our advice: ASK DR. CATE
Vet Rap by
Dr. Ryan Cate
Helping Your Dog Live a Healthier Life
Question: Dear Dr. Cate:
Our dog was a chubby puppy who has turned into an
overweight adult. What can we do to help him live a
healthier life?
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Answer: According to the Association for Pet Obesity
Prevention, over half of American cats and dogs are
either overweight or obese. Like your pet, if your
animal was a chubby kitten or puppy, odds are it will
become an overweight older dog. The number of fat
cells is determined when a dog is a puppy or a cat is a
kitten, and once they are formed they are permanent.
The reason that many companion animals become
either overweight or obese is an excessive amount of
caloric intake and a decreased amount of exercise. Just
like us, our animals are suffering from the supersize
mentality, and it’s affecting their overall health. Pet
obesity can cause a host of problems in our animals.
Skin infections from too many folds of skin, an increase
of blood pressure that can lead to heart disease, diabe-
tes, immunosuppression issues, as well as arthritis and
other orthopedic disorders can all be traced back to our
animals being too heavy.
If you think your pet might be obese or overweight, first
consult with your veterinarian to have them check that
no underlying medical issues might be the cause. The
doctor will do a body condition score and rate your
dog or cat from one to nine. An animal that scores a
one would be emaciated and underweight, while nine
would be grossly obese. Then a number of tests will be
performed which might include CBC, chemistry panel,
thyroid panel and or a urinalysis. Your vet is testing for
some specific reasons why your animal might be gain-
ing weight. Some of the causes could be hypothyroid-
ism, Cushing’s disease, or diabetes mellitus. These tests
can rule these issues out and make sure it’s safe to start
your pet on a diet and exercise regimen.
If there are no underlying issues, the key to successfully
getting your pet on the right track is to provide more
caloric output than input. First, modify the amount and
way you feed. Put the animal on a feeding schedule,
and give them no more than 30 minutes to eat and
then put the food away. Cut out all people food — it
is never good for your dog or cat. Reduce snacks and
change them to something healthier like vegetables
or fruit, making sure you never give them grapes or
raisins. Frozen green beans and peas are great treats
and decrease the calorie intake. Working with your
vet and online resources you can determine what [is]
the ideal caloric intake for your breed, size and type of
companion animal.
When you have the food portion of the program in
place, exercise will also help your pet slim down.
When starting an exercise regimen, take into account
your pet’s age and fitness level. You may need to start
with just a few minutes of exercise a day to get up to
twice per day for 15 minutes. Exercising twice per day
will rev up their metabolism and get them on the right
track for losing weight and getting healthier.
This year Oct. 11, is Pet Obesity Awareness Day.
Have your pet checked out by your vet and then set
a goal for this date to have your pet on the right track
to health. There are many online tools at the APOP’s
website (petobesityprevention.org). You can find charts
to determine the ideal weight for your type of dog,
daily feeding and activity logs that you can fill out and
discuss during your vet visit, even calorie counts for
your animal’s favorite treats.
Everyone wants their pet to live a long healthy life, and
maintaining a healthy weight is a big part of keeping
your pet healthy. Decreasing your pet’s weight will lead
to an increase in its quality of life, and hopefully the
length of time that it is part of your family.