According to the latest recent data, 56% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. Because many pet owners may not even be aware that their pets are overweight, obesity is a problem that is frequently ignored, despite the fact that it poses a serious health risk to dogs.
Dr. Ernie Ward, DVM, CVFT, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), says, “I see people coming in constantly with 90-pound Labs and they say, ‘she looks great.” That dog is, in fact, fifteen pounds overweight. But we’ve made it commonplace. This type of dog exemplifies the “fat pet gap,” which refers to the discrepancy between our perceptions of what a healthy body looks like and what a canine should look like.
In dogs, obesity has serious repercussions. It’s actually the largest health risk to our pets, according to Ward and other veterinarians. Furthermore, obesity is not a standalone condition; it has been related to a wide range of health issues, such as cancer, diabetes, heart failure, low thyroid hormone production, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, bladder/urinary tract illness, high blood pressure, and arthritis. According to Dr. Ward, “We think it’s very important that people understand this isn’t just a cosmetic issue.” “This has a physiological ramification.”
A REDUCED ERROR MARGIN
Even though there isn’t a consensus definition of obesity for pets, it’s generally agreed upon that being overweight negatively affects their health. This definition of obesity is roughly 30% over optimal body weight. And one of the difficulties in resolving this is that many pet owners may simply not realize there is an issue.
“Your dog appears to be in good health, is energetic, and doesn’t appear to have any health problems,” adds Ward. “You say that it’s normal, so its morphology, or size, is also normal.” The issue, though, is that we frequently project our own human-centric viewpoint onto dogs since we are unsure of what “normal” is in their lives. According to Ward, “in human terms, we think we just need to drop five pounds.” “Well, a few pounds has a much, much bigger and more concentrated physiological impact on pets than on people. On a cat, five pounds is disastrous. Five pounds is a big deal on a lab. We consider taking a few pounds off my lab; what might happen as a result? But the consequences are that Lab’s hips are deteriorating, it’s causing damage to the kidneys, it’s probably causing high blood pressure which is causing a constellation of problems, and it’s increasing cancer risk.
The integrative veterinarian Dr. Carol Osborne of Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Ohio agrees that a dog need not be clinically obese to have negative health effects. According to her, a dog that is just 10% overweight will live a third shorter life and be more susceptible to diabetes, arthritis, cancer, renal, and liver problems.
According to Osborne, the addition of rich blood causes inflammation because adipose tissue, often known as fat, is packed with blood vessels. According to her, all of this raises a dog’s chance of contracting cancer by creating an environment that is appealing to cancer cells.
According to Osborne, cancer is the leading cause of death for dogs nowadays.
Furthermore, a few extra pounds might make a big impact for some smaller breeds. According to her, “three extra pounds for dogs in the ‘toy’ category is the equivalent of about thirty pounds for you or me.”
The health consequences of owning even a slightly overweight dog, according to holistic veterinarian and researcher Dr. Jean Dodds of the Hemopet veterinary center in California, include “reduced energy with resultant less exercise, ‘easy keeper’ (gains weight on small amounts of food), skin and hair coat conditions, and irregular female reproductive cycles, if intact.”
On the other hand, obese dogs could gain from even a small amount of weight loss. A 2010 clinical research found that weight loss beginning at 6.10% significantly reduced lameness in obese dogs with osteoarthritis.
In 2018, a different study that was published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine discovered a link between being overweight and a shortened lifespan in 12 different dog breeds. For the overweight group, the predicted reduction in lifetime was as much as 2.5 years.
“When we examine an obese dog, even a small weight loss of 6%—six pounds for a 100-pound retriever—makes a difference,” states Ward. “The pet can feel better with little to no weight loss. I truly make an effort to highlight that when I’m talking to (pet owners) because it’s a quality of life issue as much as a longevity and disease-prevention issue.”
REWRITING THE FUTURE FOR YOUR DOG
The issue might not appear as urgent to pet owners whose dogs are not obese or exhibiting overt health issues. Ward, though, cautions against doing nothing while you can.
He claims, “I see too many 10-year-old Lab mixes who suddenly have debilitating hip arthritis brought on by obesity and are unable to get into cars.” However, if the tape can be wound back, you don’t have the years of cumulative damage. (Obesity) is a slow and insidious and silent killer, and people may know it’s happening, but they don’t take action until there’s a crisis. I say that nobody treats obesity until there’s a catastrophe. And when it’s catastrophic, you may not recover.”
A manual for dog breeders: How much your dog should weigh
The question still stands: How can dog owners figure out what their dog’s ideal weight is?
THE TEST OF THE RIBS
According to Osborne, the first step is to routinely monitor your dog’s physical state. The “rib test,” she suggested.
She instructs us to “stand behind your dog and run your hands gently along either side of the rib cage.” Your dog should have a waist or a tucked-up area in front of the hind legs, and you should be able to feel every rib without difficulty. It’s probably time to consider trimming if your dog has lost his waist and/or you can pinch more than one inch.
THE EXAMINATION IN STANDING
Ward chooses a different approach. “I advise you to take the standing exam. Lean down and observe the dog from the side to determine whether or not its stomach or abdomen is drooping, the man advises. Then I look up: I should be able to notice an hourglass-shaped indentation in front of the hips. The hourglass shape is created by the chest extending forth and the waist tapering in.
Ward claims that this test should be effective for 95% of dogs, despite the fact that canine bodies and the amount of hair and fur they have vary greatly (he notes that outliers include English Bulldogs and Pugs).
Food is most important.
Numerous veterinarians concur that a dog or cat’s weight loss journey starts and stops at the food bowl. According to the literature that is currently available and experience, Ward breaks down the weight-loss math this way: 60-70% diet and 30-40% exercise.
Therefore, it becomes crucial to know just how much to feed your dog. Ward, like many other experts, advises against basing your dog’s feeding quantity on the recommendations found on the majority of commercial dry food containers. The guidelines are considerably too general to meet the needs of every dog because they are based on adult dogs across all life stages. Spaying or neutering a dog, for instance, Ward claims, lowers the canine’s energy needs by 20–30%. He states, “So already, you’re overfeeding a pet who has been spayed or neutered if you’re feeding according to guidelines.” “It’s like, ‘No, that’s too much.’ I see so many pet owners say, ‘I’m feeding exactly what they say on the bag.”
Working with your veterinarian to evaluate your dog’s body is a smart option, In terms of dietary quality, Osborne suggests eating fresh foods, such as vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and spinach, as well as lean proteins like chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, and tofu.
Even though some dog owners are hesitant to eat “people food,” actual, fresh food has more nutrients and is more bioavailable than processed, dried kibble. If you intend to cook fresh food for your pet at home for an extended period of time, make sure to speak with your veterinarian to make sure the meals are nutritionally sound and properly balanced. Feeding nutrient-balanced meals is safer and easier when you follow a fresh-food regimen.
Food is the primary consideration, but pet owners should also schedule dog exercise sessions for a