the U.S. It's unlikely to turn around anytime soon, either, since owners of larger dogs like Labradors and golden retrievers tend to believe their pets are a normal weight when, actually, they're fatty boombalatties.

This dog's a lifesaver. A boy in Connecticut suffers from epilepsy, but thanks to his best friend -- a specially trained dog named Alfie -- his seizures can be predicted and more safely managed. Tonic has the scoop on this touching story.

Wherein I try to get my pets to a healthy cat weight.

After finally accepting the fact that Tino and DeeDee must lose weight, I made an appointment with the obeasts' vet for advice on a game plan.

It had been a little over a year since the two had officially been weighed and I knew both had added on some chub. It wasn't until they got on the scale that it became obvious just how much had been added to their heft. DeeDee weighed in at over 19 pounds -- a pound or two up from last year. Tino, meanwhile, was over 18 pounds -- less than DeeDee, but considering he was 14 pounds just last year, that meant he'd put on about 30% of his body weight. Ruh-roh!

In medical terms: "That's insane," according to my vet.

Game Plan
I was asked, how much was I feeding them? Brace yourself. They split a can of wet food at night, and then have a "couple of scoops" of dry stuff throughout the day. My vet asked me how big a scoop was, then winced when I held up a one-cup measure. I was then informed that DeeDee and Tino should only be getting the canned food plus a 1/4 cup of dry food each. Oops!

I mentioned that Tino had been drinking more water than usual, so the vet tested his blood sugar, as weight gain and water drinking can be a sign of diabetes. Sure enough, his sugar was off the charts, meaning not only does Tino need to be on a diet, but he needs insulin injections and urine monitoring. Fun.

With this diagnosis, she recommended that the cats be switched to only wet food (a suggestion many of you made in the comments last week).

Health Stats
Diabetes is far from the only risk for fat cats. Veterinary researchers at Cornell University found that obese cats are also more likely to suffer from lameness due to arthritis or muscle injuries and non-allergic skin conditions. Read: Two things I'll have to be on the lookout for.

Even scarier? The report also found that fat cats are "twice as likely to die in middle age, which for cats is 6 to 12 years." Tino and DeeDee just turned 10, so they really have to pull it together! Diet starts today.