Obesity and Pets
05/12/07

More and more evidence is surfacing that obesity is a true disease condition. Fat tissue actually secretes hormones that negatively affect the health of your pet. Overweight pets live an average of 2 years shorter and are afflicted with certain disease conditions earlier in life impacting both the quantity and the quality of their lives. I have seen many pets “loved to death” with treats, snacks, “gravy” added to the regular diet, etc. It often becomes obvious that the pet has trained the owner well.

My dad kept a couple of kennels of Labrador retrievers that we would feed in part with the “scrapings” off our dinner plates. I remember loving to give the dogs their special treats from our table. The dogs were always so excited and I would get that warm feeling as if we were taking such very good care of them. The truth is we were not. These days good pet food manufacturers do a great deal of research to insure that everything your pet needs in the correct proportions is in their diets. You need not add anything to a good quality diet unless your vet has recommended it. Resist the temptation to “doctor” the diet no matter how emphatically your pet says you should.

Another important principle is “Meal Feeding” as apposed to “free choice” feeding. Once a pet has achieved young adulthood, they should be given a measured amount of diet at regular meal times (usually twice daily). Adjust the volume of food based on your pet’s body condition. Your paradigm should be a long distance runner, i.e., lean to the extent that you can easily feel the ribs. If your pets are already free choice feeding you can train them to meal feed by putting the food down for 15 – 20 minutes at meal times then picking it up until the next meal time. Your pet will learn to eat when he or she has the chance. Then, over time, you can adjust the volume for your individual pet. This is “tough Love” but remember, your pet will be around much longer to share that love with.