Pet Obesity is on the Rise Especially during the Holidays

 

Every year, American waistlines expand and apparently, so do those of their pets. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), over 44% of dogs and 57% of cats are overweight or obese, both numbers up from previous years. Overweight pets are at greater risk for developing diabetes, respiratory and arthritic conditions. Extra weight can make the difference between needing major surgery to correct hip dysplasia and non-surgical treatments. Pre-existing health conditions in the older pet are exacerbated by extra weight and make treatment options more complicated.

APOP’s President veterinarian Dr Ernie Ward says that a few extra pounds on a cat or dog is akin to a human being 30-50 pounds overweight! Overfeeding and inadequate exercise are the two main culprits behind overweight or obese pets. And just as many Americans pack on the pounds during the holiday season, pets do too.

A 2006 holiday weight gain study by APOP found that on average, dogs and cats put on 0.3 and 0.37 pounds respectively between November and January. If those numbers don’t alarm you, these will. A pound on a dog is roughly equal to 5-7 pounds on a human. A pound of weight on kitty is about the same as 7-10 pounds on a human. This means that the dogs and cats in the APOP study gained the equivalent of 2 human pounds and 3 human pounds respectively during the holidays!

In my home, my dear husband is always eager to bestow holiday cheer on our critters, most often in the form of small helpings of human foods. He’s already dreaming up a special Thanksgiving meal for our dog, who adores sweet potatoes, pumpkin and turkey.



A little turkey here, a spoonful of yams there – it’s astonishing how quickly those little mouthfuls add up. Given that, APOP advises that we count pet’s calories all year long, and especially around the holidays. If you want your pet to partake in holiday goodies, don’t overfeed. But how many calories are enough? How much food is too much?

Fortunately, APOP takes much of the guesswork out of counting calories for pets. Their website provides useful information like how to tell if a pet is overweight , caloric needs for dogs and cats, calorie counts for common pet treats, and ideal pet weight ranges. APOP’s website also includes a Thanksgiving menu for dogs. It includes many holiday foods and weighs in at a respectable 210 calories.

In my observation, overfeeding pets often comes from good intentions. People delight in their pets’ joy when they’re gobbling down something yummy. But as I remind my husband, the joy pets experience when eating something tasty is fleeting. Overfeeding pets isn’t worth the long term ill effects on their health. Loving our pets means being mindful of their health and taking steps to ensure that their lives are happy and healthy.

Talk to your vet or a qualified pet nutritionist for the most accurate information about your pet’s particular caloric and nutritional needs, and to make sure that you aren’t feeding your pet anything harmful or difficult to digest.

Flickr Photo Credit: Lou's Canon, youarethesea

Lisa-Anne Manolius is the multi- talented owner/trainer of Oh Behave! in San Francisco. A graduate of the S.F. SPCA's Academy for Dog Trainers and U.C. Berkeley's Boalt School of Law, she's available for dog behavior consultations, private training sessions, and to teach a variety of group classes. She can be reached at lisaohbehave@gmail.com.