Obesity and Weight

If the body takes in more energy than it expends then the positive energy balance within the body will turn to fat. If this accumulation of fat continues for a long period of time the body will be store the fat as adipose tissue, once it is over 15% of the dog’s ideal weight for its age, breed and sex it is classed as obese. One in three household pets is now thought to be obese.

Obesity is more common in neutered pets particularly females, this also applies to older pets that may tend to increase fat deposits as lean muscle mass is lost. There are often other factors that cause may obesity other than simply over eating; there maybe other physiological, genetic and environmental factors that can influence the positive energy balance.

Underlying factors involved in obesity may include;

The body’s inability to identify it’s satiated/full
Social pressures and competition between animals
Inappropriate snacking and treats
Neutering
Lack of exercise

The aim should be to prevent obesity rather than to correct it. The pets feeding regime is very important and a balanced diet is critical to maintaining an ideal weight, with the support of good health and exercise.

Obesity can create mobility problems and joint issues not to mention an increase risk of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease.

Maintaining a happy and healthy pet is important to the overall well being of the animal and ensuring its quality of life is paramount.

Simple things you can do to try to avoid obesity:

Feed a complete balance diet
Follow the feeding guide recommendations on pack and weigh the food required
Weigh your dog regularly to monitor its weight
Try to avoid feeding the dog tit bits
If treats are permitted try to ensure these are accounted for in the dogs daily ration
Exercise your pet daily

It is the owner’s responsibility to promote responsible pet ownership and benefit from a healthy alert and loving pet.

References:

Simpson JW, Anderson RS, Markwell PJ. Clinical Nutrition of the Dog and Cat (Blackwell Scientific Publications)