Sometimes it can be hard for owners to recognise that their beloved pets are overweight. After all, going from a healthy weight to being out of shape happens very gradually over time and these changes can be hard to spot when we’re seeing our pets every day!
An overweight pet can unfortunately have serious health concerns:
- Diabetes
- Arthritis and reduced mobility
- Shortened life expectancy
How can we tell when our fur-baby is over or underweight?
Body Fat Index (BFI) is a tool used to evaluate body fat level, similar to the human’s body mass index (BMI). A vet can give you an expert assessment of your pet’s BFI to determine whether they are at an ideal weight or not.
Two spots on their body that we can all easily keep an eye on at home are their ribs and their spine. When we run our hands over their chest we should be able to feel their ribs easily. Pets that are a bit overweight would require us to press a little to find those ribs. Similar applies to their back, we don’t want to feel sharp points of their spine (underweight) and we don’t want to feel a thick layer of fat (overweight).
Now that we have found out that Fido is a bit overweight, what can we do? Contrary to popular belief, diet plays a bigger role in weight loss than exercise. Any body, on two or four legs, has evolved to turn excess calories into fat and save it for later. Therefore, it does not make much of a difference if our pets are getting plenty of exercise if they still are taking in excess calories.
How much should I be feeding my dog?
Precise measurements and consistency: This is critical to knowing how many calories you're serving you dog. The size of the scoop or bowl matters, one that's too big for a small dog is bound to cause problems. Vet nutritionists recommend weighing food, especially for small breeds. And avoid free-choice feeding. Some dogs can do it for a while but if their metabolism changes, it's tough to monitor.
Portions: Feeding smaller, more frequent meals burn more calories. Some studies have suggested once-daily feeding (even controlled for calories) is a risk factor for excess weight.
Following label recommendations: There's no standardisation of feeding recommendations on the bags of pet foods and the numbers vary significantly. 80% of feeding recommendations online and in pet stores are inaccurate! It's best to calculate calories and then check the number of calories per cup, can, or package.
Treats: The truth is, many dogs get a lot of their calories from treats. And from treat to treat, the calorie content can vary from a couple calories to more than a hundred. It's important to account for treats when figuring out your dog's daily calorie intake. Most vets recommend keeping treats to a minimum: about 10 to 20 percent of the total daily consumption.
How much exercise should my dog be getting?
What most owners think of as regular exercise, like a trip around the block, doesn't really burn many calories. Therefore, adding an extra bit of exercise most likely will not be effective enough to help your dog lose weight or prevent weight gain. Bottom line is that if you feed him excess calories, he's still likely to gain weight.
Clearly dogs who exercise less appear predisposed to obesity, and obese and overweight dogs are less active. It's a classic "what comes first, the chicken or the egg?" situation. Activity monitors have documented that this is true even during the day, when their owners are away. Whether this is cause or effect of obesity is not entirely clear.
Some studies have suggested that single dogs—that is, no other dog in the household—are at increased risk. So some social interaction, whether with you or another dog, does likely impact metabolism.
When exercising, go as far as they are able to manage before they are showing signs of fatigue such as turning and looking around back towards the home base or sitting down and refusing to move. Measure out how far you get each walk before signs of fatigue, as it will vary greatly for each individual dog.