Preventative Pug Nutrition = Ideal Weight + Evidence Based Feeding & Supplements

Ken Lambrecht DVM

Medical Director Westside Family Pet ClinicFitness & Rehab Director 4 Paws Swim & Fitness

klambdvm@westsidefamilypet.com

Preventative Nutrition is one of the key steps to longevity, wellness & vitality!

My recommendations for long & healthy pug life (with vitality!)

Keep them as close to their Ideal Weight as you possibly can

Choose food & supplements that have scientific evidence and are specific to breed wellness

Practice dental homecare to keep dental visits & related anesthesia minimized

Read and learn all you can about pet nutrition Use your veterinarian as a resource

Pet Food is…an emotional issue

Your resources

Your family veterinarian Articles/books by experts Evidence based studies/products Pet food retailers (be careful) Internet (be VERY careful)

Canine Wellness as taught by “Travis”my buddy for 14 years

OCD of shoulder Hip dysplasia Osteoarthritis

“Pink” Canine tooth Laryngeal Paralysis Cognitive disease/Hearing loss

Cousins?

They make it tough on us!

“Purina Study” published in May 2002

Showed that ideal weight dogs lived an average of 15% longer and had fewer health problems

A Labrador’s expected life is 12-13 yrs and it stays lean its entire life should add 2+ yrs) Pugs being smaller….should live even longer!

www.purina.com/science/research/DogMoreYears.aspx

Why is ideal weight so important?

Based on the “Purina study” we built Westside Family Pet Care Center

Most common wellness issues in all dogs seen at veterinary clinics

80% of pets have dentistry issues 40 to 50% over their Ideal Weight 20% have osteoarthritis 5-10% allergies 5 to 10% heart, kidney other organ problems

What diseases are more common in PUGS that we MIGHT be able to prevent?

Dental plaque & tartar = periodontitis Skin problems (allergy & skin fold

pyoderma) Heat stroke/intolerance/palate issues Patellar luxation & Legg Calve Perthes Mast cell tumors Eye problems KCS (dry eye), corneal ulcers

Breed specific preventative nutrition in 5 breeds

Retrievers orthopedic disease, weight management, cataracts

Yorkshire Terriers periodontitis, patella luxations, weight management

Beagles weight management Boxers higher rates of cancer Pugs dental issues, weight management,

patella luxations, eyes, skin

DENTAL PREVENTION

Preventing DENTAL PROBLEMS with nutrition

Internal organ problems are caused by dental disease

Kidney, heart, diabetes, pancreatitis, discospondylitis (spine infection), others

Professional 12 step dental cleanings require anesthesia

“It’s not a matter of IF they will need their teeth cleaned it’s a matter of WHEN …..so make sure they are ideal weight = better anesthetic risk” Dr Dave Brunson DVM AVCA

In national surveys only 4% of clients brush their pet’s teeth daily!

Proven effective ingredients

Chlorhexidene Hexametaphosphate Zn gluconate CET Enzymatic toothpaste “Friction” = tooth brushing, rawhides,

chewing VOHC approved foods (Hills T/D & Oral Care,

Purina DH)

NOT hard bones!

Prevention by Nutritional Products

Daily brushing is still the best!

Veterinary Oral Health Council

vohc.org

Preventing overweight problems

Dangers of pets being overweight

Skin infectionsBreathing difficulty/Respiratory problemsJoint problemsDiabetes MellitusHeart problems

1) How is Ideal weight defined?

2) How do we accomplish it?

The tough questions!

Ideal weight defined

By Purina study Weight at 1 year of age (usually) The “fingers below your knuckles” test Abdominal tuck & waist Is partially breed specific

Steps to achieving Ideal weight

HAVE AN EXPERT ASSESSMENT DONE

KNOW THE CALORIES in everything your pet eats = watch those treats!

MEASURE EACH FEEDING (feed 2x /day)

DON’T LEAVE FOOD OUT for munching/grazing

PROVIDE CONSISTENT exercise

Body Condition Score (BCS) is a vital step in our nutritional assessment of pets

Calories in food & treats

Foods range from 242 to over 500 Cal/cup Treats are often very high (Pigs ear =170 Cal) Dog Food labels NOT required to show

Cal/cup Dog Food bag “amt to feed” charts are NOT

reliable 12 lb pug only requires 250-350 food calories

and 25 to 35 treat Calories per day to maintain Ideal Weight

Calories vs exercise ????

Which is more effective…. increased exercise ……..or …….reduced calories????

Pugs exercise differently!

Getting & keeping pets at their ideal weight

We have had over 200 dogs in our weight loss programs since 2007

• “Iron Dogs” 5 to 20% over ideal

• “Biggest 4 Pawed Losers” 20% or more over ideal

• “Fat Cats” over 20% of ideal

• “Iron Cats” 5 to 20% over ideal

• “Special care” arthritis, etc

Dog Pack Challenge a 3 or 5 dog team in same category

Preventing Osteo-arthritis

Nutritional prevention of Osteoarthritis

wt loss EPA fish oils & Joint Sup-ple-

ments

NSAIDS0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Osteoarthritis Treatment

1. Fish oils (EPA & DHA)

2. Joint supplements

3. Probiotics, prebiotics

4. Anti-oxidants

Evidence based supplements

Osteoarthritis Inflammatory skin disease Kidney & heart disease, cancer Periodontal disease (AVDS meeting Oct 09) Many other diseases in people that may be the same in pets

www.Consumerlab.com

Bauer JE. I Am Vet Med Assoc 2006, 229:680-684. Caterson B, et al. Hills European Symposium Genoa, Italy, Apr 2005:14-18. Smith CE, et al. J Vet Inter Med 2007, 21:265-273. Soukup, Jason DVM AVDC American Veterinary Dental Forum Oct 2009

Fish Oils = EPA & DHA

Fish oil challenges/Issues

Dosing of EPA 20mg/lb EPA 60 lb dog = 7 human capsules for anti-inflammatory dose

Pugs 10 to 14 lb = 1 to 2 capsules/day Quality, purity, odor, adds calories Flax seed/oil is NOT well converted by pets

to EPA Daily compliance (pills vs liquids vs Rx

foods) is the issue

Consumerlab.com

Joint supplements

Challenges/Issues

In a major study 84% of labeled human products were not what the label stated

Not FDA regulated

Active ingredients = Glucosamine & Chondroitin sulfate w/ ASU (DASUquin ®), and pernna green lipped mussel (Glycoflex ®) both have studies that show positive effects

Need to get these from your veterinarian only until better regulation/testing becomes available

Consumerlab.com

Emerging Evidence Based Supplements

Probiotics Carnitine Antioxidants (Vit E, Isoflavones, etc) Many others

My recommendations for long & healthy pug life (with vitality!)

Keep them as close to their Ideal Weight as you possibly can

Choose supplements that have scientific evidence that support breed specific wellness

Practice dental homecare to keep dental visits & related anesthesia minimized

Read and learn all you can about pet nutrition Dialogue with your veterinarian

Facebook.com/westsidefamilypet

www.westsidefamilypet.com

www.breedspecificwellness.blogspot.com

Have a great Pugfest! The Staff of WFPC & 4 Paws Swim & Fitness