Are Our Pets Too Porky? Tip The Scales In Fido’s Favor

By Kendra Bobowick

Our pets are overweight.

Some are slightly rounder than they should be. Others shuffle a bit when they walk. Some are swollen around the hips and belly or show signs that they could use more time chasing a tennis ball.

As many as 65 percent of the animals that visit Brian Silverlieb, VMD, at the Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals are overweight.

“Not all are obese,” he said, but many are the result of a mix of too little exercise and their owners’ tendency to feed them too much. Dogs will pick up the family traits, he explained. “They sit at home with mom and dad in the winter in the inclement weather,” he said.

Agreeing that many of the dogs and cats he sees are heavy, Chris Mixon, DVM, with Newtown Animal Clinic said, “Clients say, ‘In winter, my dog gets fat.’ There’s no magic, if [pets] take in more than they should, the body stores it.” He also said the health issue in pets is mirroring human obesity.

He also said that feeding animals people food is part of the problem. Owners may tend to give their dogs pieces of fat off the beef for example, and the calories accumulate. “They’re smaller than we are,” he said.

Exercise could be the missing ingredient in pets’ diets. “Dogs and cats are not terribly active,” Dr Mixon said. “In the wild they would be running all over, but now they are couch potatoes. A lot of dogs get no activity, they’re not taken for walks.”

Lack of activity itself is not the problem, he said, explaining that he cuts back his dog’s food if activity is low.

How much should our pets be eating? Dr Silverlieb suggests twice a day, contrary to the once a day theory for dogs.

“I think dogs are a lot happier feeding in the morning and night,” he said. “I don’t recommend leaving their food out. Dogs like a schedule, two times a day at the same times.”

He said that recommended food amounts are printed on the packaging. He offers an estimate for a 75-pound Lab of two measuring cups in the morning and two at night. Dr Mixon noted that larger cups for drinking or coffee are often more than a measured cup.

Dr Mixon also advises using the bag as a guideline where a weight chart is generally displayed, but with one difference. “The chart is almost always too much [food] because the bag assumes an activity level,” he said. Most pets need a little less food than the amount posted on the bag.

He offers other reasons for feeding dogs twice rather than the fabled once-a-day approach. “In 2007, dogs are family members and we want to do what dogs are happy with.” Pet owners can determine whether their feeding habits are successful with just a glance.

Dr Silverlieb said, “If you see the ribs, that’s too skinny; if you can’t feel them, that’s too fat.”

Dog treats are also a pitfall.

“Treats are awful, like giving a dog a Snickers bar, and people think that every time the dog goes out to potty it should get a treat,” said Dr Mixon.

One last piece of advice from Dr Silverlieb includes what foods to keep away from your dog. “No grapes, raisins, garlic, or macadamia nuts, and watch the salt and fat,” he said. He also said to stay away from chocolate and aspirin.

Overweight pets face the many of the same health risks and diseases as people. Cats, especially, are prone to diabetes. “People have to realize that cats are carnivores,” said Dr Silverlieb. People may be buying quality foods, but the problem is the ingredients.

“Foods may not be high enough in protein for cats,” he explained. The high carbohydrates in foods may present problems for the carnivores. “They are exhausting the pancreas,” he said. Signs of diabetes include a lot of water intake, ravenous appetites, and excessive urination.

“Cats are not normally big water drinkers,” Dr Silverlieb said. J