I have been witnessing my gym is super crowded (not sure if there's a lot of new members or this is just the time of year that EVERYONE decides to use their membership). I have noticed that there's not really a time of year that we focus on our pets.
In all honesty, I would say about 70% of the pets I see and maybe an even higher percentage of the cats I see are overweight. There are very few that are underweight and it's normally because of a medical issue or a neglect or lack of education problem.
The range of obesity is pretty broad and quite frankly, unless I'm asked or there is a medical issue that would benefit from weight loss, I don't really mention or go at length into pets that are 10-20% overweight (if you look at human doctors, a lot of times they don't mention this either). There's a certain amount of being understanding (maybe something happened where the owner is not able to exercise the pet as much, either a physical issue or change in household). These conversations can be very awkward and difficult to do, especially if your veterinarian only has 20 minute appointment slots.
You can do your own assessment on your pet's weight by looking up "Body Condition Score" for dogs and cats and looking at the graphics. Some of the features veterinarians look for is, does your pet have a waistline, is there a "tuck" or a point where your pet's waist is narrower than their chest. You should also be able to easily feel your pet's ribs (but not see them) and be able to feel their hip bones and spine without pressing in an inch. If you can balance a soda can on top of your pet's back, your pet is most likely too big.
There are many factors in obesity in pets, very similar to the factors in humans. They can have thyroid and metabolic issues, arthritis and other factors that can predispose them to obesity. The biggest factor though is overfeeding and feeding things they shouldn't have.
3 out of 5 pet owners say begging is a problem. Begging is a learned behavior. If you don't give your pet extra food or treats in response to begging, they won't do it. It is a very hard habit to break. My cat is a beggar and so historically my family dogs have been. My current dog is not, partially because he's only lived with my husband and I and also because he has a sensitive stomach. If he gets things he's not supposed to have... Well, let's just say, cleaning up a mess is a deterrent for me whenever I would want to share food. He also doesn't get many treats.
There are Treat Alternatives:
Playing, Petting, Grooming, Walking or other Exercise
Pets that are an appropriate weight are:
More active, more playful, less anxious, more interactive, enjoys life more, live up to 2 years longer
If your pet is overweight or you suspect they could be overweight, formulate a plan with your veterinarian to manage their weight loss. Some techniques we can use are:
Treat underlying thyroid or metabolic issue
Reduce the amount of food that is fed. With weight reduction we look for about 1-2 pounds of weight loss per month.
If we aren't able to reduct the amount of food (either due to owner's preference or the behavior of the pet or other factors), prescription food may be used. This food is formulated so you may feed a larger quantity but it is formulated to be less calorically dense and higher in fiber.Looking at environmental factors. Are their children in the house or other family members who are feeding extra? Is there a way we can increase exercise. One under-looked problem can be if there are multiple people feeding the dog and the dog is able to get "double" meals because there isn't communication whether the dog has already been fed. Pre-portioning the food, or in the case of my family, filling a scoop in the morning and leaving the half scoop for the second meal helps my husband and I know if the dog has been fed or not. We have found that my dog is a pretty good actor and can try to act like he hasn't had a meal- when he really has.
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