Obesity in Cats and Dogs

Obesity in cats and dogs in the number one cause of malnutrition of our wonderful fluffy friends. In Australia, 41% of dogs and 32% of cats are either obese or overweight. Obesity and excessive weight can cause minor and major health risks to the animal, which can affect the quality of life.

What is obesity?

Obesity and weight gain can be caused by excessive dietary intake and lack of exercise which causes accumulation of fat in the body. Besides an unhealthy lifestyle of the animal, other health issues such as insulinoma or hyperthyroidism can also cause a weight gain in pets. It is best to ensure the animals weight is checked frequently to ensure obesity is not affecting your pet.

What are some risk factors of obesity?

Obesity can cause many health problems from animals that are young to old in age. This can include diabetes, osteoarthritis, renal dysfunction, respiratory disease, high blood pressure, heart disease and inflammation. Disease and issues can be in combination of each other as well as worsen animals that are already affected by a pre-existing condition. Animals who are on a healthy diet and eat less are likely to increase their life expectancy compared to those who are overweight or obese.

How can a healthy weight be maintained?

Exercise:

Exercising pets daily to their breed specific needs will assist in keeping their weight in a suitable range. Going for walks, playing with toys, and letting them run at the park is always a good start to keep them moving and keeping them active.

Diet:

Feeding your pet, a high quality 100% balanced diet will ensure your pet is reaching their daily nutritional needs and keeping them healthy. Always read the feeding guide on the packaging on the bag. If the animal is eating a combination of wet and dry foods, ensure the correct amount of each food are accounted for. If you are unsure, please ask our friendly staff at Thornbury Vet.

Keep in mind that additional foods to their main meals still count in calories! If any treats or table scraps* are given, this should also be accounted for in their feeding plan.

When living in a multi-pet household, this can lead to competition when it comes to feeding time. Some animals may be eating more meals than they should – which can lead to both weight gain and weight loss – depending on who is getting more or less out of the mealtime. Feeding pets separately may be an option if this is an issue.

*Be aware of toxicities or diseases table scraps may cause and ensure all foods your pet may eat are safe. If unsure, it is best practice to not give any scraps.

Mental and physical stimulation:

Boredom and lack of exercise can also be a major risk in our pets, even cats! It is important to ensure our pets have environmental stimulation to assist with their mental and physical health and wellbeing. This will ensure they are too busy to want to scavenger for food or dig up the garden!

Feeding dispensers or puzzle feeders will allow your pet to eat slowly and give them time to finish their meal. This allows the food time to hit their stomach, giving receptors to the brain that they are full. Food takes roughly 20 minutes to reach the stomach.

Vet consultation:

If an animal may be overweight or obese, it is always worth having a consultation with the vet. This way the animal can have a full health check which may include a laboratory test of a routine blood screen. This way we can look for any signs of disease or health concerns that could potentially be underlying. Completing a weight loss program generally starts with a body mass index score. This is a non-invasive test in which the body fat is felt manually. This test will provide us with information on the pet’s body weight and whether they are underweight, healthy, or overweight and a diet program can commence, tailored to the pet’s requirements.

Weight checks: Weight checks will show the progression of the pet’s weight loss throughout their journey and can be recorded at each visit with advice from our friendly staff. Once the animal reaches a healthy weight, their caloric intake or diet may change if on a specialised weight loss food.