Fat pets

If you've got a fat cat or a plump pooch check out Dr Alex German's tips for getting your pet back to fitness

The Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic at the University of Liverpool's Small Animal Hospital helps tackle and prevent weight problems in animals such as dogs and cats.

Vets from practices in the surrounding area refer overweight animals to the clinic. The overweight patients then receive a thorough medical examination before being put onto a specific dietary plan and exercise regime over several weeks. 

Dr Alex German's got some top tips for recognising, preventing and treating obesity in pets

Preventing obesity...

1. Diet

• Feed a well-balanced, nutritionally complete diet, ideally tailored to the 'life-stage' of your pet (e.g. growing, young adult, mature adult, senior etc).
• Start by feeding the amount that the manufacturer suggests, but tailor according to your pet's circumstances e.g. activity level. [The energy requirement for an active dog can be markedly more than that of a sedentary dog]. Also be guided by any changes in your pet's body weight over time (see below).
• Always weigh out the food ration. Using feeding cups or estimating the amount 'by eye' is notoriously unreliable and can lead to over feeding. Feed the recommended amount in 2 or more meals a day.
• Pets that have been neutered (spayed or castrated) typically have a lower energy requirement; again consider modifying their ration accordingly.
• Remember, if that dry (kibble) diets are very energy dense; do not be tempted to feed more unless your pet is losing weight (see below).
• Do not feed tit-bits or table scraps. This will unbalance an already well-balanced diet, and the calories soon mount up. If you wish to give treats, either use proper pet treats (but take this into account when calculating total daily food requirement for your pet), or reserve some of the daily ration for treats.
• If you have more than one pet, supervise feeding times to ensure that each is getting the right amount.
• Weigh your pet on a regular basis, on the same set of weight scales. Many veterinary practices will be happy for you to use their weigh scales for this purpose.  Keep a diary record, and use any changes in body weight to modify the amount fed: increase the daily ration if your pet is losing weight; decrease the daily ration if gaining weight.
   
  2. Lifestyle and exercise.
  a. Regular exercise is good for both dogs and cats.
  b. Dogs are best exercised with regular walks. Many cats will exercise themselves when out.  However, for inactive or indoor cats encourage regular play sessions to stimulate exercise.
  c. Always tailor the type of exercise to the individual.  Controlled exercise (e.g. lead walking) is preferable if your dog has orthopaedic problems (e.g. arthritis etc).
  d. If walks are not possible for medical reasons, consider other forms of exercise e.g. swimming, hydrotherapy etc.
  e. Active pets require more food than inactive ones (see above).  If a previously active dog requires a period of exercise restriction (e.g. due to injury etc), then modify the diet accordingly.

Treatment of obesity...

1. Always seek veterinary advice prior to instigating a weight management programme.

2. Diet.

•  It is preferable to use a diet which has been purpose formulated for the purpose of weight loss.  Simply cutting down the current diet is not ideal since you are restricting more than just calories - your pet will also receive fewer essential nutrients.
• Your veterinary surgeon can advise you on the amounts to feed. Bear in mind that individuals differ in their exact requirements; if progress is slow, the amount to feed may need to be modified.  Remember - feed the allotted ration and NOTHING ELSE. Additional treats will slow down (or even stop) weight loss.
• If your pet will not eat the diet, speak to your vet prior to making any changes.
• Weight loss programmes are usually very successful if adhered to. However, weight loss is safest if done slowly; in practice, we aim for 1-2% body weight per week. This will mean that the programme is likely to take a long time (many months), and that changes may be subtle in the first few weeks.  Do not lose heart; if you persevere the diet should succeed!
• Take your pet back to your vet on a regular basis (e.g. every 2 weeks) for a weigh-in session.  Always keep these appointments; this is the best way to ensure success. If weight loss appears slow, your vet can recommend changes to the routine to improve success.
• Losing the weight is only part of the battle. Once your pet has reached its target body weight, you will need to instigate measures (see above) to make certain that subsequent weight gain does not occur.
   
  3. Lifestyle and exercise.
• Regular exercise is an essential component of the weight reduction regime.
• Activity may be slow at the start of the programme but, as your pet successfully starts to lose weight, their activity level should noticeably increase.
• Your veterinary surgeon can advise you on the best form of exercise for your pet (see also above).

What is your pet's ideal body weight?

This can often be a difficult question to answer.  Charts are available in many veterinary surgeons, and this provides information on optimal weight range for most breeds.  However, bear in mind that there is often a large variation even within breed.  Therefore, for an individual, it is best to base the decision on a combination of body weight measurements (recorded throughout life), and an estimation of 'body condition' (e.g. amount of body fat and lean tissue in the body).  There are a variety of scoring schemes available to estimate body composition, and these use a combination of visual characteristics and 'hands-on' assessment.  It is usually best to speak to your veterinary surgeon, and they can perform this assessment for you.  They can then advise on what, if any, action may need to be taken to reach optimal body weight.

Your help

The University is currently raising funds towards a new Small Animal Teaching Hospital that will benefit thousands of cats and dogs, and for key developments at the Equine Hospital where more than 2000 horses are  treated each year. If you would like to find out how you can support the University click into their web pages: http://www.liv.ac.uk/development/projects/vets.htm

The University of Liverpool's Royal Canin Animal Weight Management Clinic is a referral only clinic. Pet owners should not contact the University direct but should contact their vet for referral and further information about the Clinic - see their website listed to the right