{"id":126,"date":"2016-01-08T15:49:59","date_gmt":"2016-01-08T20:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pawsitivestepsrehab.com\/blog\/?p=126"},"modified":"2016-01-08T16:12:19","modified_gmt":"2016-01-08T21:12:19","slug":"ups-downs-of-weight-loss-for-pets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pawsitivestepsrehab.com\/blog\/ups-downs-of-weight-loss-for-pets\/","title":{"rendered":"Ups & Downs of Weight Loss for Pets"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Look at Weight in Pets<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Cathryn Fields, LVT<\/h4>\n

Why does your pet\u2019s weight matter?\"Jake<\/a> <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Maintaining a healthy weight is more than just looking good, a \u201chealthy\u201d weight is well\u2026healthier.\u00a0 Correlations between obesity and other health concerns for dogs and cats are plentiful and include: poor quality & quantity of life, osteoarthritis, Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD), diabetes, urinary disease, effects the lungs and heart, and more (1).<\/p>\n

Severely obese pets tend to have poor flexibility, tire quickly, and tend to not groom themselves well.\u00a0 It does not take much weight loss to see improvement in the quality and ease of movement.\u00a0 An overweight 20 pound pet will improve with a loss of a pound, while an overweight dog of 75 pounds will see improvement with a five pound loss (2, 3).<\/p>\n

In 2002, Purina released a landmark study on the lifelong effects of maintaining a healthy weight in Labrador Retrievers.\u00a0 After studying the group of dogs for 14 years (the study began in 1987 and ended in 2001), it showed dogs maintained at a healthier weight had the median extended lifespans increased by 15%.\u00a0 Putting that to terms we can relate to, that is 2 years (4)!\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Why is obesity in pets so common?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many reasons why obesity has become such a large problem, is we simply don\u2019t know what an ideal weight is.\u00a0 As a society, we are so used to seeing overweight pets that pets at ideal weights appear underweight to us.\u00a0 In fact, a short haired breed at an ideal weight will have their last two ribs visible.<\/p>\n

Media does little to help, and encourages us to overfeed.\u00a0 We often see advertisements with food being used as a way to express love to our pets.\u00a0 Even feeding guides on the side of pet food bags have large weight ranges and encourage overfeeding.\u00a0 On dog food bags you can see ranges of 20-40 pounds being fed the same amounts of dog food (5).<\/p>\n

What is an ideal weight?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With many mixed breeds and variations of pure breed dogs that exist today, body condition scores can be applied to any breed of dog or cat.\u00a0 Purina<\/a> and Royal Canin<\/a> have developed Body Condition System.\u00a0 Both systems use a 1 to 9 scale describing what an ideal weight looks like.\u00a0 Ideally, we like to see pets with a score of 5, with palpable ribs, a visible waist from the above, and a waist visible from the side.\u00a0 Pets with any orthopedic concerns, such as osteoarthritis, should ideally be a score of 4.<\/p>\n

The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine produced a great visual for what a pet’s ribs should feel like using our hands as a guide. \u00a0At an ideal weight you should be able to feel your pet’s ribs easily, but without excess fat covering. \u00a0To replicate how this feels hold you hand flat and then (as best you can) lift your fingers towards the ceiling while keeping your palm flat. \u00a0Now run a finger from your opposite hand across the palm of hand just under your fingers (Figure 1), you should feel a little fat and the bones of your fingers. \u00a0Any pet that is over weight will not have ribs that are easy to feel. \u00a0Make a fist with your thumb resting on the outside of your index finger. \u00a0As you run your finger along the fleshy portion along the thumb and palm, you will not feel any bones (Figure 2). \u00a0An underweight pet will have ribs that are very prominent, like running your fingers over the knuckles of your closed fist (Figure 3).<\/p>\n

\"DSC03736\"<\/a>

Figure 1. At an ideal weight the ribs can be felt under a thin covering of fat.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"DSC03738\"<\/a>

Figure 2. An overweight pet will have a thick covering of fat, making it difficult to feel any ribs.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"DSC03737\"<\/a>

Figure 3. A pet that is underweight will have very prominent ribs with little to no fat covering.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Tips for Weight Loss for Pets<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While weight loss involves cutting back, it does not mean you have to stop giving your pet what they love.\u00a0 It is all about moderation.<\/p>\n

Tips for starting a successful weight loss program for your pets:<\/p>\n