Thursday, January 08, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING: Portly Pets

Overweight dogs and cats can develop diabetes, heart disease and bad behavior

Overweight dogs and cats can develop diabetes, heart disease and bad behavior. Illustration by Anton. Brenda Baker's cat Little Bear tips the scales at 15-½ pounds. Canteloupe is his low-cal snack as a way to fight future gains. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Mandy snacks on carrots. Bear enjoys canteloupe. Bob is such a freeloader, he eats whatever the employees at Desert Inn Animal Hospital bring for their lunch.

All three are Las Vegas pets, all three are obese.

They belong to the estimated 25 percent of pets in the Western world that are significantly overweight. The National Academies' National Research Council released the statistic in September, as part of a report on new dietary guidelines for dogs and cats.

But Mandy and Bear may prolong their lives by dropping pounds.

As with humans, animals that carry too much weight are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, joint and other problems.

Mandy, a 49-pound beagle mix who should weigh about 40, gets carrots as part of a comprehensive weight-loss program. The veggies are a low-calorie supplement to her main diet of dry dog food. She already has lost eight pounds in six weeks on a new, tighter feeding schedule.

Bear, whose full name is Little Bear, is a 15 1/2-pound orange tabby cat who should weigh 10 to 12 pounds. Canteloupe is his low-cal snack. He used to weigh 16 pounds. Although his weight loss has been minimal, owner Brenda Baker is glad she has been able to hold the line against weight gain.

"Some cats like melon," says veterinarian Sam Lynch of Desert Inn Animal Hospital, who suggested the offbeat snacks for Mandy and Bear. "I've never read it. It's 20 years of experience. Cats don't like carrots, but dogs do. I've had dogs who eat celery and lettuce, too."

Of the three portly pets, only Bob is acting oblivious to the health problem his weight poses. He is a shorthair gray cat weighing 21 pounds, although 12 pounds would be his ideal weight, admits his abashed owner, Lynch.

Bob's diet includes regular feedings plus regular begging in the employee break room at the veterinary practice, 3065 E. Desert Inn Road.

Overeating is the reason for Bob's big belly. The combined intake of pet food and food scraps from people is too much for his level of activity.

Begging pets can be "real demanding," is how Lynch explains Bob's obesity. Bob is known to get up on the lunch table and stare down employees as they munch. If one person turns him down, the cat is fortunate to have many other targets to approach.

The prevalence of pet obesity "parallels the human side," Lynch says, in that many Americans also are significantly overweight.

"It's just the way it is. We pamper our pets," says the vet, who notes that he ought to lose 25 to 30 pounds himself.

Respiratory problems such as asthma are worsened in overweight animals. "If you reduce their weight by 10 percent, you'll see an improvement in their health" without prescribing medications, Lynch says vet studies show. "They can ventilate better," because the oxygen saturation rate improves with less body mass to sustain.

Problems involving the muscle and skeletal system also improve as an animal nears its ideal weight.

"We see ligament injuries" in overweight animals, the vet says. "If they're skinny and have got a little bit of a weak knee, it's no big deal."

But animals with too much weight to haul can "blow out their knees," just as human athletes do, Lynch says. The clue to such an injury is usually sudden onset of limping.

Diabetes is another condition that can be brought on in cats or dogs by excessive weight. Some overweight cats who reduce their weight can conquer so-called transient diabetes, Lynch notes. But dogs who become diabetic usually become permanently dependent on insulin injections.

Pets can develop behavior problems as obesity sets in. Cats that have long since been litterbox-trained may start urinating in inappropriate places. Lynch attributes the new behavior to their growing inability to hoist themselves over the box's lip.

But as U.S. humanity in general seems more concerned about fitness today than perhaps in past generations, pet owners are extending the same concern to their pets.

Lynch's first question to the owner when a pet needs to lose weight is whether the animal gets exercise.

If not, he recommends owners of dogs begin by walking the pet daily to the end of the block and back. After two weeks, increase the exercise to doing the same route twice a day. Eventually, work up to 20 minutes of daily exercise.

With cats, most exercise occurs in the form of indoor play. While some owners may view this form of exercise as tedious, they can incorporate it into such daily activities as feeding.

One suggestion is to place the cat's food in different spots for different meals, which causes the cat to hunt for it, leading to more exercise. Lynch maintains that a cat's acute sense of smell is comparable to a dog's.

But usually exercise must be coupled with limiting of food to result in pet weight loss.

Consult a vet to determine what amount of calories a pet needs daily. The amount will vary by the animal's breed, specific size and age. Then, with the vet's help, decide how much of the daily total to feed per meal.

Rather than letting an overweight pet eat on demand -- by keeping its food bowl full -- switch to a schedule in which food is offered only at set mealtimes.

Sometimes extra measures are necessary in households with more than one pet. Baker, for example, has to stand guard when Obi, her second cat, eats to prevent Bear from scaring off Obi and wolfing Obi's portion.

Dogs can drop immediately to the amount of daily calories that a vet deems healthy without ill physical effects, according to Lynch.

But Jan Kopp, Mandy's owner, says that when her beagle was deprived of the quantity of food it had been used to, it took to several undesirable behaviors. It would not only chew on, but also partially consume items around the house, including handkerchiefs. It also has become an opportunistic scavenger of human food left within its reach, such as on counters or the kitchen table.

Adult dogs can safely be fed once or twice daily, according to the National Academies' guidelines. But puppies need two to three meals a day.

Many healthy cats "graze" by eating numerous small meals throughout the day, according to the academies. But cats that tend to gobble till the bowl is empty may require fewer feedings.

Cats embarking on a diet should not undergo an abrupt, drastic reduction in the amount of food offered. "If you restrict their intake more than 60 (percent) to 70 percent (in one step) you can cause liver problems," Lynch says.

Snacks are all right for pets on a reducing or weight-maintenance diet, as long as snacks don't exceed 10 percent of the animal's daily allowable calories.

Lynch encourages owners to stretch their dog's snacking by offering only a bit of a dog biscuit at a time, rather than a whole biscuit.

Or, for a dog that has been conditioned to expect good treats to come from a dog-biscuit box, start putting the dog's regular dry food into an empty box. The dog may continue to enjoy sporadic "treats" from the box even if they are only regular food.

To meet the need for healthier animal diets, many makers of pet food now promote products to reduce weight.

Some offer high fiber content to give the pet a sense of fullness on fewer calories. Some increase protein content. Many are for sale at pet supply stores, though some specialized diets are available only through vets.

The Web site of the National Academies (http://national-academies.org/petdoor) offers a detailed analysis of the nutrient requirements for dogs and cats, which can be helpful in assessing the marketing claims of "boutique" dog foods.

An idea currently debated by veterinarians is that some cats can become carb-addicted, says Lynch, who subscribes to the theory.

It holds that cats -- who descend from desert carnivores -- do better on a food brand that is high in protein.

"They're putting cats on the Atkins diet," he jokes, referring to a popular human weight-control strategy that is rich in proteins, too.

Desert Animal Hospital and other vet practices encourage owners of pets on a weight-loss program to bring in their animals regularly for weigh-ins. The visits not only track the animals' weight, but provide encouragement to owners.

Lynch estimates that in his experience, sadly, only about 20 percent of pet owners succeed in achieving weight loss in their overweight pets.

Sometimes, household members sabotage each other. Invariably, spouses each claim the other one is overfeeding the pet.

Often owners can't handle the pangs of guilt when their chubby animal companions beg for food, according to Lynch. "They can be real demanding," he says. But sympathetic owners who give in and feed extra "are positively reinforcing the (animal's) bad habit."