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August 2005
August 17, 2005
Helping Your Overweight Pet…
Seven Tips to Managing Obesity in Pets
Obesity is becoming a serious problem for pets, just
as it is for pet owners. That’s because animals can suffer
from many of the same complications as humans.
To help you understand if your pet is overweight, and
what you can do about it Mandarin Landing Animal Hospital
is offering a free guide: Seven Tips to Managing Obesity in
Pets. For a copy of the guide, call 904-268-0477.
Many conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, kidney
disease, heart disease, liver disease, thyroid disease and
hip dysplasia can be prevented by making sure your pet
stays at a normal weight for their age, breed and size.
Pet owners need to monitor their pet’s level of exercise,
as well as making sure the pet gets a nutritionally
complete, high fiber and low calorie diet.
To be considered overweight, pets must be at least 10%
above their ideal weight (taking into account the animal’s
breed). In cats, neutering/spaying is blamed much of the
time, as cats run twice the risk of being obese after these
procedures (females almost 2:1 over males).
Here are seven tips you should keep in mind when helping
your pet shed those extra pounds:
1. If you think your pet needs to go on a diet, see your
veterinarian first. He or she can advise you and take a
baseline weight. Your veterinarians can also tell you if
the weight increase is fat or something more serious.
2. Losing weight is about “the numbers” for animals, just
like for humans. Your pet must burn more calories than he
or she eats. Exercise may be inappropriate for pets in poor
health, so consult your veterinarian before starting an
exercise program. Hold a family conference to outline the
weight-reduction goal and steps necessary to reach that
goal. Emphasize the importance of cooperation from everyone
in the family.
3. Decrease the amount of calories your pet consumes by
feeding a low calorie, high fiber diet specifically
formulated for weight reduction. Feeding a smaller portion
of a diet that is not formulated for weight reduction is
not recommended. The reduced food intake won’t satisfy your
pet’s hunger and it may cause a vitamin, mineral or protein
deficiency. Your veterinarian will be able to recommend
specially formulated prescription diets that will help your
pet lose weight. This special diet will allow your pet to
continue consuming the same amount of food, so he or she
will have the same feeling of satisfaction, while getting
all the necessary nutrients.
4. Do not feed anything other than the amount of food
prescribed. Keep your pet out of the room when food is
prepared and eaten by the family, to reduce the amount of
begging. Also, do not leave food out all day. Once offered
food, leave it down for no more than 30 minutes and then
remove it.
5. Assign only one person in the house to feed pets, to
increase control of the situation. Do not feed obese pets
with other pets. If your pet goes outdoors, alert your
neighbors not to feed your pet and explain why. If you have
house guests, also ask them not to feed the pet.
6. Exercise your pet regularly as directed by your
veterinarian. Try taking your pet out for an extra walk.
(When walking a cat, make sure there are no dogs to upset
him or her). Play with your pet more often, to help him or
her work off some of the extra weight.
7. Keep a regular record of your pet’s weight. Bring this
record to all veterinary visits.
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