 |
 |
|
vancouver animal wellness hospital healing as nature intended homeopathy | nutrition | acupuncture | chiropractic | full-service surgery | physiotherapy/rehabilitation |
|
|
 sitemap |
|
|
|
› about us
› site map
› home
|
|
|
› articles by michael goldberg, dvm
Obesity in Today's Dog Q: My dog seems to be quite overweight. I feed him the recommended amount of food listed on the packaging of his kibble and he doesn't always finish what he eats and yet he is still the brunt of jokes in the local dog park. What can I do to make him lose weight? A: In general, most dogs should have a tapered, almost cone shape to their body (when viewed form above downward). This can differ slightly depending on the breed. Deep chested dogs such as the greyhound or wide chested dogs such as the English Bulldog are obviously going to have more of a taper than a Llaso Apso or a Dachshound, who have almost a straight body from front to back. If you can feel your dog's ribs very easily through a thin layer of fat, then your pup's condition is most likely normal for weight. If you have to go searching for the ribs and you're not quite sure where they are, then keep reading! Obesity is one of the most common problems that seem to face our pet population these days. I would first like to comment on the amount of food that the manufacturer recommends. Often these are only guidelines at best on package labels. Every dog is individual just as people have differing metabolic rates, so do dogs. Different breeds have very different activity levels and even the same breeds have individual differences in activity level. If you are feeding dry or canned dog food, and your dog is overweight, all things being the same, decrease the amount of food you feed. A little trick I play is to break treats (which are usually adding to the problem) in half. Most dogs inhale their treats so they won't notice that they just received half the calories. Exercise is also an important factor in the equation. Often owners will go away on holiday and leave the dog with Grandma only to return to a chubbier version when they come home. When asked how many times a day your companion went for a walk, the answer doesn't seem to add up to the fact that he gained 5 pounds in 2 weeks, providing they fed him normally. If your dog is used to a certain amount of exercise and this changes due to any number of circumstances, then the amount of food (caloric intake) must also change or there will be weight gain. Commercial foods contain a fair bit of starch such as rice or corn. These are very easily stored as fat provided the calories are not burned off right away. Physiologically, dogs are similar to us... get rid of the white bread and sugars and very quickly most of us will lose weigh. If one is eating a large amount of starchy foods, the easiest way to prevent fat buildup is to burn off the calories through exercise. What goes in should be burned off! Often, heavier pets do not receive enough exercise for the amount of calories they take in. Simply put, either increase the exercise or decrease the calories. Another method that I have noticed that will allow your dog to lose weight is to cut out the simple carbohydrates altogether. This is the first approach I always take when it comes to obesity. A controversial but more accepted method of feeding these days is to feed a diet consisting of raw whole foods. About 60% of my patients are on a raw food diet sans grain. Often there is a dramatic weight loss when they switch over to this diet as there are no simple carbohydrates and the fat seems to burn off quickly. This type of diet should be carefully monitored as there are potential risks. I have not seen any cases of Salmonella though I have heard of a number of cases. In one recent study, of 7 dogs that ate Salmonella contaminated raw chicken, 4 of the dogs seemed to fight it off without any passage into their stool. There are a number of other parasites that may live in raw meat and the freezing process that many commercial manufacturers are using is supposed to eliminate this. Raw fed dogs love their raw bones. These tend to keep their teeth very clean. Hands down, raw fed dogs have amazingly clean teeth and nice breath compared to commercially dry/can fed dogs. The warnings I give to my clients are that there is always a possibility of chipped teeth when they engage in this activity, as well as the possibility of biting a bit more off than they can chew and the piece of bone getting stuck somewhere it shouldn't. I have seen surprisingly small numbers of these incidents. Remember, raw bones are softer than cooked bones, so that is what I recommend. At the 2 month mark, I do a quick weigh-in. If a common sense approach to weight loss for your dog does not seem to be working, then I usually start looking at the possibility of a metabolic abnormality. Common medical problems that produce obesity are Hypothyroidism as well as Hyperadrenocorticism. Both these conditions are easily determined by a number of blood tests very easily performed by your vet. Remember, just as in the human health field, obesity in our companions can lead to other health problems. These often include joint injuries, metabolic problems such as diabetes, skin problems and so on. So, keep your pet fit with proper exercise and nutrition, and keep those vet bills to a minimum! Read more Articles by Michael Goldberg, DVM... |
|
|
vancouver
105 east broadway |
 photo by Heidi Zutter |
|
k9phodography.com fine art pet photography |
|
|
|
vancouver animal wellness hospital Michael Goldberg, DVM; Sue Hughson, DVM 105 e. broadway, vancouver, bc v5t 1w1 / phone: 604.738.4664 / fax: 604.738.4694 Hours of Operation: Monday, Thursday & Friday: 9am - 6pm, Tuesday & Wednesday: 9am - 7pm, Saturday: 9am - 5pm © Copyright 2004-2006. vancouver animal wellness hospital. All rights reserved. › Contact Us › Privacy Policy › Sitemap › Home |