{"id":531,"date":"2016-10-17T17:10:16","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T17:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/?p=531"},"modified":"2016-10-17T17:10:16","modified_gmt":"2016-10-17T17:10:16","slug":"importance-of-packing-less-pet-obesity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/importance-of-packing-less-pet-obesity\/","title":{"rendered":"Importance of Packing Less – Pet Obesity"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to veterinarian, Dr. Ernie Ward,\u00a0whose area of interest is obesity; dogs and cats are getting fatter.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Ward states, “his<\/em> organization, The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention<\/a>, found that in 2013 about 53% of dogs and 58% of cats were overweight in our seventh annual veterinary survey<\/a>. That equals almost 90 million pets at risk for developing serious weight related disorders such as diabetes<\/a>, arthritis<\/a>, high blood pressure, and cancer<\/a>.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Below are five important questions for a pet guardian to ask.\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
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1. Is my pet at risk for a medical problem due to weight?<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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This is a very serious question that will help you understand and plan for your pet\u2019s future. Dogs and cats carrying extra fat are at a greater risk of developing debilitating\u00a0diabetes<\/a>, crippling\u00a0arthritis<\/a>, deadly high blood pressure and many forms of catastrophic\u00a0cancer<\/a>. You need to have a frank conversation with your\u00a0veterinarian<\/a>\u00a0to find out if your pet is potentially facing one of these conditions<\/a>.\u00a0Preventing disease and maintaining a healthy weight and proper nutrition<\/a>\u00a0can often help. The most important decision you make each day about your pet\u2019s health is what you choose to feed him. Choose wisely; your pet\u2019s life depends on it.\u00a0Click here to learn more about nutrition and obesity in pets.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2. Is my pet overweight?<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

This is the most important question to ask your\u00a0veterinarian<\/a>; unfortunately it\u2019s a question that your veterinarian may not be eager to answer. Believe it or not, many veterinarians are simply afraid to tell you that your pet is\u00a0too heavy<\/a>. This is primarily due to the fact that your veterinarian doesn\u2019t want to inadvertently offend you. Weight issues are tricky and loaded with perceived judgment, strong emotions, and social stigmas. All of this leads many veterinarians to remark, \u201cMaybe Scooter could drop a few pounds, but who shouldn\u2019t?\u201d As a concerned pet guardian, you need to understand your pet\u2019s weight is one of the most influential factors of longevity, quality of life, and\u00a0disease<\/a>\u00a0prevention.<\/p>\n

3. How many calories should I feed my pet each day?<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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We\u2019ve got to be specific when it comes to feeding our pets. Don\u2019t fall into the trap of inquiring, \u201cHow much should I feed?\u201d You\u2019ll probably get a generic, inaccurate response. You need precise numbers of calories. That way, regardless of the type, brand, or formulation of food<\/a> you feed, you can determine how much to feed. This is a subtle, but incredibly significant difference.<\/p>\n

Once your\u00a0veterinarian<\/a>\u00a0does give you a number, memorize it. Find out how many cups or cans of your pet\u2019s food it equals. Feed that amount. Don’t forget to include any treats in your daily caloric counts. Those tiny \u201ccalorie grenades\u201d can swiftly sabotage the best dietary plans.\u00a0Click here to learn more about nutrition in growing dogs.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

4. How much weight should my pet lose in a month?<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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If your pet is like the majority of US dogs and cats, he\u2019ll need to drop a few pounds. You need to ask how much weight your pet must shed and how long it will take to reach a healthy weight. I prefer to think in terms of pounds per month due to practicality and performance. Monthly weight checks are practical and reasonable for even the busiest pet parents. A weight loss plan\u2019s performance is critical to track and monitor monthly trends and is an accurate indicator of success or stagnation.<\/p>\n

In general terms, a dog can safely lose 1-3% of body weight and cats 0.5-2%. Many dogs can lose 3-5% and most cats should aim for about a half-pound per month.<\/p>\n

Losing weight isn\u2019t easy or fast for pets, especially cats. If you put your cat on a crash\u00a0diet<\/a>, he can develop serious medical conditions<\/a>, including a life-threatening form of liver<\/a> failure that can occur in less than 72 hours. Patience is essential with pet weight loss. Most of my canine patients will have a 3-6 month weight loss plan and cats, 9-12 months. Your veterinarian will probably formulate a step-weight-loss plan that will gradually decrease the amount you\u2019re feeding over a 1-3 month period. This will help curtail cravings, begging and late-night pestering. Note I said \u201chelp,\u201d not \u201ceradicate.\u201d There will be some unhappy pooches and purr babies when you institute a diet. Your veterinarian should provide you with tips on preventing these behaviors<\/a> and transitioning to a new weight-loss diet.<\/p>\n

5. What kinds of exercises are good for my pet?<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Most veterinarians and pet parents focus on how long a pet should exercise<\/a> each day. Instead, ask your veterinarian what types of activities are best based on your pet\u2019s species, breed<\/a>, age<\/a>, gender, and current physical abilities. Walking, swimming, agility, chase, ball retrieving and remote controlled toys\u2013the opportunities are limitless. The general recommendation is that dogs need at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day and cats should strive for three 5 minute intense play periods. Make your outings enjoyable, entertaining and interactive.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget that cats can exercise too. Whether you play with a feather duster, move the food<\/a> bowl or use a hip high tech toy, engage your cat\u2019s inner predator and encourage him to pounce, leap, and prowl everyday.<\/p>\n

Ward adds, “I\u2019m a fan of the new generation of pet activity monitors. They\u2019re a great tool to document how much your pet is walking or playing each day. Better yet, you can share these reports with your veterinarian to spot any deficiencies or ways to maximize training.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Above information courtesy of Pet Health Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to veterinarian, Dr. Ernie Ward,\u00a0whose area of interest is obesity; dogs and cats are getting fatter.\u00a0\u00a0Ward states, “his organization, The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, found that in 2013 about 53% of dogs and 58% of cats were overweight in our seventh annual veterinary survey. That equals almost 90 million pets at risk for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":550,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531\/revisions\/550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeunleashed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}