DEAR PET TALK: It’s the New Year, and you hear a lot of people talking about losing weight. But what if your pet is carrying some extra weight. How do we keep pets thin and trim?
— Cat and Dog Lover
DEAR CAT AND DOG LOVER: That’s a timely question as the holiday season which began more than six weeks ago finally comes to a close after Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany.
Feasting is the theme in the winter months, and given that many pets, particularly dogs do not get as much exercise when it’s cold out, monitoring your pet’s weight is key.
The rule of thumb for dogs and cats is that they should consume no more than 25 to 30 calories per pound per day. So a cat who weighs 10 pounds should be consuming no more than 300 calories a day.
Veterinarians recommend that treats compose no more than 10 percent of the total number of calories, so a 10-pound cat should have 270 calories of food, and no more than 30 calories a day in treats.
Many cat treats are 1 or 2 calories each and these should be given sparingly — never by the handful.
If your dog is 50 pounds, that’s around 1,400 calories per day with no more than 140 calories composed of treats.
Our dog gets a Pedigree Dentastix at the end of her day, which is 65 to 75 calories per stick. Just one however!
Vets in North America report obesity is one of the leading issues with pets they treat. And obesity can lead to a number of health problems including: osteo-arthritis and joint inflamation, cardiovascular and endocrine malfunction and metabolic abnormalities.
If your pet is heavy, they are more likely to have more health challenges and a shorter life.
Smaller dogs are more likely to be obese, with pugs topping the list.
So, how can you help your pet lose weight?
First, be a responsible pet owner from the day you adopt your pet. Know how much your pet weighs and read labels on food so you are not giving your pet more calories than they need.
Finally, do not substitute food and treats for attention and exercise. They’re not asking for a treat. They’re asking for you to pay attention to them.
Give them vigorous petting and show some love.
We asked our Be PAWSitive community how they handled weight gain in pets. Mary Flibbert of Worcester helped her 18-pound cat reduce to 14 pounds by eliminating treats and dry food.
“All I did was feed him all the canned food that he wanted,” she reports.
TheraPAWS Pet Team member Cap Corduan has Keifer, a Bernese mountain dog, which can be a very large dog.
Last December, Keifer weighed 130 pounds, and Cap knew she “had to get the weight off him for his health as well as to get the weight off his joints.”
By putting Keifer on weight management food and providing veggies as a snack he’s “now at the right weight of 115 pounds.
Sally Cragin is the director of Be PAWSitive: Therapy Pets and Community Education. Text questions to 978-320-1335.
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