Does your animal need a diet?

Obesity affects more and more animals and decreases their life expectancy. An animal is considered as obese when it exceeds of 20 % its ideal weight. In other words, many animals, as much dog as cat, are concerned. We help you to become aware of this underestimated disease.

Determine his physical condition

Ideal means stay the weighing with a balance. Our veterinary clinic offers in free access a specific balance for your animal: Place him on the tray or take him in your arms, weigh him with you and weigh yourselves only then.

You can also estimate his state of stoutness in passing your hand at the level of its coast. You should be able to feel them without forcing: normally, the coats of fat are not visible but easily tangible. A coat of fat furthermore of 5mm of thickness indicates the beginning of obesity.

What are factor favoring the obesity?

Essentially the overeating and the lack of exercise. Certain hormonal diseases (hypothyroïdie, syndrome of Cushing) and certain behavior disorders (anxiety, depression) can also entail an overweight. Before putting on a diet your animal, consult your veterinarian.

The the Eurovet veterinary surgery team can direct you in your approach and propose you a type of adapted diet.

Anticipate the obesity

Watch the weight of your puppy or kitten during its growth. If you feed him too much, he will make many fat cells, what will predispose him to the obesity in the adulthood.

His growth ended, weigh him regularly to adjust at best its daily food ration. Do not give him candies or then candies for dogs and cats, often more adapted and less rich in energy than the rests of tables or the other “pieces of cheese “.

As an example, a glass of milk for a cat of 5kg amounts to consume 4.5 hamburgers for a grown-up man! Also, 25g of cheddar cheese for a dog of 10kg represent approximately one and a half tablet of milk chocolate for a grown-up human being … Without comments!

What are the risks for his health?

The obesity entails a loss of liveliness, increases:

• the incidence of the cardiovascular affections
• the diseases of skin
• the degenerative osteoarthritis and cancers
• the sweet diabetes
• difficulties to give birth
• Risk of infections
• the risk during the anaesthesia

Indeed, it reduces the life expectancy about 2 years on average.

How make him lose weight?

The better way is to make him do more physical exercise (to ” burn fats “) and/or to reduce the calorie intake of its rations. Naturally, the combination of both stays the most effective method. Give him a food of hypocaloric diet (You will find it at your veterinarian, in the therapeutic range) and increase the frequency and the duration of walks.

To limit his raging hunger, split the daily food ration in three meals. When he will have found his ideal weight, give him a low-fat diet to prevent any relapse. The Eurovet veterinary clinic informs you that she proposes personalized programs to help your animal to find his ideal weight.

Dr. F. Savary