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°�:�˜˘��˜�.