Obesity In Cats and Dogs
Obesity in dogs and cats is fast becoming a major problem in Britain’s pets. Up
to 1 in 3 household pets are overweight in the UK. Obesity can greatly increase
your pet’s risk of developing life threatening diseases.
Risk Factors
There are many reasons to why your pet may be overweight, here are a few of
the more common reasons.
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Excess feeding – this is the most common reason, as a pet owner, you have
control over how much your pet eats. Most feeds have recommended
guidelines but these are only guidelines. Each animal is individual and
requires different amounts.
Snacking – It is very easy to overfeed your pet if you are give lots of treats,
remember to a 10kg dog, 25g of cheese is the same as us eating 2 large
muffins!
Age – Older animals are less active and require fewer calories to maintain a
healthy weight.
Breed – Some breeds are more prone to gain weight easier. Labradors,
cocker spaniels and mix breed cats are the common breeds but this is not an
excuse.
Neutering – Unfortunately, one side effect of having your pet neutered is
they become more prone to put on weight, however there are many healthy
and fit neutered animals within our practice.
Health Problems – There are a few health conditions that can cause an
increase in weight such as hypothyroidism in dogs, these are less common
but can be identified with testing.
How Do I Know If My Pet Is Overweight?
Vets identify overweight pets by using a Body Condition Score (BCS). It is a
scale from 0-9 (or 0-5) with 0 being extremely underweight to 9 being morbidly
obese.
With a healthy pet, you should be able to easily feel the ribs, spine and see a
waist. If you are having trouble feeling the ribs or seeing a waistline, then it is
likely that your pet is overweight.
Your pet’s weight is a great way of measuring progress with weight but you
using the BCS is the only way to tell if your pet is overweight. Please find a BCS
chart where you can assess your pet’s BCS.
What health problems could my overweight pet get?
Overweight pets, as the same in humans, are more prone to life threatening and
debilitating problems. Here are a few of the common conditions we see daily at
the vets.
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Arthritis – carrying excess weight puts more strain on joints and arthritis
can develop much earlier. Excess weight also makes arthritis more
painful to your pet and unfortunately this is a disease, which can
drastically affect its quality of life.
Cruciate Rupture – obese animals are more prone to damaging their
cruciate ligament which can be a expensive operation to repair and be
very painful to your pet.
Diabetes Mellitus – The same disease as humans suffer from. Can make
your pet (dog and cat) extremely unwell and is costly and difficult to
control.
Cancer – can increase the prevalence of certain types of tumours.
Increased anaesthetic risks – increases the risks of all surgeries and
procedures carried out using anaesthetics and sedatives. Places extra
strains on heart and lung function.
How can I help my pet lose its excess weight?
There are many ways to help your pet lose its excess weight; here are a list of a
few ways to help.
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Feeding – Reduce the amount of food you are giving to your pet. If your
pet has excess weight, then they are receiving too much food. Feed fewer
times during the day of feed less at each meal. A handy tip is to use a
measuring cup as your pet will be given the exact same amount daily
Snacking – Cut out snacking! It is an easy way of reducing the food and
helping your pet reduce its weight, if you wish to continue with giving
treats (such as on walks) then you must remove more food from the meal
times. Remember even dental chews are treats and are often high in
calories!
Exercise – Increase the exercise. More moving equals more calories
burnt. With dogs, more frequent walks or a bit of play can add up the
calories burnt in a day. With cats, playing with toys or using feeding balls
can help increase exercise in even the most sedentary cat.
Special Diets – There are many diets, which are lower in calories. Look
out for lighter diets or diets designed for neutered animals. The best food
available to buy is available form the vets and has active ingredients,
which help burn fat whist preserving muscle.
All pets are different so the right way to help one pet may not be the best for
your pet. We are more than happy to help you find the correct way to lose
your pets weight and keep it healthy.