More pets are obese today. This not only creates a disease risk from increased weight bearing, but also results in increased levels of tissue inflammatory enzymes and hormone mediators that create chronic low-level inflammation. Once osteoarthritis of joints and cardiovascular stress develop, this leads to exercise intolerance. Then the animal has trouble getting around and pet owners think it can’t or shouldn’t go for a walk, thereby compounding the weight problem. Also, an overweight pet may not feel as well, won’t heal as quickly, and is more prone to develop respiratory and cardiac diseases, neoplasia, and diabetes.

Educating pet owners about the importance of incorporating a high-protein, high-fiber, and low-calorie diet clearly helps when designing a realistic weight management program for these pets. Many of our clients offer treats to curb their pets’ craving for food and attention, which can lead to steady weight gain.

Risk factors in addressing pet obesity include age, breed, neuter status, and overall health; the pet owner’s weight, activity level, and work outside or at home; dietary factors like palatability and nutrient density of food; and experience of the veterinarian in discussing management of obesity with the client, especially if that person is also significantly overweight.

Our society recommends early spaying and neutering, which alters the body’s metabolic rate and reduces energy requirement, but we may neglect to r emind the owner to reduce the pet’s caloric intake. Keeping the dog or cat lean may increase lifespan by 2 years, and delay the onset of osteoarthritis by 3 years.

Designing an effective pet weight loss program incorporates the overall health assessment of the Body Condition Score (BCS). For an overweight pet, the goal should be to improve the BCS, which shifts the focus away from excessive pounds. The pet should be weighed every 2-4 weeks, preferably at the veterinary clinic, and weight loss should be acknowledged and praised. The goal should be a 3-4% weight loss per month. As weight gain and weight loss can be subtle, a photo of another pet at a healthy weight helps motivate clients to stick with the goals of weight loss for their animal.

Exercise with the pet should be encouraged, and can be enjoyed by meeting with other pet owners regularly to walk at a nearby park or around the neighborhood. Walking should start out slowly and gradually increase in distance, to avoid overtaxing a weight-burdened cardiovascular system. If needed, pet walkers can be hired to provide the exercise.

Ideal canine or feline weight-loss diets should be low in calories and contain extra bulk to reach the level where the pet feels satiated. Thus, one needs to employ an increased nutrient-tocalorie ratio where the percentage of protein will be much higher than a maintenance diet, while the total metabolic energy is lower. Diets are available today that use air, water, or fiber as a bulk filler, but high fiber diets are preferred because the effect is more sustained. However, this creates more stools and doesn’t work for all pets. Adding water to high fiber food can help not only to slow down the speed at which the animal consumes food, so that it feels full, but also can reduce stool volume. The nutritional goal would be to provide 30-35% of the diet from protein, and feed 1 gm protein/lb of estimated healthy lean weight, or target body weight. The important point to remember is that caloric restriction with a standard maintenance diet might not be appropriate for weight loss because it offers insufficient protein.

If the diet for weight loss has insufficient protein, the loss of muscle can be seen without a comparable loss of body fat. This is called the "overcoat syndrome," a loss of lean mass with an excess of body fat. While the animal may weigh less, the wrong tissue (i.e. muscle mass) is being lost.

For weight restriction, carbohydrate should be increased proportionately in the form of more fiber and other more digestible carbohydrate, thereby reducing the proportion of dietary fat.

Regulating treats—the frequency and type of treats given to the dog or cat can increase the risk of obesity or compound an existing obesity problem. Limit treats to 10% of the dog’s daily caloric intake. Popcorn, kibble, or frozen green beans are lowcalorie treat alternatives.

Reference: Excerpted from Laflamme et al, Nestlé Purina VET 1 595A-0907, 2007, www.advanstarvhc.com.