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.

Previously we discussed how excess body fat shortens lives. We also talked about risk factors for your dog becoming overweight and why your vet may not discuss this issue with you. Today we talk about one part of the solution to this deadly disease: exercise.

The study I am referring to was presented recently at the Rehabilitation Medicine conference that I attended a few weeks ago. There are several important points to consider with this study. Two groups of dogs were placed on diets using the same food. Each dog had a body fat analysis done using a DEXA scan which details the exact amount of fat versus lean body mass in the body. One group of dogs were additionally started on an exercise regime. This was a prescribed amount of exercise, not just playing ball or walking around the block. Think hitting the gym with a specific workout including the treadmill. Here's what the study showed.

1. Both groups of dogs lost weight according to the scale. Both groups dropped pounds. Success! But wait, there's more to the story. Reducing calories alone did lead to successful weight loss, but about 10% of the weight lost came from muscle in the group that didn't exercise. They lost both fat and lean body mass. Hmmm. That wasn't the goal. We want your dog to lose fat and retain muscle and strength. Ten percent muscle mass lost may not seem like much to you but that can mean the difference in your dog being able to get up on his own. Ten percent matters. So success, sorta.

2. The dogs that exercised lost more body fat.  Both groups lost about the same amount of weight overall. The dogs that exercised lost more body fat according to the DEX scan though. Increasing the need to burn those calories as fuel for exercise helps the body utilize fat, which is stored calories. Burn more, lose more. Brilliant!

3. The dogs that exercised gained muscle. This is my favorite part of the study. These dogs actually gained muscle! Functional, wonderfully helpful, stabilizing, working muscle! Wow!  How great is it that these guys lost unhealthy fat and acquired muscle?This is the goal of every diet on the planet! Gain muscle, lose fat!

The take home point here should be this: cutting calories alone will lower the number on the scales, but reducing calories and exercising is a smarter, better, more efficient way to achieve fat loss.

Will your dog get fat? Is your dog at risk? In my last few blogs, I discussed this deadly disease that could be affecting your dog or your neighbor's dog. We talked about how your dog may be fat but that your vet may not tell you. Knowing that more than 50% of dogs are overweight, Let's look at 7  risk factors that increase the chances that your dog might get fat and not your neighbor's dog.

1. Your dog is spayed or neutered. Your dog's risk doubles with the removal of the sex hormones.

2. Your dog is getting older. Yes, you read that right. As your dog gets older, the risk goes up. But you don't have a lot of options here.

3. Your dog was a chubby puppy. Although pudgy pups are cute, they become overweight adults. Not so cute.

4. Your dog has access to food 24/7. Most dogs don't stop eating when they are full. They stop when the food is gone.

5. Your dog eats lots of processed treats. Just as in people, its easy to take in lots of empty calories quickly when eating tasty processed snacks like dog biscuits, imitation pepperoni or bacon treats, or worse yet, chips and crackers! Okay, I don't know many people who eat dog biscuits, but you get what I'm trying to say here.

6. Your dog is a couch potato. Lack of exercise means the metabolism is going to be slow and not many calories will be burned. Its easy to eat more than you burn if you don't move much. Plus lots of other good stuff that promotes fat loss happens when your dog exercises.

7. Your dog eats a diet high in carbohydrates. Excess carbohydrates gets stored as fat. Combine a diet high in carbohydrates with little to no exercise and you've got a recipe for obesity.

If you want to keep your dog from getting fat, then lower your dog's risk factors. You have control over several of them. Do right by your dog. As they say, be the person your dog thinks you are.

"Your dog is fat." are words you may never hear from your veterinarian. This would be great if it was because dog is indeed not fat. If only that were truly the case. Unfortunately we know that there is greater than a  50% chance that your dog IS fat, but your vet may not tell you anyway.

Although over-nutrition is the number one nutritional disease in America now for dogs and cats, and although dogs that are overweight by even a small amount have a documented shortened life span of nearly 2 years, your vet may not want to tell you. Despite the increased risk of cancer, heart and lung disease, diabetes, arthritis, and more, you may be hard pressed to find a veterinarian who will diagnose this deadly disease in your pooch.

Why? you ask. Why wouldn't your family vet tell you if your furbaby is at risk? Why wouldn't she alert you to this deadly but preventable, even treatable condition?

Having spent many years in family practice, I see several reasons why your vet doesn't want to tell you.

1. You take it personally. Let's face it, if you are overweight, your dog tends to be overweight.We veterinarians are typically quite sensitive to how others feel. We don't want you to feel bad about your heavy pup or yourself. Besides, any vet who speaks up about overweight dogs has probably irritated some pet parents along the way. We don't want you to stop coming to see us. So, we quietly sit by and let you slowly kill your dog. We may make little comments about how Fido seems fluffy, or well-fed, but we don't dare use the other "F" word (fat.)

2. You don't care. This is likely the most frustrating reason for us veterinarians. Your dog has a completely preventable and treatable condition that doesn't require expensive testing or medication and you refuse to believe its a problem. It's the "He's fat and happy, doc." explanation. Really? I will agree with the "He's fat" part but happy? He may happily devour his food but will he enjoy having daily insulin injections for diabetes? Will he be happy living nearly two years less? Is he happy being too heavy to run and play? Is eating the only activity he has the ability to enjoy?


3. Size matters to you. This is more for those owners of large and giant breeds. I find that those who own Mastiffs, St. Bernards, etc like the shock value in telling people how much their dog weighs. Disregard the fact that 30 of those 180 pounds are sheer fat! It's the number that matters to these dog owners. They may say things like "His dad weighed 200, as an explanation of why their fully grown dog gained 25 pounds (of fat) last year. Was Dad fat too, I have to wonder? If your goal in life is to seek attention through your dog, then try getting you dog in physically fantastic shape  Imagine the gasps of wonder when you have a 150 pound beast with rippling muscles!


4. Your vet doesn't recognize it. This one is becoming less and less common, but it still exists. Some vets just don't notice a mildly overweight pup. Its hard to miss the morbidly obese ones, but research proves that even a little extra body fat can have detrimental effects on your dog's health. Its that slow weight gain that sneaks up on you and many vets may miss this at your dog's exam if they are looking for it closely.

5. Your vet doesn't know what to do about it (or have the time to teach you.) We all know to lose weight you must cut calories and increase exercise. But how many calories should your dog eat? How much exercise? Is walking enough? (For the record, no.) Which food is best to help your dog lose weight? Do you have to worry about depriving him of nutrients? Won't he lose muscle too? Even if your vet knows the answers to these questions, your vet may not have the time to go over every detail of your pet's nutrition with you. Your vet is busy and so you are given the standard "cut calories, and walk him more" advise.


6. Your vet has given up on you. Your vet has told you every year that your dog is overweight and steadily gaining. She has warned you on the dangers. She has recommended foods and diets, and exercise plans. She has listened to your excuses and listened to you argue with your family members as to whose fault it is. What she has not heard is a commitment to change. And so she gave up on you. You may care about your dog, but not enough to do what matters. Your vet has decided that she has done everything she can. At some point in time, you as the pet parent must decide to do something that will help your dog live longer, better, and healthier. We can't do it for you.

The good news is that with expert guidance and a custom fitness plan, a healthy weight is a realistic goal for EVERY dog. And it can be done without depriving your dog of displays of your love! The fitness plan itself becomes a manifestation of your love for your best canine buddy! Call today to start showing the love!