Weight Loss in Pets
pounds. You think they look just fine the way they are, and Tank is just big-boned—you don’t have overweight pets, but you want to be a responsible pet owner and you want your pets to be as healthy as possible. According to your vet, a single pound on a smaller pet can amount to a large percentage of their overall weight. You should be able to feel your pet’s ribs, and their waist area should be smaller than their chest and hips. And since over half of all pets in the US are overweight, and obese pets have life spans that are shortened by 2-3 years, you’re convinced you could do better. And when you vet explains that your overweight pets are more likely to suffer from diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease—you’re completely sold. Having your vet’s blessing, you go home with a mission . . . everyone could stand to be a little slimmer—including yourself. You find out that for an indoor cat of around 10lbs., 180-200 calories a day is plenty. For a dog about the same size, 200-275 calories is adequate. And even Tank, at 50 lbs, only needs about 700-900 calories per day. Chances are the main source of energy for your pet is fat. If they don't get enough exercise, they will accumulate fat in their system leading to obesity. Your veterinarian said that feeding your pets a highly digestible carbohydrate diet is probably the best way to go. Carbohydrates have less calories that high-fat foods that are more likely to put on weight on them. Foods with a moderate, fermentable source of fiber will keep your pet’s digestive system functioning properly. Avoid high fiber foods for weight loss; they can lead to digestive disorders. Your cat will need a vitamin A supplement to help it breakdown plant carotenoids, but your dog will manufacture its own enzymes for this purpose. Raw diet proponents will argue that commercial pet foods are deficient in many nutrients because they have been heated, and that raw meats and consumable bones and organs will balance your animal’s weight. Commercial pet food defenders argue that it is the heating process that kills bacteria like salmonella that are detrimental to humans and animals and that eating raw can also lead to nutritional deficiencies. Pet owners that are cutting back on their pet’s calories—raw or not—should consider the use of supplements to balance their pet’s nutritional needs. Natural supplements like dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, D, C, various B Vitamins, iron, lecithin, silicon, potassium, magnesium, zinc and manganese and are something wild animals will naturally gravitate toward in the environment. * Keep track of your animal’s weight. Rapid weight loss can result in an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver. Safe weight loss for cats is 1 to 1.5 percent weight of the initial weight per week. Dogs can lose 1 to 1.2 percent weekly of their initial weight without problems. * Exercise with your pets. Taking your dog for a walk is just as good for you as it is for him or her. Cats like someone to agitate their toys and some cats even like to play fetch. Cats enjoy games that are more complicated. If you only spend thirty minutes a day exercising Tank, you will burn 3-5 calories per minute and Tank won’t wake you up in the middle of the night. * No free feeding. A pet without a weight problem can handle a full food bowl, but if your pet is overweight, you will need to weigh or measure the proper amount of food and remove any uneaten food. This will keep your pet from eating out of boredom. Breaking your pet’s daily ration into several smaller meals may be the key to preventing hunger. Keep in mind that sterilized pets need about 20% less food than unsterilized ones. Pets have also been known to overfeed if other pets are around. This is known as competitive eating. Feeding your animals in separate rooms with separate dishes can prevent competitive eating. There are even “feeding centers” (vs. food bowls) that challenge your pet’s intelligence while he searches for food, enhancing the natural feeding experience. Some vets suggest hiding smaller amounts of the food in different places to satisfy the “hunting instinct” in over weight pets. * No table scraps. Yes, many animals love meatloaf, peanut butter and pizza—, which might be how they became an overweight pet. However, controlling your pet’s nutritional and caloric needs depends on a steady diet. Resist the urge to feed Tank your leftovers. * Keep treats to a minimum. Don’t forget to figure in doggie treats in your daily calories. Tank may have gained weight when you were teaching him to rollover. Animals that enjoy treats will many times be satisfied with supplements instead of high calorie commercial pet treats. * Lastly, always keep plenty of fresh water available. While an animal can go without food for weeks, dehydration can be deadly within hours under the right conditions. Accidental contamination can also keep your pet from drinking enough. Be careful with chemicals or objects that might end-up in Tank’s water dish.
Helping your pet lose that extra weight is no easy task, but luckily nature has a few natural ingredients to assist with the process. The mineral rich sea vegetable, Fucus vesiculosis will help increase your pet’s metabolism by assisting in the production of thyroid hormones. Other beneficial weight-loss ingredients include Curcuma longa which helps with the break-down of dietary fats, and Milk Thistle which is renowned for its beneficial effects of the liver, the organ responsible for metabolizing fats in the body.
researcher Sheli Ellsworth
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