Vets Say Owners To Blame For Ballooning Dogs

[samoyedman]

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/fat-chance-of-weight-loss-for-oscar-20121013-27jna.html

The irony is not lost on fitness trainer Vix Erber. She helps people to lose weight for a living, yet her dog Oscar is, according to her, the ''fattest pug in Bondi''.

Not that Oscar, which weighs 14 kilograms, stands much chance of being slim. It's not only that his owner feeds him countless treats, his breed is predisposed to being overweight.

On an average day, the eight-year-old will have chicken necks for breakfast, snacks from his regular cafe haunts in Bondi for morning tea, often a sandwich stolen from one of Ms Erber's clients for lunch and dry mince for dinner.

On Sundays, Oscar rests, often sharing scrambled eggs and bacon with his owner for breakfast.

''It's more out of love I don't want to deny him [food],'' Ms Erber said.

''The vets haven't pulled me up … He could lose weight but it's not a point that I am worried about it.''

The ballooning weight of pets has become a big issue in the veterinary world, based on the increasing academic interest in the area. Since January, there have been 23 articles in peer-reviewed journals used by vets about obesity in dogs and cats, the president of the Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association, David Neck, sees that as a reflection of the amount of concern and emphasis being placed on animal obesity.

''[Animal] obesity is increasing in our population,'' Dr Neck said.

He said that while research was expanding into the causes of animal obesity, there was a general consensus that the fault rests on a pet's owner.

''Any dog or cat that is overweight can squarely point to the person who feeds them,'' he said. ''I don't know a dog that can open a fridge.'' Chris Degeling, a vet and research fellow at the University of Sydney's school of public health, said that in the past three years, animal obesity has become ''anecdotally worse''.

In Australia and Britain, animal obesity is being approached as an ''overfeeding'' issue.

''It does seem from the research being done that overweight pets do seem to be owned by overweight owners,'' Dr Degeling said. Statistics on overweight dogs compiled by the RSPCA, which haven't been updated since 2005, indicate that 33.5 per cent of Australian-owned dogs are overweight and 7.6 per cent are obese.

Edited October 14, 2012 by samoyedman

[Christina]

While it is true that the owner feeds them too much part of the problem is that many pets are desexed. Although this is good unfortunately desexed cats & dogs do get fatter & it is due to the desexing. They need about 40 % less food than entires, so I was told.

That makes the owner feel very mean. I have had 2 young adult cats desexed in the last year & both have bulked up noticeably. Slowly decreasing their meals but can only go down to a certain degree. Its a worry.

The woman in the quoted article is an idiot. That Pug is not merely a bit chubby. It s cruel for it to weigh 14 kilos.

I wonder what percentage are under weight ?

[Alkhe]

I absolutely agree that in most cases it's the owner's fault. Of course there are some individual animals who are overweight due to illness or medication, but for the vast majority, they're just fed too much. If desexing makes them increase their weight and they require less, feed them less! I know it's hard to resist puppy dog eyes, but I get puppy dog eyes and 'feed me' looks from my dog regardless of how much or little I feed her. If I feed her too much and she puts on weight, it's my fault and my responsibility to fix it. I don't know who else would be responsible!

Feeding a pug chicken necks for breakfast, and then basically 3 other meals or snacks is ridiculous.

[Tralee]

How could anybody not feed their dogs?

I tend to overfeed my dogs, but they only get 'too much' for their meals.

There are no episodes of grazing.

Many people, Vets included, keep telling me they like my breed to be lean.

Personally, I don't.

This of course creates a misrepresentation of the breed.

They are not supposed to be narrow, and encouraging people to have narrow examples of the breed can do irreparable harm.

It is one thing to have an overwieght Labrador or whatever, it is another thing entirely to imagine some breed in a morphologically incorrect conformation.

There is a difference between a fat dog and a dog that is totally the wrong shape.

[Alyosha]

Gross overfeeding and obesity in pets has been prosecuted as cruelty before. 14kg for a pug is simply obscene.

[j]

Gross overfeeding and obesity in pets has been prosecuted as cruelty before. 14kg for a pug is simply obscene.

Was the prosecution successful?

[mr.mister]

I just can't understand people overfeeding their pets. I assume that it must, to a degree, have something to do with anthropomorphising them (i.e. "Oh poor Rover's giving me his big cutesy eyes, he must be hungry! He'll be ever so sad if I don't feed him")

I agree that desexing needs to be factored in. My cats are on a strict twice a day regulated feed; very rarely do they get extra treats. My desexed female Somali only eats exactly what she needs and often doesn't even finish all the food I give her, whereas my desexed male DSH is on a strict permanent diet as I know very well that he would happily eat himself to death, literally, if food was left out 24/7. Thanks to good management he is a solid but trim cat.

Particularly with my DSH I noticed steady weight gain from about three months after he was desexed, until I adjusted his food.

I would feel incredibly guilty feeding my pets enough that they would become fat.

Edited October 14, 2012 by mr.mister

[mr.mister]

Gross overfeeding and obesity in pets has been prosecuted as cruelty before. 14kg for a pug is simply obscene.

Was the prosecution successful?

I'm not sure if it's the same one but that rings a bell regarding a Dalmatian? I think his name was Tango or something?

I can't quite remember the story but I'm pretty sure he was seized from his owner, and was rehomed. The guy was charged with animal cruelty, successfully I think.

Edited October 14, 2012 by mr.mister

[Alkhe]

How could anybody not feed their dogs?

I tend to overfeed my dogs, but they only get 'too much' for their meals.

There are no episodes of grazing.

Many people, Vets included, keep telling me they like my breed to be lean.

Personally, I don't.

This of course creates a misrepresentation of the breed.

They are not supposed to be narrow, and encouraging people to have narrow examples of the breed can do irreparable harm.

It is one thing to have an overwieght Labrador or whatever, it is another thing entirely to imagine some breed in a morphologically incorrect conformation.

There is a difference between a fat dog and a dog that is totally the wrong shape.

Sure. But the more common scenario is going to be a fat lab, and that's what I think this article is considering. I'm sure most vets would spend far more breath talking about overweight pets than underweight ones.

[aussielover]

Well owners aren't going to necessarily realise their dog is fat unless someone tells them. The vet is probably the most appropriate person to do this, although it does need to be done tactfully as people tend to take it quite personally.

Although you would think it would be obvious... its actually not for some people, especially when there are many other dogs of the same breed that are overweight, even show dogs.

For example in my breed (Labrador), in my opinion many of the dogs in the show ring are actually overweight. I understand there are "solid" dogs but these dogs are actually overweight as well as being heavily built. I personally wish they would be shown in fit, working condition rather than "show" condition. Yesterday I attended a show, obedience, agility and retrieving trial and there was a big difference in the labs participating in the show ring and those participating in the agility, obedience and retrieving.

How are the public to know their pet lab is fat if the dogs in the show ring are in similar condition. I always get told my lab is lean/skinny which is quite annoying as she is actually the correct weight and she wouldn't exactly die if she lost a few kgs (isn't that true for most of us :D).

It is not that hard to keep a dog in good body condition as you are the one that has almost 100% control over what they eat.

My dog gets fed a lot. Granted she is an active, large breed dog but she gets 2 meals a day plus training treats and snacks. Hardly deprived, in fact probably eats better than many people (including myself ).

I understand that it is harder for owners with small, sedentary dogs but there are some good low-cal kibbles available now and the other alternative is to feed raw and many people find that they can feed more of a raw diet than the energy dense kibble.Feeding raw also has the advantage that the meals are home-prepared thus fulfilling that need 'spoil" the dog by making the person spend more time preparing each meal.

'I don't know a dog that can open a fridge.'' Chris Degeling, a vet and research fellow at the University of Sydney's school of public health

My dog can, and I know quite a few other who can as well. Its not an excuse for obesity though.

[Alyosha]

Gross overfeeding and obesity in pets has been prosecuted as cruelty before. 14kg for a pug is simply obscene.

Was the prosecution successful?

Yes it was. Mr Mister is right, a dally. It was either NZ or the UK. Will try to find a link.

Found it already!! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1229188/Dog-owner-banned-keeping-animals-pet-dalmatian-balloons-11-stone-crisps-chocolate.html

[Salukifan]

While it is true that the owner feeds them too much part of the problem is that many pets are desexed. Although this is good unfortunately desexed cats & dogs do get fatter & it is due to the desexing. They need about 40 % less food than entires, so I was told.

By whom? I didn't think there was any research that supported this notion.

Personally I think it has more to do with most people desexing their dogs as they reach their adult height. Food needs to be scaled back then and frankly a lot of owners never do.

[New Age Outlaw]

So many pet owners express shock when I tell them I measure/weigh what my dogs' meals. Apparently it has never occurred to them to do so, just pour it out of a bag or slop it out of a can into the bowl..."it can't be too much because he ate it all so he musn't be full".

Like overweight people, I think the problems are a) portion control b) too many in between meal snacks and c) far too many processed/packaged components in the diet instead of fresh food. It's a discipline that needs to be maintained, and if it isn't there are health consequences, just the same as there are for people.

[Jumabaar]

Two Kelpies get in excess of three cups of food per day

A Kelpies few get two cups/day

The Finnish Lapphund has about a cup of food- I occasionally feel guilty when I dole out her food and look at it compared to the other bowels but I would feel far more guilty if she were too fat to enjoy life.

All breeds/dogs in my opinion should be kept lean. I dont care about their shape, or the number on the scale- its about feeling their condition over their ribs and hips and being able to FEEL ribs but not be able to stick my finger between them. I struggle to keep my lean dogs up to this condition, and my chubbers down to that level but I do it because that is best for their health and joints.

Dogs dont need to be overfed- whats the benefit to them? It really only makes us feel better- either because it gives them a better shape according to what we think the breed should look like, or because the food in their bowl looks better.

And its not just pet owners- breeders and judges dont recognise that a narrow correctly weighted dog is probably genetically 'thicker' than the fatty that looks more filled out.

I prefer to lose in the show ring than have a tubby Kelpies and I have been placed down in the classes for having correctly conditioned dogs because it is so normal these days for people to mistake a fat dog for one that has muscle or one that is not narrow- if you stripped the weight off them they would probably be far less bulky/narrower than my own dogs. Why not breed for dogs that are 'thicker' than have to achieve the look by overfeeding? On the other hand I have also had some pretty big wins when the judges have recognised the difference between muscle and fat.....

Edited October 14, 2012 by Jumabaar

[WreckitWhippet]

Unless a dog has a medical condition, then the only way they become fat is by being over fed, it's not rocket science.

Allowing a dog to pile on excess weight is just as cruel as starving it.

Pugs are NOT predisposed to being fat, they become fat because of what and how much their owners feed them. Vets should be telling owners how it is but sadly many don't, as they want that owner to keep bringing their pet back.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

I do think desexing can influence it, but the answer is still the same - adjust the food intake and keep up the exercise.

Our dog dinner portions vary a LOT depending on the dog. The two oldest get "health spa" sized rations that would probably upset a novice dog owner. I still think my oldest Saluki bitch could stand to lose a kilo of fat and get some more muscle tone but the vet said she looked great when she went in for her check up a month ago. Perhaps because up against what they usually see, a somewhat flabby Saluki looks pretty good...

Edited to add - I wonder if part of the issue with desexing is that it can make dogs more food motivated. We have one desexed dog, and by far and away he is the most food motivated, and I don't recall him being as food obsessed when he was entire.

Edited October 14, 2012 by SkySoaringMagpie

[puglvr]

I'm just wondering what people think the "ideal/right" weight for a pug should be.

Definitely not 14kgs.

As for vets not informing owners- I can only go by experience but on more than one occassion I have had to tell my puppy owners that they need to get some weight on their pugs. Pugs are not meant to look like racing greyhounds.

[BlackJaq]

I don't think desexing is all that big an issue if exercise and feed were adjusted accordingly. I have a desexed male outdoor cat who has dry kibble available at all times. He is two years old and was neutered fairly early and he is not fat at all. He also spends a lot of his day following me around the place and checking out what I am doing.

I also have a spayed female dog who got a little chubby but with more exercise she is in good condition now. It is true that she gets a fairly small portion (I think about a cup) but she gets large bones or sticks to fill her day instead of me upping her feed.

If I look at the average pet owner in my area, they barely walk their dog, if at all since dogs seem to be more of a garden ornament than anything else around here. Many dogs are fat because they never leave their backyard and they always have a bucket of kibble sitting in the shed. What is a dog to do to keep himself entertained? Especially if they are punished for eating the laundry, digging holes and barking at pedestrians... Food seems an obvious choice and most of those dogs aren't even desexed.

[Salukifan]

Fat dogs are a lot less demanding of exercise. Convenient for a lot of people.

[j]

I think vets probably need a little educating with regards to talking to owners as well.

My brothers dog is overweight - you can't feel his ribs at all, but apparently the vet thinks he is just right.

His dog is pretty much the same size as mine, but a good 5-6kgs heavier (Mine is a maltese x cavalier, theirs is a maltese/shih tzu)

But because the vet has said he's okay, they don't want to hear what I have to say