Big Love: Pet obesity and dog arthritis expands in United States
I have devoted previous posts to the important subject of pet obesity and the effects on canine and feline arthritis. I would like to revisit the subject again with some great new information from veterinarian and author Dr Ernie Ward. I pulled some interesting facts out of the article but if you would like to read it in it’s entirety click here. Dr Ward is passionate about educating pet owners about pet obesity. Why is obesity in pets on the uprise? Part of the obesity problem is lack of exercise and poor portion control. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), when it comes to expressing our affections with food, we are doing our animals a lot more harm than good.
“Pet obesity is now the biggest health threat to pets in our country,” says lead researcher Dr. Ernie Ward and author of “Chow Hounds.” “The connection between obesity and illness and injury make it the number one medical issue seen in today’s veterinary hospitals.”
Dr. Ernie Ward
Why are we so concerned about obesity in dogs? Extra weight can compound the pain that a dog or cat feels with arthritis. For example, if a lab weighs 90 pounds and his ideal weight is 75 pounds, then everytime he jumps off the bed and gets out of the car, those 15 extra pounds can really add to the pressure of his joints as they absorb the weight. If the dog has arthrits, that can be a very painful scenario. Just picture putting on a backpack that weighs 15 pounds and then jumping off a four foot wall- tough on the knees right??
Share your story of how you keep your pet at a healthy weight.
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jana Said,
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Bob Said,
This really is a huge problem today. I see so many obese dogs on our walk, and many of them still young! And yes, people are completely oblivious to this and many of them truly do believe that their dog looks the way their should.
The health issue with obesity doesn’t stop at arthritis and joint problems and injuries. It affects the heart and circulation, contributes to diabetes, liver disease, pancreatitis and even cancer!
Often portion control and too many high calorie treats are the root of the problem. But from observation I find that the biggest reasons might simply be that the dogs do not get anywhere near the exercise they should. Our town-house complex is like a dog camp. Almost every household here has at least one dog. But guess how many of them we meet outside being taken for a walk? Virtually none. If they are really lucky they might be taken along for a Sunday afternoon walk on a nice sunny day…
Our late rescue was a ‘show off’ dog for his owner. He was also a Rottweiler (the dog, not the owner), and he was morbidly obese (the dog, not the owner). I am quite sure that the owner would rather starve him to death than showing off with ‘damaged goods’. Which leaves only one option – the owner had no clue that the poor dog is not supposed to look like a beer barrel!
When we took him in, we didn’t put him on any diet, but slowly introduced him to our exercise regime. We had to ease him in slowly, because he simply wouldn’t have been able to keep up at first. But eventually he could. He shrunk to half his size!
Dieting only, with dog, just as with humans isn’t really the best solution, because what it does is that it slows down the metabolism and teaches the body to hold on to every calorie.
Our dogs get minimum on hour of exercise every day, rain or shine. Some day they get more than that.
Walking their dogs would benefit not only the dogs, but their owners as well. Though my husband keeps complaining that it is killing him. Might feel like it, but it’s actually good for him also. No pain – no gain.
Above that, under-exercised dog will develop not only health problems, but behavioral problems as well. Boredom and frustration from stored up energy with no outlet won’t make any dog happier or better behaved. Our neighbors had a dog who had to be in the cage all day, otherwise he would tear the house down. But his only exercise was being tied up to a tree in front of the house in the afternoon while his owners were socializing.
Right on! We will continue to help people make aware of the big advantages of weight control. Thanks.
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