Owners often don’t know pet is fat
Humans are not the only residents of the United States who are getting fatter every year. So, unsurprisingly, are our furry friends — the dogs and cats that share our lives and, too often, our tendency to overeat.
Unlike their owners, however, the family dog or cat cannot open the refrigerator or gain access to snacks in high cupboards without human assistance, which means the responsibility for pet obesity rests with youknow-who.
Veterinarians report that nearly half the dogs they see are overweight or obese, although only 17 percent of owners acknowledge that their pets are fat.
“Others know their pet is overweight but don’t think it’s a problem,” said Debo- rah Linder, who heads the Tufts Obesity Clinic for Ani- mals Clinical Nutrition Ser- vice. “Wrong!”
According to Nationwide, the country’s largest provider of pet health insurance, obesity among dogs and cats has risen for eight years in a row, along with claims for ailments related to being overweight. In 2017, obesity-related insur- ance claims for veterinary expenses exceeded $69 million, a 24 percent increase over the last eight years, Nationwide reported in January. With only 2 percent of pets covered by insurance, the costs to owners of overweight pets is likely to be in the billions.
Dollars aside, the toll taken by excess weight on the animals’ health, quality of life and longevity is far greater than most owners probably realize. Common obesityrelated ailments in dogs and cats include arthritis, heart disease, bladder and urinary tract disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, diabe- tes, high blood pressure and spinal disease.
A study of Labrador retrievers, a breed espe- cially prone to becoming overweight, revealed that excess weight can take nearly two years off a pet’s life. So if you love your pets even half as much as I love mine, you should be willing to keep them lean or, if they are already too chubby, take the steps veterinarians recommend to help them trim down.
A study of 50 obese dogs enrolled in a weight-loss program at the University of Liverpool demonstrated the value of losing excess body fat. The 30 animals in the study that reached their target weight had greater vitality, less pain and fewer emotional issues than the animals that remained too fat.
Whether you feed your dog once, twice or even four times a day, the amount of food dished out should always be measured. Many owners are guided by serving sizes listed on pet food labels, but these are just general guidelines that tend to err on the high side, said John P. Loftus, veterinarian at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Not all animals are metabolically alike or equally active. Best to judge quantity by whether your pet is gaining or losing weight on the amount of food you provide, he said.
His colleague at Cornell, Joseph J. Wakshlag, said, “Guides should say, ‘Please feed at the lower end of the feeding recommendations when starting our food, and increase only if the animal is losing weight.’ ”
As to whether to feed dry kibble, wet canned food or a combination, Loftus said, “The jury is still out as to what’s better.”
MEMORIALIZE YOUR PET
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