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Pet Health Blog Cat and Dog Obesity
Pet Health Blog Cat and Dog Obesity
| Cat and Dog Obesity |
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| Written by William M. Barnett, DVM | |||||||||
| Tuesday, 15 April 2008 17:55 | |||||||||
Page 1 of 7 Are we killing our pets with kindness? It has long been known that wild dogs and cats adjust their energy intake as the energy density of the diet increases or decreases. Few, if any, of today’s domestic dogs and cats regulate their food intake to maximize performance and maintain normal body weight on their own. One thing for sure…the suppression of activity and feeding highly palatable, energy dense diet for long periods of time has contributed to the cat and dog obesity epidemic.Incidence of Cat and Dog Obesity Overweight dogs and cats are a routine site in veterinary clinics today. Statistically speaking, somewhere close to 60% of our canine friends tip the scale on the high side. Medically speaking, obesity is the most common nutrition related cat and dog health problem occurring today. Studies I have reviewed over the past ten years estimate that 24 – 44% of all American Dogs are obese. Although obesity is not as severe a problem in cats, it remains as a major health threat in need of some attention. Causes of Cat and Dog Obesity Becoming overweight is more common with advancing age; is seen more often in females than males; and, its occurrence usually doubles in neutered pets. Dog obesity can also be hereditary as we see in many breeds like the Labrador retriever, Collie, and small hounds such as Beagles, Basset Hounds and Dachshunds. The real culprit however, is simply eating too much and exercising too little (more energy taken in than expended). Overeating cannot be blamed on the dog or cat as they will usually consume whatever we provide them in an effort to please. Several things predispose pets to obesity:
• Feeding high calorie premium foods to inactive pets • Overfeeding table scraps and high calorie treats • Free choice feeding – continuously leaving a full bowl of food out • Feeding competition between pets |
