Tackling the No. 1 Disease Affecting the Majority of Pets
This sneaky disease affects about 60% of cats and 56% of dogs, and even a mild case can reduce your pet's lifespan by one-third and boost her risk of malignancy, diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
The No. 1 disease in cats and dogs is overweight and obesity, with an estimated 60% of cats and 56% of dogs suffering from one or the other
One of the most important steps in helping your dog reach a fit weight is to swap out high-carb, highly processed kibble with a species-appropriate fresh food diet
Portion control is important, and you’ll want to feed your pet his or her ideal number of calories in proportioned meals during the day rather than free feeding
Strive for an hour of rigorous exercise a day with your dog if you’re looking to maximize healthspan and lifespan; for optimal fitness, incorporate a variety of exercises into your pet’s routine
The No. 1 disease in cats and dogs is overweight and obesity, with an estimated 60% of cats and 56% of dogs suffering from one or the other.1 Even being overweight by 10% is significant, as it decreases a dog’s lifespan by one-third while increasing her risk of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and heart disease.2
Often, pet owners aren’t even aware their pets need to lose weight. It’s what the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) calls the “fat pet gap,” which refers to what many pet guardians think a healthy dog should look like and what one actually looks like when they’re at their ideal weight.
Is Your Pet Overweight?
“I see people coming in constantly with 90-pound Labs and they say, ‘she looks great,’” Dr. Ernie Ward, APOP’s founder, told the AKC. “Well, actually, that dog is 15 pounds overweight. But we’ve normalized it.”3 One of the simplest ways to gauge whether your dog is overweight is to look at him while standing over him.
A fit dog will have a tapered-in waist, while an overweight dog will have a rectangle shape and an obese dog will have an oval-shaped appearance. When viewed from the side, your dog’s abdomen should be tucked up, and you should be able to feel her ribs without any excess fat covering.
You can also ask your veterinarian for their opinion, although I've lost count of the number of pet parents who've told me I was the first vet to comment that their dog or cat needed to lose a few pounds — so unless you specifically ask, your vet may not mention it.
Major Risk Factors for Pet Obesity
This may come as a surprise, but overweight or obese dogs are twice as likely to have an owner who’s overweight or obese as well, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen.4
Previous studies have also found a link between obesity in dogs and obesity in owners, which may be because overweight owners were more likely to use dog treats as hygge-candy, referring to the Danish word “hygge,” which means cozy.
Many pet guardians equate giving food to their pets with giving them love, but it’s very easy to overdo it. Treats — even very high-quality healthy ones — should make up less than 10% of your dog’s or cat’s daily food intake. If you want to show your dog love, show them affection — better still if that affection involves an active round of engaging play that will contribute to your pet’s physical activity needs.
Your pet’s diet composition also influences obesity risks. Specifically, the consumption of dry food, or kibble, is linked to increased obesity risks, with researchers finding that dry food is significantly associated with overweight/obesity, both alone and in combination with canned or fresh food.5
Pet Fitness 101: Cut Out Kibble
Perhaps the most important step in helping your dog reach a fit weight is to swap out high-carb, highly processed kibble with a species-appropriate fresh food diet. I recommend you do the carb calculation on the food you’re feeding and make sure it’s less than 20% (and ideally less than 10%).
A nutritionally optimal homemade fresh food diet of lean meats and healthy fats, plus fibrous vegetables and low glycemic fruits as the only sources of healthy carbohydrates, is ideal because you know the source of all the ingredients, but there are also commercially available fresh food diets that can be used.
Portion control is important, and you’ll want to feed your pet at set times during the day rather than free feeding. Time restricted feeding (TRF), or creating an “eating window” in which you feed your pet’s meals within an eight to 10-hour timeframe, supports optimal health by keeping glucose and insulin low, while mimicking more closely the way animals eat in nature.6
To ensure you’re feeding your pet the right amount of food, ignore the labels on pet food containers and calculate kilocalorie (kcal) requirements instead using the following formula. The body weight you use should be your pet’s ideal weight, not necessarily his current weight (to figure out your pet’s weight in kilograms, divide her ideal weight in pounds by 2.2):
Daily calories (canine) = Body Weight (kg) x 30 + 70
This equation gives you a baseline idea of how many calories your dog needs in 24-hour period, including all treats.
If you simply can’t break the cycle of giving your dog a treat every time she begs, take a small portion of your dog’s daily food allotment and keep it aside for treats throughout your pet’s feeding window, or swap out 10% of their regular food for small morsels of fresh fruit and veggie treats you can share from the refrigerator. Click here for fresh food inspirations you can share with your pets.
Beyond the Backyard — Daily Activity Is Necessary
While I can’t overstate the importance of feeding your pet fresh, species-appropriate foods in the right quantities — and limiting highly refined, ultraprocessed treats — for weight control, physical activity, daily, is also part of keeping your pet fit.
Dogs that are confined to a yard as their exercise regime are significantly more likely to be obese than dogs who are walked,7 but many owners make the mistake of thinking that letting their dog outside in the backyard is adequate exercise.
Generally, dogs need a minimum of 20 minutes a day of rigorous exercise that keeps their heart rate up, and more if they're overweight, but if left to roam in your backyard, your dog will probably spend most of the time sniffing around, which is great for their brain, but doesn’t count as aerobic exercise. Ideally, strive for an hour of rigorous exercise a day with your dog if you’re looking to maximize healthspan and lifespan.
After you’ve fixed up your pet’s diet and are ensuring she’s getting daily rigorous activity, you can also kick her exercises up a notch. Just like you benefit from a variety of workouts — strength training, endurance, high-intensity and balance and core work — your dog also gets different benefits from different types of exercise. To promote optimal fitness, here are tips to give your dog a full-body workout.
Healthypets Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian or doctor. Dr. Karen Becker cannot answer specific questions about your pet's medical issues or make medical recommendations for your pet without first establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Your pet's medical protocol should be given by your holistic veterinarian.