Taking Ownership of Our Pets Weight Problems

Pet obesity has become a major concern, like its human counterpart, it is considered an epidemic. The epidemic is becoming more and more obvious at our practice. The cause of this serious health problem is multi-factorial. Here is my view of what the main factors are:

1. Lack of portion control- Our pet foods are better made than ever. They are yummy and are low in residue (meaning less poop for us to pick up), but we have to be very careful to follow the feeding guide lines. Did you realize that every food has a different set of guide lines?  This better, yummier food cannot be free fed. You have to feed your pet a fixed amount daily. Did you realize that the average house cat needs about 180 calories daily ? That is a 1/2 a cup of Meow Mix dry or if you are a fan of the more premium brands a 1/4 cup or less of their dry foods daily. If you feed canned food you might give your cat 2- 3 oz cans of Fancy Feast daily or 1/3rd of a 5 oz can of one of the premium brand foods, but no dry! Now think about this carefully, does that seem like a significant amount less than what you feed?  I know when I began measuring my dogs food with an actual measuring cup, they began shedding the pounds! 
2. Changing pet foods is OK, but you have to adjust how you feed -As you read above, each food contains a different number of calories per can or scoop. Read the labels and do the math! 
3. No schedule- Leaving food available through out the day can make pet care much easier. However it makes your pets health care very difficult. Our pets rely on us to provide their health care, that means knowing what a they are eating, if they are eating  and how much. Decreased appetite is often one of the first signs of illness and a free feeding schedule, particularly in a multiple pet household, makes an appetite change hard to appreciate. Regular, moderate meals may also aide in house training, preventing gastrointestinal upset, and increase the frequency of  your interaction with your pet. 
4. Lack of Exercise - Our dogs and cats are leading more sedentary lives, just like we are. They look to us for their activity. If we are busy at the computer or at work, they are content to stay at rest. We have to be sure that they are staying mobile. Cats are the most challenging. However, playing with them, using toys to entertain them, moving food bowels so they have to seek out their food, and even taking them outside for fresh air and a stroll in the garden can help keep you both active. Regular play and walks for your canine friends  can benefit them as well.
5. Inappropriate standards - Did you know that the average house cat should weigh between 8 and 10 lbs? Seems kind of small doesn’t it?  I think we have adjusted our expectations, thinking that the 12 pound and 15 pound cat is the new normal. Take a look at your dog. Can you feel its ribs as you pet him long the side of  his chest? You should feel the general contour of his ribs and when you look down along his back he should have a slight waist, it should not be straight line from shoulders to hips!

Our pets are completely dependent on us and we are responsible for their health. By ignoring the fact that this extends beyond the purchase of the newest, freshest and most organic pet food and not considering how much, when, and why the food is fed we are helping create problems like arthritis (this can be caused by obesity), cancer, hypertension, diabetes, joint injuries, heart disease, respiratory disease, skin conditions and a shortened life expectancy. Once these conditions have developed, it is far more difficult to correct them and the obesity that helped cause the illness. 

Along with changing how we attend to our pets diets and feeding schedule, we also need to be sure that they are getting exercise. We need to spend time with them, appreciating changes in appetite, body weight and conformation. These observations may not only tell us that they are gaining weight, but may alert us to changes in their health. Early identification of illness and avoiding health problems related to obesity could allow you both many happy years of companionship. 

Visit www.petobesityprevention.com  to read more about managing your dog and cats weight, calculating their caloric requirements and find out the caloric content of your favorite pet food. 

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Beware of Practitioners of Negativity

As in any profession, there are as many different approaches to the practice of veterinary medicine as there are veterinarians. No one method is wrong, however some may be better than others. I am a big believer in education of the client, walking them down the path of understanding the condition that is affecting their pet and explaining the best plan and the potential outcomes. It may seem intuitively obvious to you that this is the way any medical consultation should be handled, but it is not everyones approach. There are practitioners that do not take the time to create a complete plan and provide a picture of the reasonable expectations for the patient. They tend to take short cuts and, if they are not careful, they can become practitioners of negativity.

As my parents have aged, I have become increasingly aware of certain doctors making treatment choices based on their age and seemingly lowering their expectations for their patients.  How often have you heard of a veterinarian saying that the pet was too old, or the condition too ‘bad’ to treat?

“It’s too serious” or “ poor prognosis” with out an explanation or a discussion of options is quite frankly a cop out. I do not mean to imply that every disease can be cured. Unfortunately, ultimately, some disease does eventually lead to the demise of every organism. The issue at hand is how do we fend off disease and how well will the patient fair during that treatment process and how acceptable is the plan to it’s owners . I like to refer to it as our philosophical approach to the patients illness.  With each patient, each set of clients, and each disease process  a philosophy for the management of the illness has to be developed. This is even more important in veterinary medicine where the cost of the services, the amount of at home care the patient will need, and the cost of medications all play a roll in developing that ‘philosophy’. 

It takes a considerable amount of effort, continuing education, experience and time to be able to allow owners an idea of what is wrong with their pet, why it is an issue, what can be done and how their pet will recover. I recently had this discussion with an emergency doctor. I had  noticed that a number of her cases where given a grave prognosis and the owners had elected either euthanasia or ‘hospice-type’ care. There was a common thread among these patients, they all were older and they each had a hemoabdomen (free blood in the abdomen). We discussed these cases and what I appreciated was that her scope of understanding regarding possible causes and outcomes was limited. She needed to go beyond recognizing the condition was serious and realize what options were available. Now she is realizing that there are diagnostics that can define just how serious the condition is and identify the cause. Once this is understood the owners can be educated about the choices they have and potential outcomes. Some of these patients can go on to live normal lives, just because it ‘looks bad’ on initial presentation.

I have a friend that had an geriatric cat that had a number of illnesses. I tried to help her as best as I could long distance. She visited with specialists that appeared to be unenthused about managing a geriatric with multiple health problems. They provided palliative treatments. Here is where they really failed my friend, they did not explain that by following this conservative approach a certain outcome was to be expected. They also did not provide an over view of the potential benefits and risks of a more aggressive approach. My friend quickly became disenchanted with this practitioner. Later, when the pet was failing even more, she visited another veterinarian who played the ‘it’s bad’ card and recommended euthanasia. Again, that may have been a very appropriate choice under the circumstances, but it is a choice. A choice made by the owner with information and options, that is what a good practitioner owes their clients. 

Over my career I have managed patients that other clinicians had declared to have a poor prognosis or a serious condition. These owners wanted more choices, and we together crafted the plan that met their expectations and their pets needs. Many of these pets lived on, very happily, to far exceed their previously poor prognosis. 

Painting an inappropriately rosy picture is wrong, but educating and providing options is definitely the name of the game. Even with the benefit of information some clients are going to choose conservative plans, and that is alright. The important thing is they made educated decisions. 

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