Purina offers tips to keep pets at healthy weight

Ninety-five percent of pet owners think their overweight or obese dog was a normal body condition, according to Purina. With summer barbecues on the horizon, “people food” may tempt your dog and he could eat more than just his daily kibble.
Here are some stats about pet obesity:

• In 2014, 43.8 million dogs were overweight
• 42 percent of owners said they didn’t know what a “healthy weight” was for their pet
• Dog owners can end up feeding about 37-80% more food than their dog needs

 Just Right by Purina has created an infographic that shares some fun ideas for how pet owners can prevent pet obesity and keep their pets healthy and happy this summer.

US pet obesity on the rise, Association for Pet Obesity Prevention says

US pet obesity rates continued to increase in 2012 with the number of overweight cats reaching an all-time high, according to the National Pet Obesity Awareness Day survey, conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.
The survey found that 52.5 percent of dogs and 58.3 percent of cats are deemed overweight or obese by their veterinarian. That equals approximately 80 million US dogs and cats at increased risk for weight-related disorders such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, hypertension and many cancers.
"Pet obesity remains the leading health threat to our nation's pets," says Association for Pet Obesity Prevention founder and lead veterinarian for the survey, Dr. Ernie Ward. "We continue to see an escalation in the number of overweight cats and an explosion in the number of type 2 diabetes cases."
According to the survey, 45.8 percent of dog owners and 45.3 percent of cat owners incorrectly identified their overweight or obese pet's body condition as "normal weight" when asked to assess their pet's body condition by a veterinarian.
Dr. Ward calls the phenomenon of incorrectly evaluating an overweight pet as normal "the fat gap": "The disconnect between reality and what a pet parent thinks is obese makes having a conversation with their veterinarian more challenging. Many pet owners are shocked when their veterinarian informs them their pet needs to lose weight. They just don't see it," Dr. Ward says.
The survey also found that certain dog breeds are at a greater risk for being overweight, with 58.9 percent of Labrador Retrievers and 62.7 percent of Golden Retrievers surveyed identified as overweight or obese by their veterinarian.
According to Dr. Ward: "This is a war veterinarians, pet owners and parents must win. Obesity is the number one preventable medical condition seen in veterinary hospitals today...Our goal is to help pets and people live longer, healthier and pain-free lives by maintaining a healthy weight, proper nutrition and physical activity. The most important decision a pet owner makes each day is what they choose to feed. Choose wisely. Your pet's life depends on it." 

Obese dogs may have lower vitality, more pain, UK study shows

Researchers at the University of Liverpool in the UK recently conducted a study to determine the effect of weight loss on obese dogs.
The study enrolled 50 obese dogs of various breeds and genders at the University's Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic. Prior to the attempted weight loss, dog owners completed a questionnaire on categories such as activity, pain, aggression, sociability, anxiety, happiness, mobility and enthusiasm.
The weight loss program involved feeding the dogs either a high-protein, high-fiber dog food or a high-protein, moderate-fiber food, along with making changes in exercise. To determine the amount of food to give to each dog, the investigators estimated the maintenance energy requirement using target weight and factors such as gender and presence of associated diseases. During the course of the study, 30 of the dogs reached their target, with an average weight-loss percentage of 24.4% of their starting weight. Following the study, owners again completed a questionnaire, from which results were evaluated based on the dogs' vitality, emotional disturbance and pain. The study found that all of the dogs that lost weight experienced an improvement in quality of life, as judged by improvements in vitality scores and lower scores for emotional disturbance and pain. Dogs that did not attain their ideal weight after the survey had lower vitality scores and higher emotional disturbance scores. “This research indicates that, for obese dogs, weight loss can be important for staying both healthy and happy,” said Dr. Alexander German from the University of Liverpool. “Obesity is a risk for many dogs, affecting not only their health, but also their quality of life."

Animal Cancer Center seeks overweight dogs for pet food study

Colorado State University researchers are seeking overweight dogs to participate in a new weight-loss study, conducted by the Animal Cancer Center, to determine if a new petfood can be digested more easily and is effective in reducing hunger.
During the study, dogs will be given three regular blood tests for signs that the food also helps prevent cancer and is suitable for dogs with allergies. The dogs will also receive the specially formulated diet for one month. Participating dogs will be required to visit the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA for the blood tests and physical exams. Pet owners will be required to measure their pet's food intake and collect fecal samples.
To participate, dogs must be otherwise in good health, be between 2 and 7 years old, weigh more than 22 pounds, and have a body-condition score between six and nine. Participating owners will get a US$50 credit toward any services or product offered at the teaching hospital. For more information on the trial, call +1.970.297.4144  or email cadie.ollila@colostate.edu.

UK charity study: one in five dogs overweight

UK veterinary charity the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) conducted a four-year study on the weight and overall health of 25,000 pet dogs, coming to the conclusion that one in five dogs is now overweight.
To bring awareness to and help combat pet obesity, PDSA holds an annual Pet Fit Club competition. The 11 finalists for the 2010 competition, five dogs and six cats, have nearly 90 kilograms (198 pounds) of excess weight among them. They will be put on a strict regime of diet and exercise to help them reach their ideal weights.

New iPhone app launched to monitor calorie intake, weight of pets

An iPhone app from Cornell University is designed to keep pets from piling on the pounds. / Photo courtesy www.vet.cornell.edu

A new iPhone app was launched by Cornell University to help consumers monitor their pet's calorie intake.
The US$3.99 app, called CUPetHealth, was developed by seven computer science students at Cornell as part of a class project and examined by university veterinary experts for accuracy. Consumers enter their pet's daily diet and several lifestyle factors into the app, which determines the appropriate number of calories each day by responding with "overfeeding," "underfeeding" or "appropriate." The app also keeps track of medication, vaccine and flea control information.
"Nutrition is an ever-growing concern for pets," said Joe Wakshlag, assistant professor at Cornell's Vet College. "The Centers for Disease Control says that America has become 'obesogenic,' meaning that we live in a world that promotes increased food intake, unhealthy food choices and reduced physical activity. Our pets live in the same world and are suffering the same consequences of obesity."

Study: Varied calories in diet petfoods confuse pet owners

Because the calorie counts of diet petfoods vary widely among brands, pet owners may be unknowingly overfeeding their pets, according to a study conducted at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
The study measured the calories in 93 commercial diet petfoods (44 canine diets and 49 feline diets) and found that a pet owner serving one cup or can of diet petfood could potentially be adding more than 200 calories a day to their pet’s diet by switching brands.

Pudgy pets support group works with petfood company

Smith Veterinary Hospital in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, has created a Chub Club to offer support to owners of pets that need to lose weight, according to The Canadian Press.
Jennifer Febel, a practice manager at the hospital, said the club offers mostly nutritional counseling, but it is working with an unspecified petfood company to devise a website allowing pet owners to access tips.