Veterinarians see many reasons for obesity. Your veterinarian can help rule out disease, such as Hypothyroidism, as the cause through physical exam, history, and bloodwork. Outside of disease there are typically three reasons for obesity.
1. Table Food: Certainly in small, infrequent amounts, table food should not have a major impact on our pet's diet-but in most cases, once table food is introduced it becomes more and more difficult to track the amount they are getting, and can quickly get out of hand. By feeding table food we change our pet's eating behavior. The stereotype here is the older gentleman feeding table food at every meal time thinking, "what's good for me is good for them". Things become habit-and table food takes over as the main diet. Another factor is putting people food on top of the full bowl of dog food. The table food gets mixed in with the dog food and the pet eats it all, which ends up being way more than they usually would. Obesity as a result of a table food diet can lead to serious illness. Smoldering pancreatitis, poor nutrient absorption, diarrhea, vomiting, weight gain and arthritis (from carrying around the extra weight), can all add up to big problems for your pet. Problems that could simply be avoided by not feeding table food.
2. Free Choice Feeding: Free choice feeding is keeping the dish full at all times, allowing your pets to eat when/how much they want to. This practice is typically ok-but should be monitored to ensure our pets are not getting too much/little to eat. One example is if we restrict food to a qrowing pet, they may get overly hungry and a little obsessive about seeking food, causing them to eat too much, or to eat the wrong things-like your shoes, or cell phone! If you have more than one pet, one may try to demonstrate their dominance by controlling the food dish, thus eating more than they normally would.
Monitor your pet's body condition in connection with your veterinarian. Work together to develop a plan that may involve scheduled feeding times, separate feeding times/area for multiple pets, or altering the amount of food given. When making such changes it is important to consider the amount of food each pet needs for healthy balance, keeping in mind that feeding too little can slow metabolism and result in additional weight gain.
3. Poor Quality Diets: Some pet foods out there can be compared to human fast food diets-too much fat, sodium, and too processed-leaving very little of the nutritional values that our pets need for healthy growth and maintenance. At Altitude Veterinary Hospital we sell and recommend Hill's Science Diet, a proven diet for many years. In general, the higher quality diet a pet eats, the less medical problems that tend to develop-sound like anything you have heard before?
Just as in our own diet/health, it is never too late to make better choices, and there are several ways to optimize your pet's body condition. Work with your veterinarian to develop a dietary plan that works for you and your pet. Avoiding the pitfalls of overfeeding and poor feeding, combined with exercise, will get you off to a great start. In addition to our regular Hill's Science Diet formulas, there are a wide variety of prescription diet plans that will fit your needs. Another option is Slentrol, from Pfizer. It is not a stimulant, but helps dogs lose weight by reducing their appetite. Make the choice today to pursue health and wellness for you and your pets-leading to a longer, leaner, and healthier life.
1. Table Food: Certainly in small, infrequent amounts, table food should not have a major impact on our pet's diet-but in most cases, once table food is introduced it becomes more and more difficult to track the amount they are getting, and can quickly get out of hand. By feeding table food we change our pet's eating behavior. The stereotype here is the older gentleman feeding table food at every meal time thinking, "what's good for me is good for them". Things become habit-and table food takes over as the main diet. Another factor is putting people food on top of the full bowl of dog food. The table food gets mixed in with the dog food and the pet eats it all, which ends up being way more than they usually would. Obesity as a result of a table food diet can lead to serious illness. Smoldering pancreatitis, poor nutrient absorption, diarrhea, vomiting, weight gain and arthritis (from carrying around the extra weight), can all add up to big problems for your pet. Problems that could simply be avoided by not feeding table food.
2. Free Choice Feeding: Free choice feeding is keeping the dish full at all times, allowing your pets to eat when/how much they want to. This practice is typically ok-but should be monitored to ensure our pets are not getting too much/little to eat. One example is if we restrict food to a qrowing pet, they may get overly hungry and a little obsessive about seeking food, causing them to eat too much, or to eat the wrong things-like your shoes, or cell phone! If you have more than one pet, one may try to demonstrate their dominance by controlling the food dish, thus eating more than they normally would.
Monitor your pet's body condition in connection with your veterinarian. Work together to develop a plan that may involve scheduled feeding times, separate feeding times/area for multiple pets, or altering the amount of food given. When making such changes it is important to consider the amount of food each pet needs for healthy balance, keeping in mind that feeding too little can slow metabolism and result in additional weight gain.
3. Poor Quality Diets: Some pet foods out there can be compared to human fast food diets-too much fat, sodium, and too processed-leaving very little of the nutritional values that our pets need for healthy growth and maintenance. At Altitude Veterinary Hospital we sell and recommend Hill's Science Diet, a proven diet for many years. In general, the higher quality diet a pet eats, the less medical problems that tend to develop-sound like anything you have heard before?
Just as in our own diet/health, it is never too late to make better choices, and there are several ways to optimize your pet's body condition. Work with your veterinarian to develop a dietary plan that works for you and your pet. Avoiding the pitfalls of overfeeding and poor feeding, combined with exercise, will get you off to a great start. In addition to our regular Hill's Science Diet formulas, there are a wide variety of prescription diet plans that will fit your needs. Another option is Slentrol, from Pfizer. It is not a stimulant, but helps dogs lose weight by reducing their appetite. Make the choice today to pursue health and wellness for you and your pets-leading to a longer, leaner, and healthier life.
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