OVERWEIGHT PETSARE TIPPING THE SCALES
Partnering with a veterinariancan help pet owners understand
and manage their pets’ weightand overall health
APPROXIMATELY
ARE O
out of
VERWEIGHT
Overweight˜�˘%˜˙�%
catsDOGS & CATS
and these numbers scontinue to grow; over the past
Overweight dog
˜� years we’ve seen...
Why doespet obesity matter?
Ca
arra
ing those exte seriou consequence
a pounds m y h
yv s
r s
for a pet’s overall health, not tomention the increased cost
to pet owners
Did you know?
˜Obesity in cats and dogs has been
linked to MORE THAN ˛� AILMENTS
˛A healthy weight may delay the
onset of MANY CHRONIC DISEASES
ˆAs the prevalence of overweight
paspets
t ˜˘haysears, so h
increased oave cer
ver thetain
comorbidities, SUCH ASARTHRITIS �+�˛%� AND
TRACHEAL COLLAPSE�+�ˆ%� IN DOGS
Over a ˜-year period,owners of overweight...
DogsSpend ˜ˇ% MORE IN HEALTHCARE COSTSva
s. ownerl
s of health
˛˙%y-weight dogs. These owner
more on medicationss
so spend nearly
CatsSpend ˆ�% MORE IN DIAGNOSTICPROCEDURES vs. owners of healthy weight cats
becomeWhy
odo pets
verweight?
Lack of exerciseLike people, exercise for pets is a keycomponent of maintaining a healthy weight
?
Misconceptions about whatqualiÿes as ‘overweight’
Overweight pets are becoming the new normal due to how common they are, ding some owner timate the lea
true body condition of their pets to underes
OverfeedingPets are part of the family, and owners
o�en use food as a form of communication and love. Additionally, some pet ownersare uncertain about how much food they
should be feeding their pet
Certain diseasesDisease
uncomfors lik
te arthritiable, dis
scou
can make moraging pets
vf
ementrom
maintaining regular activity levels
Breed & geneticsJu
health, cers a genetics c lay a ro
at breedle in human
are t s
tain dog andan p
c spredisposed to becoming overweight
prevalence of obeDog breeds with a higher
s• Labrador Retriever
ity:s
• Cairn Terriers
• Cocker Spaniels
Cat breeds with a higher prevalence of obesity:
• Manx
• Maine Coons
What are pets’nutritional needs?
SpeciesDogs and cats have very di�erent
nutritional needs—many don’t realize catsare carnivores and dogs are omnivores
Breedain breeds
to being oCert
verweight than others, are more prone
likely due to genetic factors influence their metabolism
that
Disease ConditionsPets with certain conditions, such as
kidney disease and diabetes, beneÿt fromspecialized diets to aid in the
management of these diseases
Pets that get more eActivity L
xevelercise require
more calories than sedentary pets
Size
calorieSm
s tao maintain a healler pets require fewer
lthy weight
AgeOlder pets have slower metabolisms
and are generally less active than younger pets
How can I tell if my petis overweight?
Bodyy to determine if a pet
condition scoring isia
wa sunderweight, ideal weight or
overweight. Discuss your pet'scurrent and ideal weight with
your veterinarian
Body Condition Score top view | side view
˜ VERY THINSeverely deÿnedribs and waist
˛ THINEasily visible riand waist
bs
R bs easiIDEAL WEIGHT
el bi ly f t, utnot seenObvious waist
˝ OVERWEIGHT Ribs not easilyseen or feltWaist barely visible
˙ OBESECannot feel ribsWaist absent
How do treats impactmy pet’s weight?
Ensure treats do not make up more than ˜�% of your pet's
daily caloric consumption
A slice of cheese for a small dogrepresents °°% of their daily caloric
the same for a giant need, whereadog repr
sesents just 6%
SLICE OFCHEESE
�%
ˆˆ%
While both dogs and cats o�en receivehuman food as treats, pet owners do
not realize that even in smallquantities, human food can represent
a large percent of a pet’s dailycaloric (cal) requirement
˜ oz cheese: ˜˜° cal
˜ jerky strip: ˛˛ cal
˜ beef hot dog: ˜°˝ cal
˜ tbsp peanut butter: ˙° cal
ˆ oz ˆ% milk: ˇ˘ cal
˜ oz canned tuna: ˇ� cal
˜ slice deli meat ham: °� cal
CATDAILY CAL INTAKE ˛˛ˇ Based on a ˜˘ lb cat
TODAIL
Y/SMALL DOGY CAL INTAKE ˆ˝˛
Based on a ˜˘ lb dog
MEDIUM DOGDAILY CAL INTAKE ˇˇ˘ Based on a ˇ˘ lb dog
LARGE DOGDAILY CAL INTAKE ˜,˜˝ˆ Based on a �˘ lb dog
GIANT DOGDAILY CAL INTAKE ˜,ˇˇˇ Based on a ˙˘ lb dog
What can I do to ensure my pet is a
healthy weight?
Prevention is key—regularcheck-ups and nutritionalcounseling with a veterinariancan help owners keep petsat a healthy weight
Owners of overweight petsshould partner with their veterinarithe mo
an to determine st appropriate
weight-loss plan
Ou˜er rewar
h as bellds other than food
r toys ,
s c y rubs o
Maappropr
ke sure your pet getsx
thec seiate amount of e er i
Cfeather
ats: Plat
y with a jingle ball,ereaser or laser point
Dogs: Go on a walk, play catchor mak al time active byhiding part of a me e
e me al in a tr at toy
If food is given as a reward,provide low-calorie snackssuch as baby carrots for dogs,and reduce the amount offood o˜ered during meal timeto accommodate treats givenduring the day
For more information,
www.sincluding s
tateofpethealth.tate-speciÿc data:
com
REFERENCES:
Banÿeld Applied Research and Knowledge. MSB Research Project Exec-utive Summary: Obesity Cost. Banÿeld Pet Hospital, Vancouver, Wash.,ˆ˘˜�.
Banÿeld Applied Research and Knowledge. State of Pet Health ˜°˛˝ Report data. Banÿeld Pet Hospital, Vancouver, Wash.
Cc
ave NJ, Allan FJ, Schoge
kkenbroek SL, et al. A cs
ross-sectional studys
toompare chan s in the prevalence and rik factors for feline obe ity
between ˜˙˙ˇ and ˆ˘˘˝ in New Zealand. Prev Vet Med.ˆ˘˜ˆ;˜˘˝�˜�ˆ�:˜ˆ˜�˜ˇˇ.
LCouis, Mo: Elsevierote E. Clinical Veterinary Advisor (Dogs and Cats): S
. ˆ˘˜˜. Print. econd Edition. St.
German AJ. The growing problem of obesity in dogs and cats. J Nutr.ˆ˘˘�; ˜ˇ��˝ Suppl�:˜˙°˘S�˜˙°�S.
Kealy RD, Lawler DF, Ballam JM, et al. E�ects of diet restriction on lifespan and age-related changes in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc.ˆ˘˘ˆ;ˆˆ˘�˙�:˜ˇ˜��˜ˇˆ˘.
Kienzle E, Bergler R, Mandernach A. A comparison of feeding behaviorand the human-animal relationship in owners of normal and obese dogs. J Nutr. ˜˙˙˛;˜ˆ˛�˜ˆ Suppl):ˆ˝˝˙S�ˆ˝˛ˆS.
Lauten eriatric
SDye
. NutritionalVet C
risks to large-breed dogs: fl
rom w.
eaning to the g ars. lin North Am Sma l Anim Pract ˆ˘˘�;ˇ����:˜ˇ°���˙.
Nutrition Support Service. Treat guidelines for dogs. U.C. Davis School
souof V
reterinar
e y Medicine. www
reats_guidelines.pdf. Ac.vetmed.ucd
easvsed Apriis.edu/vmth/local_r
ˆ˛, ˆ˘˜˝ e-
c s/pdfs/T c L .
Sandoe P, Palmer C, Corr S, et al. Canine and feline obesity: a OneHealth perspective. Vet Rec. ˆ˘˜°;˜˝��ˆ°�:�˜˘��˜�.