Edmund R. Dorosz, BSA, DVM
Are we harming our pets with food ? May be we are. Some foods are particularly harmful. Others may be harmful when our dogs and cats overindulge. Foods like chocolates and onions are dangerous. Spices, sugar, salty and raw fish are not good.Too much consumption of all foods is harmful when it leads to obesity and overweight. We should be able to feel the ribs of our pets, with a light cover of body fat under the skin. If we cannot feel the ribs, they are overweight, too fat, obese!
Carrying too much body fat for very long is unhealthy. They will develop shortness of breath as all the internal organs are compressed. Overweight shortens their life expectancy and increases their chances of developing health problems. They are more susceptible to disease and injury including diabetes, liver and kidney problems. They are less able to exercise, play and enjoy life. There is no doubt, lean dogs and cats are healthier and live longer. We must be able to feel the ribs.
How did our pets get this way? One, eating too much for the amount that they require and two, not getting enough exercise. Consuming more calories then they need.
The ancestral and wild cousins of our dogs and cats are on a cycle, feast and famine. As athletic individuals they hunted and caught prey, using up many calories in vigorously pursuit of their next dinner. After a successful hunt they feasted, rested and stored energy - as body fat - for later.
Then there was famine. After feasting the ancestral and wild dogs and cats would now go for days with very little to eat, using up what they had stored as body fat, becoming lean and active in the process.
Our modern pets do not have to expend hundreds of calories hunting for their next meal, they may only have to get up and walk over to the dish for another feast. Not having the opportunity to burn off calories their body fat stays with them. In time this leads to obesity and problems.
In other words, too much feasting, not enough exercise and not enough famine. A lean pet is a healthy, active and responsive pet.
If we have an overweight pet the way to lose weight is to feed less and exercise more. I believe the best way to lose weight is to feed top quality food in small amounts, often. Foods such as liver, meat, eggs, cottage cheese and yogurt for example are high quality foods that supply all the nutrients. The key is to feed small portions, often. Fat also has to be fed, but again, a little, often. Fat is high in calories, however, the dog and cat requires fat for its body repair and daily operation. Fat also gives the dog and cat a feeling of being full or satisfied. Feed small amounts of high quality food, often.
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