by Dr. Abby Huggins Mowinski, DVM
Excess weight. Many people think of extra pounds as a cosmetic problem, but it is so much more than that. Obesity is as significant a health crisis in our companion animals as it is in the human population, with over 50% of dogs and cats in the overweight to obese range. Pet obesity is truly an epidemic; it leads to the same complications in our beloved animals as it does in us humans. Carrying around excess weight potentiates osteoarthritis and joint disease, hypertension, heart and respiratory disease, Type 2 Diabetes/insulin resistance (especially in our kitty cats), as well as a host of other medical issues – all of which can negatively impact a pet’s quality of life.
As an athlete with a prior orthopedic injury (ACL tear repair), I am acutely aware that carrying simply 5 or more pounds over my ideal weight creates more pain and diminished athletic performance. What equates to just a 3% increase in my body weight can have profound effects on my overall well-being.
By comparison, a 3% increase in weight for a 10-pound cat is a gain of only 0.3 #. For a 40-pound dog, 3% body weight gain is 1.2# or a 2.4# gain in an 80-pound dog. That doesn’t seem like much, right? Yet, it is so significant. Next, let’s think of the more common scenario: the 12-pound cat in a 10-pound frame, or the 48-pound dog, whose ideal weight is 40 pounds. Each of these pets is carrying an extra 20% of their body weight. Those additional pounds are incredibly deleterious to overall health and comfort.
So, how can we help keep our pet’s weight in check? First and foremost, we must acknowledge that we, the pet parents, are in control of our pet’s waistlines. We control what they eat; we control their daily exercise. Once we accept that responsibility, then we can start making the right decisions to promote a healthy weight and lifestyle.
Start by assessing your pet’s current body weight. Although the scale is a good measure of weight trends, I prefer not to focus on the number. Instead, I look at how well my patients “fit in their clothes” – a visual and hands on analysis of body condition score, or BCS. In veterinary medicine, we standardize BCS on either a 5-point or 9-point scale – this provides a degree of objectivity between different professionals.
I cannot fathom the challenges human physicians face when they speak to their patients about healthy weight goals. We humans tie so much of our self-worth to external appearance and take comments about our weight deeply personally. Trust me, your cat doesn’t care if your veterinarian says that she needs to lose weight. She just cares that she can’t reach around to groom herself properly. Likewise, your overweight dog isn’t going to need emotional support or reassurance – he will simply be happy that he can get up off the floor without effort and pain. If your buddy exceeds the healthy weight range or your veterinarian suggests weight loss for your pet, you, and you alone, have the ability to fix that situation.
