How To Keep Your Pet A Healthy Weight
By Anna Vermeulen
PetWise Tips for Pet Weight Loss & Maintenance
To date, well over half of pet cats and dogs are overweight both by breed and by veterinary standards. And, similar to dog years, there’s a discrepancy between pet and people poundage too. For each additional pound that our pet puts on, that pound is equivalent to approximately 10-15 human pounds based on the size of your pet.
There’s no doubt that over feeding your pet is easily done, but the question is how do we help to prevent it?
(We love these ruff-er subjects because it helps us learn!)
Five PetWise tips to help your pet lose their scare of the scale
1.) Stop free-feeding
While some pets are fine with the all-day grazing style to obtain their daily calories, many are prone to over indulging when opportunity presents itself. While we might not always think of leaving a pre-portioned amount of food for your pet to feed off of throughout the day free-feeding, it’s always best
2.) Use wet food
Incorporate wet food into your pet’s diet.
It may sound like a simple switch, but wet foods contain a much higher moisture content which leads to a pet that gets fuller, and stays fuller, longer.
3.) Sub out for veggies
Substitute some of your pet’s food for veggies, such as green beans & carrots.
These fiber rich vegetables help to fill your pet up faster and keep them slim and trim!
4.) Sub treats for kibble
Substitute your pet’s treats for items like their kibble or other healthy snacks like apples or carrots.
Most Pet Parents are surprised to find that when they get excited about giving their pet something (whatever it may be) their pets get just as excited about getting it!
5.) Life Stages Matter
Pet Parents commonly run into these challenges while trying to manage their pet’s diet:
A.) Are you still using a puppy or a kitten formula?
If your dog or cat is over 12 months old, it’s time to make the switch. Puppy and kitten formulas are purposely higher in fat and calcium levels to help support healthy growth. While this is good for young pets, it can quickly start packing on the pounds for pets that have been spayed/neutered or that have reached adulthood.
PetWise Reminder: Age at maturity is different for each breed.
While many small breeds are considered “adults” at 9 months, larger breeds such as Great Danes mature much later.
The average age at maturity (for cats, pit bulls, beagles, labs and the like) is 12-months.
B.) Was your pet recently fixed?
Similar to how people undergo changes post adolescence, pets experience decreased metabolism once they’ve been spayed or neutered.
If your pet was recently fixed, then you may need to cut down on portion size or switch over to an adult formula to reduce the amount of fat in their diet.
C.) Activity Level
Your pet’s activity level can have a significant bearing on your pet’s caloric intake needs.
Just like with people, if left loafing on the sofa all day, the need to replenish calories is lower than that of an avid runner.
D.) The impact of aging
Aging isn’t for the faint of heart..and, for both pets and people, with again comes more health considerations.
Your pet’s age range impacts their dietary needs. Just like for their Pet Parents, a pet’s metabolism changes as they age. This means both the food they eat daily, and any extra treats they may receive, hold extra impact on their health.
If your pet is now considered senior (typically 9+ for the average sized dog), they may be in need of a lower fat, higher fiber food. Making the switch to a senior food can also help incorporate a good source of glucosamine into their daily diet to help maintain healthy hips and joints.
Why not simply use weight loss food?
Though this is always an option, the average weight loss formula tends to cut some important corners. Although there is no relation between weight gain and the protein levels in your pet’s food (in fact just the opposite), the average weight loss formula drastically cuts down on the protein percentages and exponentially increases the amount of plant-based protein it contains.
While plant-based protein sources are a good source of fiber, and can be good in moderation, they tend not to be absorbed as well by your pet’s GI tract and are typically used as a filler. Thus, whereas a typical high protein grain free food has a higher absorbency rate, your average weight loss pet food tends to pass through your pet’s system more quickly and with a lower rate of absorption due to its low protein/high fiber content.
PetWise Recap
Looking for 5 quick ways to help your pet lose, or maintain, their weight? Let’s review…
- No “free-feeding”
- Use wet food
- Sub kibble for veggies
- Sub out treats for kibble
- Life stages matter (age, fixed/unfixed, activity level)
PetWise Reminder: the quality of your pet’s food makes all the difference. Ensuring you’re selecting the right food for your pet not only helps maintain a healthy weight, it also helps keep your pet healthy and feeling their best.