If there was a disease that could cost you precious time with your dog, you’d want to know what it is and how to avoid it, right? I’m going to share with you an issue that is common in dogs that can easily be prevented which will save suffering as well as cost and time. I bet I have your attention now!

 That issue is obesity.
 
What is Obesity?
Obesity is an accumulation of excess body fat which generally translates to extra body weight. When a dog weighs more than 20% over their ideal body weight, they are considered to be obese. Obesity is the most common and preventable disease afflicting dogs in the United States.

In a 2018 survey on dog and cat obesity, 36.9% of dogs were classified as overweight and 18.9% of dogs were classified as obese. This was a slight increase from the 2017 study and an estimated 50 million dogs. The issue is pervasive. So, if you have an overweight or obese dog, you’re not alone. A significant number of dogs are in the same boat right along with yours.

How Does Obesity Happen?
Dogs often become obese gradually, where an owner may notice the dog has gained a few pounds and then may notice the dog is a bit less active than it used to be. Feeding an excess amount of food for the dog’s activity level is ultimately what contributes to the condition and the dog that is chubby or plump can slide into obesity.

Often it’s a mindset issue with owners, where people think that if their dog is “fat and happy” it means they are taking good care of their dog. While these owners’ intentions may be wonderful, allowing a dog to become obese is not. It’s not cute but sadly, obesity poses a significant health risk. 

What are the Risks for Your Dog with Obesity?
Obesity shortens your dog’s life. It’s generally accepted that overweight dogs live shorter lives by 6 to 12 months. However, a lifetime study of Labrador Retrievers was done that shows being even moderately overweight can reduce a dog’s life expectancy by nearly two years. Let that sink in for a moment: You could lose up to two years of time with your dog if they are moderately overweight.

Obesity is now believed to cause an inflammatory response in your dog, or said another way, it’s a chronic, low-level inflammatory condition. Obese dogs are at an increased risk for:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Diabetes mellitus
  
• Heart disease
• Many types of cancer
  
• Osteoarthritis 
• Urinary bladder stones
• Complications under anesthesia
• Increased risk of injury
  
  

And the list can go on. It’s a sobering thought that obesity not only takes years off their lives, but can also contribute to their being less healthy while they are still with us.

How to Know if Your Dog is Overweight.
You should be able to see and feel your dog’s ribs if they are at a healthy weight. You should also be able see and feel their waist and it should taper in when viewed from above. If either of those doesn’t hold true, then your dog is overweight and should likely lose some weight. And before you think your dog isn’t overweight because their legs aren’t chunky, I’m sorry to say that’s not where they store fat. It’s typically found in their chest, belly, and hips.

What You Can Do if Your Dog is Overweight.
The good news about obesity is that there are things you can do to help your dog live a happier and healthier life. It’s not always easy, but you absolutely can turn things around.

If your dog doesn’t pass these checks or if you are unsure, make an appointment with your primary vet. A physical exam and diagnostics like blood work will help your vet determine if there are any secondary health issues resulting from the excess weight.

Then, come to see me! I can work with you on an exercise regime that will help your dog stay active and strong. It’s not all about work as it’s important that you both have fun to keep up the momentum. And it’s also not only about activity. If your dog is not on a prescription diet, I can do a review of macronutrients and calories (protein, fat, carbs) of what you are currently feeding to help with simple adjustments.

In upcoming posts, I’ll write about some tips to help your dog on the path back to fitness and health including exercise and diet and ways to maintain once you’re there.

Obesity in dogs is a problem that can decrease the quality and quantity of your dog’s life. There is hope and there are things that you can do to make a huge difference. You absolutely can turn it around and your dog will thank you.

Your dog might be suffering from a chronic disease. A deadly, painful, expensive to care for disease. This disease will cost you. Big time. It will cost you in many ways, and it will cost your dog too. Your dog may already have it. Your friend's dog may have it. It's all around us and most people don't realize it.

This deadly disease will rob you of 2 years of friendship with your dog. That's 2 birthdays, more than 20 major holidays, and 104 weekends spent alone, without your best friend. That's 730 days, and 730 nights, those lonely nights, with nothing but your memories. And some of those memories will be tainted. They will be tainted with the pain of knowing you could have done something to help prevent this from happening. And the guilt of knowing your fur baby was in pain and you could have helped stop it from happening in the first place. If only you had known. If only.

This disease will cost you before that too. It will cost you in the last weeks, months, or even years of your dog's life that will be filled with medical tests, being poked with needles, countless medications, and time spent with the vet instead of with you. There will be pain and suffering. Your dog will experience it physically. You will experience it emotionally, and financially. Oh yes, this disease will cost you. Multiple studies have confirmed this.

Would you like to know what disease I am talking about?      Obesity.

The number one nutritional disease seen in the U.S. is now overnutrition.

Now that I've got your attention, stay tuned for more information in the coming blogs. We will discuss what causes this disease, who gets it, how to identify it in the early stages, what we can do to prevent it , how to treat it, why its happening, and more.

Hello, all!! So today, let's talk about the benefits of fresh foods in fighting and preventing cancer. Many dogs eats dry commercial food which is highly processed and intensely cooked. In fact its cooked so much that vitamins and minerals are added back in after the cooking process to make it "complete and balanced." But nothing beats good ol' Mother Nature when it comes to providing nutrients!

Nature provides us with an array of fruits and vegetables that are rich in phytonutrients, antioxidants, enzymes and very likely still unidentified nutrients. We all know that eating our vegetables is good for us, but what about our dogs? Should they eat them too? Or should they be eating mostly meat?

The short answer is yes, your dog should be eating fresh fruits and vegetables. There's a catch though. If you haven't noticed, dogs are by nature, gulpers when it comes to their food. They tend not to chew much, and even if they did their saliva doesn't contain the enzyme that ours does that helps to break down the food and the cell walls in plants. Your dog's stomach cannot break down the cell walls in food from plants, including fruits and vegetables. Chewing our food aids in digestion for us because of that important enzyme in our saliva. Chewing won't help your dog access the wonderful nutrients that are in those fresh fruits and vegetables though. If they can't get to the nutrients they certainly can't utilize them to help prevent cancer.
 
If they can't access the nutrients, then how, Dr. Sonnet, you ask, do they get the health benefits? You must help them. Cook the vegetables as you would cook them for yourself (steam them, microwave them, etc.) Then put them in a food processor and puree them. Strain out any big chunks until it's the consistency of baby food. What you have left is pureed fresh vegetables. Puree the fruits as well (no seeds please.) Now, you are ready to feed your dog a delicious healthy treat so that your dog can get all those wonderful anti-cancer fighting nutrients! Remember to feed a variety using all the colors of the rainbow to maximize it!

Many veterinarians, myself included, currently recommend nutritional supplements to our patients. A nutritional supplement refers to any product taken by mouth that contains one or more "dietary ingredients" intended to supplement the diet. These dietary ingredients refer to vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, metabolites, extracts or concentrates. These come in many forms like capsules, tablets, powders, liquids or even tasty treats. The use of supplements has become extremely popular both in human medicine and in veterinary medicine. Over 20% of dog owners offer some type of nutritional supplement to their pets.

But not all supplements are created equal, and their use should be supervised under the guidance of a veterinarian. When choosing supplements, there are several things to consider. A big choice is in deciding to use a natural supplement or a synthetic one. Natural therapies are also termed holistic or alternative sometimes as there is no single agreed-upon definition of this when applying it to supplements.Here's an example though of natural versus synthetic. The leaves and bark of the White willow tree have long been used to treat fever and pain. In 1897, the Bayer company extracted the primary ingredient believed to produce these fever lowering effects, salicin. Salicin was then chemically modified to acetylsalicylic acid and marketed as aspirin. The small modification that was done gives aspirin its anti-clot properties, as white willow bark does not do this. A more "natural" approach to lowering a fever is to use white willow bark. Western conventional medicine would prescribe aspirin. See the difference? (Note- I am not recommending aspirin or white willow bark use. Consult your family veterinarian for instances of fever in your pet.)
 
Many people think that "natural" means safe. But let's consider this. There are many plants and such that in their natural state are toxic. As an example, improperly diluted tea tree oil can be dangerous and even fatal to dogs, Just because something is from nature, i.e. natural, doesn't mean its safe. Natural remedies tend to have greater safety profiles than conventional medicine but many "natural" supplements have multiple ingredients, some of which may not be well understood. This can be good or bad. While conventional therapies have their place, so do "natural" supplements and remedies. Each should be used under the guidance of a knowledgable veterinarian though, 

With the holidays fast approaching (already here??) we all need to be careful that our four legged friends don’t end up in the doggie ER after eating something toxic. So here are a few things that might be on the menu for the holiday season that could cost you and your dog a trip to the hospital.

Grapes and raisins are some of the most toxic foods your dog could get into. While one won’t be an issue, eating the entire box of raisins you were using to make Grandma’s famous bread pudding could send your dog into kidney failure. Turkey bones and ham bones can cause stomach upset or even perforate your dog’s intestines. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate or baking chocolate, can cause a range of problems from stomach upset to seizures and death. Seek immediate veterinary care if your dog eats chocolate!  Macadamia nuts can cause fever, muscle tremors, diarrhea, and even temporary rear leg weakness or paralysis. 
 
A variety of other foods should be avoided too. Avocado causes heart damage. Onions can damage red blood cells. Gum, candies and baked goods made with the sweetener xylitol can cause a fast, and quite severe, drop in blood
sugar levels triggering seizures or liver failure. Play it safe this holiday and keep Fido away from toxic foods. And just in case, keep the name and numbers of  your closest pet emergency room on the fridge!

Let's face it, veterinary medicine as a profession, has failed in the area of helping overweight dogs! How many times have I heard other vets (and I've likely said it myself a time or two early in my career, before I knew better) tell the owners of overweight dogs: feed him less and exercise more. As if the answer to one of America's biggest (no pun intended) problems, that of excess weight, was that easily fixed. How frustrating! And not even slightly helpful! And then there's those that recommend a prescription diet, which is better than giving the above advice, but still doesn't fix the problem for many people. Prescription diets can be expensive, challenging to feed in homes with multiple pets, and not always the best option for every pet as every dog is an individual.

So, what's the key to success if its not eat less, exercise more? Its recognizing that there's a lot more that plays a factor here than just overeating. In fact, it usually involves eating too much of the wrong type of food, eating at the wrong times, not eating at the right times, not to mention the emotional factors! Studies have shown that cats will eat out of boredom just as people do! And sugar. Don't get me started on sugar. Tastes great. The list of pros ends right there. The list of cons goes on and on. (Too late, you got me started!) Clinical studies show that sugar acts like a drug on the brain. It interrupts the normal appetite control mechanisms. Yes, I'm still talking about pets (although its true for people as well). But let's save the topic of sugar for another day before I get too riled up!

If you want your dog to lose fat, gain muscle, live longer, be healthier, have fewer diseases, less pain, and have to go to the vet less then let's take a few minutes to actually review what's going into your dog's body. Not sure where to start? This blog is a good place( and you already found it!) I want to personally congratulate all those who have sought me out to help them learn how to help their four legged friend. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and helping your pet! 

Did you know there are over 200 phytonutrients in carrot root? Absolutely amazing! And did you know the average multivitamin may only have as few as 30 of these? Ever wonder why Mother Nature didn't make processed, pre-prepared ready to eat foods such as instant Macaroni and Cheese (or dry dog kibble)? Have you noticed how the further from the natural state of the food the less nutritional value it seems to have? Why is there no once- a- day, easy to swallow tablet multivitamin in nature either?

Research, and common sense, suggests that single vitamins and nutrients extracted from a food may not be as effective for promoting good health as the complete whole food itself. Isolated nutrients don't seem to provide the same benefits. Whole foods and the combinations of whole foods eaten over the course of a day, week and month likely have synergistic effects of which we are not aware. But it's not easy to eat a rainbow of fresh foods and an assortment of lean protein, healthy fats, and whole grain carbohydrates every day for myself, not to mention my dogs!

So what's the next best thing for you and your canine companion? I will let your nutritionist  or other healthcare  professional make recommendations for you, but as for your dog I recommend using vitamins and nutritional supplements made from a variety of whole foods, combined to maintain synergistic effects, and cooked at low temperatures to preserve nutrients. Organ tissues, whole plants with phytonutrients, in essence a varied diet rich in complex nutrients - in the form of a supplement. Whole foods to support the whole body of your pet!

Okay, we talked about how confusing it is to know what to feed your dog. We mentioned the different types of foods that are available. Now, its time to talk about commercial dog foods. There are hundreds of brands of dog food. Many of us feed whatever a friend, breeder or groomer recommends because we don't have the time, or the desire, to do all the calculations and research on our own.

So, lets look at the commercial dog food industry first. Commercially prepared kibble is a relatively new thing. it started with the first baked dog biscuit company in the late 1800's in England. This migrated to the U.S. and Purina came into being around 1950.That's when commercial dog food began to boom. Its now a multi-billion dollar industry.

AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) is the main organization regulating dog food. Although voluntary, most manufacturers follow its guidelines. Nearly every bag or can of dog food produced has an AAFCO statement on it somewhere indicating the food is "complete and balanced". It will also indicate what stage of life the food is designed for. AAFCO only recognizes 3 stages: puppy, adult, or all life stages. All life stages means the food has the nutrients determined to be necessary for the most nutritionally demanding: pregnant and nursing moms, and growing puppies. By default, it meets the requirements for adult dogs, and then some. The AAFCO statement will also say whether or not the food was "formulated". This means the food has not gone  through a feeding trial - actual dogs have not eaten this food and thrived. But rather the recipe was generated and is similar to a previous recipe that has gone through feeding trials.

The next time you're at the pet store look for that AAFCO statement, now that you understand what it means. Next week, we'll learn how to read those confusing gu

I overheard an owner calling her dog last week. "Fatty!" I heard. "Fatty, come here." I saw the dog and thought how appropriate the name was. The dog was indeed a fatty. Unfortunately, I thought, she is just one of many overweight dogs I see daily in my practice. 

Studies now show that 50-60% of American dogs are overweight. What's more disturbing, however, is that we seem to have lost the ability to determine that our pets are fat in the first place. As our neighbors' dogs and our own dogs have expanded, the new "normal" is overweight.

So, how can you tell if your dog is carrying a little extra weight? The way we veterinarians do. Evaluate the Body Condition Score. This is a scale using either 5 or 9 points. Using the 9 point scale, 4.5 is ideal, 9 is morbidly obese and 1 is extremely emaciated. Evaluate your dog's body while he or she is standing. Look from the side and from above. Dogs primarily  store their fat in their bodies and not in their legs. Does your pet have a waist when viewed from above? Can you easily feel the ribs? Is the chest area bigger than the belly area or does your dog look like a small ottoman? Only once you know he or she is overweight can you do anything about it. As they say, admitting there is a problem is the first step.

Turns out that "Fatty" wasn't really "Fatty" (although she was fat). I had heard her owner incorrecly. She was calling "Patty!" Now if I could just get her to admit Patty has a problem...