Obesity in pets - Do you have a fat dog or cat?

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Pug LizaThe latest studies suggest that 25% of pets in the US are obese - that totals 33 million fat cats and fat dogs. A staggering 45% of US pets are overweight.

We’ve never had any trouble with our overactive Labrador but recently this hit home to our family when we fostered our first pug - Liza (there she is in the picture). She came to us overweight and we have been attempting to reduce her daily food intake but have had little luck shedding the pounds so far. I’ve been a little scared to walk her too far as she limps and seems to struggle (she is advanced in years - 9-10yrs) but I took her on her first walk up the street and back tonight in an attempt to increase her movement. Sitting on the dog bed or at your feet is her most favorite activity. We are going to have to work up to all the way around the block - but at least we’ve made a start.

I was searching on the web for diet tips and discovered that February is the first National Canine Weight Check. A group of vets have come together to offer free weight assessments for dogs this month. You can find the vets near you that are offering this program at www.stopcanineobesity.com/ncwc

Pet obesity is a serious problem as it puts pets at risk of diseases such as osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer. Extra weight can also worsen existing conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure, hormone imbalances, and joint diseases. Put simply, carrying around the extra pounds will shorten the life of your pet. Veterinary Pet Insurance reported that last year they reimbursed policy holders over 14 million dollars for claims related to obesity - around 7 % of their total claims.

The most common reason for weight gain in pet is overeating. If the number of calories consumed by the pet each day is more than is used for normal body functions and during exercise then extra calories are stored as fat. There are other factors that can contribute to weight gain including heredity, breed, body type, and some medical conditions. Usually all that is needed for weight loss is reduced calorie intake and increased exercise. It is a common myth that spaying/neutering a pet will cause slowing of the metabolism. However, just like humans an animals metabolism will slow with age, so as they get older they will need to eat less calories each day.

Signs that your pet is overweight include:

1. Difficulty finding the ribs under layers of fat. Ribs should be easily felt.

2. Sagging stomach

3. No waist

4. Broad / flat back

Ideal weights for dogs vary by breed but a healthy pet usually weighs between 8-10 lbs. You can find a chart of ideal dog weights for common breeds at www.petobesityprevention.com/weight_ranges.htm

If your pet is overweight then you should visit your vet to get a weight assessment and suggestions for a diet plan.

An easy diet plan for dogs is:

1. Record the weight of your dog

2. Reduce their daily calorie intake by 1/3 (this means 1/3 of the total calories consumed in food and treats)

3. Weigh your dog again after 2 weeks

4. If no weight is lost - reduce calories again by 1/3. If weight is lost then stick to this amount of calories.

5. Repeat this cycle until your dog successfully starts losing weight

Information about the calorific values of common pet foods and treats is available here.

A healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2% of total body weight per week. If your pet is losing weight more rapidly then they may be losing lean muscle tissue. You should feed your pets a quality food and avoid table scraps and too many treats. Some vets recommend avoiding “Low Calorie” or “Diet Foods” for pets as these food have less fats and often more carbohydrates. Extra carbs stimulate insulin production which tells the body to store unused calories as fat. Often it is preferable to simply cut the amount of your regular pet foods.

For more weight loss tips visit www.petobesityprevention.com or take advantage of Canine Weight Check and take your dog to your nearest participating vet for a free weight assessment. Don’t wait any longer to start improving the health of your pets - because who want to have less time with their companions?

Feed Pets in Need with One Click A Day

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The Animal Rescue SiteA friend alerted me to the Animal Rescue site this morning - and what a great idea!

At The Animal Rescue Site all you have to do to help feed animals in need is to click on the button on their website once a day to raise enough money for 0.6 bowls of food per click. Today as I write this post they have already raised enough money for 150,265 bowls of food.  

Seems too easy right - you’re wondering how this works? The trick is that when you click you are shown a page with ads from their sponsors. The amount that these sponsors pay for these ads depends on how much traffic is brought to this page via clicks.  100% of sponsorship payments are used to support animals in rescues and sanctuaries. Of course we are not obligated to make any purchases - but some of the cute products tempted me! Of course a percentage of any purchase that you do make on their site also goes to help their charity.

The money raised goes directly to their partners - Petfinder, The Fund for Animals, and North Shore Animal League.

They also have a page which gives you some other free ways that you can help - suggestions include subscribing to their newsletter, helping to spread the word by sending e-cards to your friends, and finding new sponsors for their site.

Drop by their site today and click to feed more animals - www.theanimalrescuesite.com

If you have other great ideas or products suggestions to help donate to animal causes please share it with us by leaving a comment.

Get Daily Pet News Updates via Email

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Since I started this blog I have discovered a couple of great ways to make sure I stay alerted to all the latest pet news.  They are both automated and arrive in my email box with a summary of each story so I can skim over them quickly.  This saves a lot of time that I could spend surfing the web to pick up news stories.

The first is Congoo - an online news service where you can set up your own News Group to receive the news on topics that interest you.  Once you have set up a news group you can also add your own articles and share it with friends or clients.

Here is how they describe their service:

Congoo’s news service is a uniquely valuable tool for staying current on anything. Congoo News is the most comprehensive news source on the Web aggregating stories from over 25,000 free and subscription content sources. Congoo’s technology organizes articles into stories and stories into subjects.

Setting up an account with Congoo is easy and free. To look at my News Circle visit my Pet News Circle.

The second way to get news delivered is via Google Alerts. This is just as easy as Congoo and usually I get different pet stories from each source.  To get Google alerts all you need is a Google account which is also free.  To set up an account visit Google Account Home Page.

Once you have your account and log in you will see My Accounts in the top right hand corner of the screen. Click on this and it will take you to account screen and you will see Google Alerts in the menu of options on the right side of the screen. Once in the Alert screen it is as simple as specifying a topic and then choosing whether to receive email updates once a day or once a week.  I like to get mine once a day to keep up with new pet news.

I find that fun or curious pet news stories are great to spark ideas for blog topics, articles, or newsletter posts.  Your clients will look forward to hearing from you if you can always brighten their day or week with funny pet stories or informative news.

Let me know if you use any other type of online news service to get the latest pet news!

Pets Across USA - Dog Rescue Project by PAWS Austin TX

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Pets Across USA BusThere is a new dog rescue operation happening this week that is trucking small dogs and puppies from overcrowded kill shelters Texas to California and Washington shelters where they have less dogs available for adoption. The operation is being conducted by PAWS (Protection of Animal Welfare Services) of Austin TX.

Each year the city of Austin’s shelter receives over 25,000 animals. Although Austin has a strong adoption program, unfortunately over 12,000 animals don’t make it out of the shelter. After seeing great accomplishments in animal rescue made through partnering after the Katrina hurricanes last year, Austin shelter staff conceived the idea of partnering with shelters across the country to solve their dog overpopulation problems.

The journey across the USA is being filmed for an Animal Planet documentary that will air later this year. The film will address many pet issues, from euthanasia, rescue stories, animal abuse, working animals, therapy pets and how communities throughout the United States perceive pet ownership. They will also address behavior problems and introduce training solutions.

You can follow the progress of the operation on their daily blog - Pets Across USA. On their blog they have pictures of the dogs making their first journey, pictures of the landscape, and pictures of their bus.

Unfortunately it is too late to donate items for their current journey but you are able to make a donation via Paypal at their website www.petsacrossusa.com.

Curious About your Dogs DNA?

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Have you ever wondered what mix of breeds your lovable pooch is? Using a new test marketed by Canine Heritage pet owners can now test their dogs DNA to find out.

Collection of the DNA is performed by using a small soft-bristled brush to gather skin cells from the inside of your dogs mouth. The test is able to identify genetic markers for 38 different breeds. This covers 75% of the most common breeds of dog in the United States.

Other than settling family dispute about whether Fido is a Lab/Jack Russell mix or a Lab/Terrier mix there are other practical benefits to knowing the breed of your pets. With knowledge of the breed you can investigate possible genetic health issues and have the opportunity to better manage the health care of your pet to prevent the onset of disease.

The test is also being marketed to shelters and animal rescues so that they are able to offer prospective owners more information about the dogs.

The test costs $65 plus shipping and handling and you test results are available four to six weeks after submitting the DNA sample. The test is marketed as being 90% accurate. Owners will receive a certificate that shows the primary breed, secondary breeds, and other breeds that are in the mix of DNA.

For more information about dog DNA testing visit Canine Heritage.

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