I recently had a truly amazing holiday. I was helping to house sit (and pet sit!) in such a beautiful part of the world. I ate too much, exercised too little and came back a tiny bit podgy. I take this to be a sign that I had a great time.
It’s fine to have a few treats now and then but for pets as well as for us, obesity can seriously damage our health long term. I don’t need to harp on about this, we hear it all over, but looking at a physical list of some of the risks obesity presents to your pet’s health can be enlightening. It can also help you to take the first step in making a productive difference to their weight. If you just want to skip straight to the weight loss tips, scroll down. But otherwise here are some...
...Reasons to keep your pet slim:
REDUCE THEIR RISK OF DISEASES
I would cite this as one of the main reasons I put big dogs to sleep when they are quite young- they have just been carrying too much weight on their joints and they develop unmanageable pain.
DIABETES (cats get a similar condition to type II diabetes in people)
Neutered dogs and cats - have nearly double the risk of being obese due to changes in hormonal levels. Modifying the diet of a neutered pet is vital.
So, if that doesn’t convince you I don’t know what will. Healthy pets mean less worrying, and lower vets bills.
Tips for Sustainable Weight Loss
These do work! I tried out this blog on my boyfriend’s family, and their lovely dog lost kilos of weight. She looks much better for it, and she is happier, more active and more interested in life. We also used some of these tricks whilst pet sitting, again SUCCESS, happy healthy, lighter dogs.
Most of these tips are based on diet. Whilst exercise does help with weight loss, with animals, in my experience, what they eat makes all the difference, and their exercise may or may not help. Lesson- focus on the FOOD.
1. Choose the right foods
The best thing you can feed your animal is a good quality kibble or tinned diet according to their preference.
No additional food is necessary, but see below for some low calorie treats, weight loss lasts longer if you and your pet don’t feel deprived of giving and receiving treats!
2. Weigh out the food allowance!
Studies show that we humans cannot judge portions by eye. Weigh out the food according to the guide on the packet.
You can split this allowance over as many feeds or treats as you like, feed them 20 times a day with tiny portions if it makes them happier.
Most importantly, measure FOR THE WEIGHT WE ARE AIMING THE ANIMAL TO BE. If we feed the animal for what they weigh now the pounds won't come off.
For most animals we cut down gradually. As a rough guide:
For toy dogs or for cats weigh out enough food for 0.3kg less than their current weight.
For small/medium dogs weigh out for 0.5kg less than what they weigh now.
For medium/large dogs weigh for up to 1kg less than they are now.
Feed this amount for four weeks then continue to reduce by the same amount monthly until they are in good body condition. Vets don’t aim for a target weight but for a target BODY CONDITION SCORE.
See this link to a body condition scoring guide (the pet size-ometer) for dogs, cats and other species too! http://www.pfma.org.uk/pet-size-o-meter
Re-weigh at a nurse or vet check, they can tell you if more weight loss is needed and make sure you are condition scoring accurately!
4. Get all the family on board! This is imperative to help with point 3.
Make sure dog walkers and cat sitters aren’t secretly sneaking calories into the allowance either...
Animals can't metabolise human food as we can. To them 1 sausage = 8 sausages! (or possibly 6 for a big dog...)
Therefore think before you feed a treat and multiply by 8!
Similarly some commercial pet treats are up to 22% fat, even some dental sticks!
Ideally animals would only have biscuits out of their weighed out food allowance as treats, but if this is too boring, try green veg such as broccoli, green beans, cabbage and cucumber.
Because these veggies are mainly water and fibre they have minimal calories and are good for keeping full.
Carrots, peas and apples are surprisingly sugary and may lead to weight gain so care with these foods.
6. Don’t believe your animal
Remember that many pets, especially dogs, will still look for more food even after their energy requirements have been fulfilled! Don't let them tell you they are hungry!
If your animal is really hungry on their new food allowance try adding 2-3cm of warm water over biscuits or meat to fill them up like a big bowl of soup! <<< This is a GREAT tip for labradors (speaking from experience!)
If your animal isn’t very good at eating commercial food, so you feed lots of treats or human food, first try leaving them a day or two without and see if they start on the kibble. I bet they will!
(NB: DO NOT LEAVE A CAT WITHOUT FOOD FOR LONGER THAN 24 HOURS)
If this doesn't work, use low calorie foods such as boiled chicken breast or white fish to tempt them, remove a little of their own food and add this on top.
Do NOT use roasted meats, the fat in these will not only halt weight loss but may even put your animal at risk of disease.
Don’t feel guilty! Many vets have to diet their pets from time to time. Talk to us and we will be happy to help. We love it when owners volunteer to diet their animals, so its nothing to be embarrassed about. Vet nurse clinics are also a great, cheap way to get advice and support about this. We <3 nurses.
Remember as always, this blog doesn’t replace a visit to your vet!
Always consult your vet or vet nurse when deciding:
a) How much to cut down the diet.
b) Whether or not your pet has lost enough weight.
