Mrs. and Mr. enter the examination room with Fluffy. I don't find any visible abnormalities on examination, except one... Fluffy is overweight, more precisely obese. Before, like the majority of our fellow veterinarians, I trivialized the problem of being overweight and sometimes I didn't even mention it, perhaps for fear of insulting or hurting the owner. But my experience over the years, supported by the results of all the studies carried out on this subject, has changed my view on excess weight in animals by 180 degrees and now I am no longer embarrassed. When the patient in front of me is at the beginning of being overweight or obese, I say so! He's big! He has good love handles, but this love is very unhealthy!
Why is my pet fat?
It's simple: being overweight occurs because the amount of energy (calories) consumed during the day is greater than the amount of energy expended. And the consequences are often largely underestimated. Being overweight puts stress on the joints and significantly increases the risk of developing osteoarthritis. In a small breed dog or a chubby, "cute" cat, carrying an extra 1 to 2 pounds is enough to damage joints and cause severe chronic pain.
I regularly feel the swollen knees of cats that are 3, 5, and even 10 pounds overweight. These cats are in a lot of pain, move less and less, and often develop other very serious health problems (I will list them below). Fat has long been considered in both animals and humans to be inert, a simple accumulation of fatty tissue, an energy reserve. The truth is quite different. Fat cells are very active and produce "adipocytokines", inflammatory proteins which will damage the rest of the joints as well as the internal organs and even sensitize the skin!
I have seen and still regularly see dogs and cats suffering from osteoarthritis in the elbows, knees and hips, severely aggravated by being overweight, developing hepatitis, pancreatitis, diabetes because their liver and pancreas have stopped functioning properly after years of being overweight. I have seen and still see female dogs and cats develop very severe urinary tract infections because they cannot keep their bottoms clean. I have seen and see cats who are constipated, because obesity makes them less active (inactivity slows down intestinal transit). Larger, less active cats tend to decrease their trips to the litter box, thus increasing their risk of urinary blockage, an extremely urgent condition!
Overweight animals are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure and even certain cancers.
I am a veterinarian, I can treat and cure, but I much prefer prevention. So there you have it! Is your dog or cat a little, medium, or very big? Please don't be insulted if I tell you that your dog or cat is "chubby". We want to act now! We want to prevent possible painful, chronic and costly diseases.
The first (essential) step will be to recognize that your pet is fat and the second (also essential) step will be to want to help him. Next we will look in depth at feeding your dog and cat. We will have to know and calculate absolutely everything they eat. I will come back to you with this subject in another blog!
P.S. Did you know that in a 14-year study of dog longevity, canine candidates given 25% fewer calories than their "normal" and kept slightly "lean" lived an average of 2 years more than the other candidates kept with a slight overweight?
Written by: Dr. Geneviève Boisselle