The first hint of Spring brings upon the urge to spend more time outside with our pets, enjoying the warmth and sunshine. Yet, this extra exercise and activity can make us realize our pets might not be as fit as they should be—perhaps they have even grown a bit “plump” over the winter months. Recognizing your pet is carrying too many extra pounds, believe it or not, is a big part of the battle to end pet obesity. After acknowledging weight gain, you, as an owner and advocate for your pet, can move forward with a plan to help your pet lose the extra pounds to keep them as healthy as possible.

Why You Should Take Steps to End Pet Obesity

It is estimated that 60% or more of pet dogs and cats are overweight. Obesity increases the risk of numerous chronic metabolic diseases, worsens orthopedic disease, and results in chronic inflammation. It is extremely important to monitor your pet’s weight throughout each life stage, ideally preventing weight gain before it starts. By doing so, you can help end pet obesity before it begins.

Dog Weight Loss & Cat Weight Loss Tips by Age

The Young Pet:

Puppies and kittens visit the veterinarian numerous times in their first year of life for vaccines and spay/neuter procedures. During these visits, discussions about weight, feeding, and exercise are very important. Juvenile dogs and cats should be fed a high-quality food designed for growth.

For the average young pet, we generally recommend owners feed the lower to mid-volume range recommended by the manufacturer. Of course, some particularly rambunctious puppies may need to eat a volume closer to the higher end of that range! If your vet is concerned your puppy or kitten is overweight, they will recommend intervention ASAP.

Weight loss strategies for younger animals include a combination of increased exercise and decreased caloric intake. These strategies may be accomplished either by feeding smaller volumes or switching to a growth food that has fewer calories.

As training puppies is so important, we often tend to overdo it with treats, and those treats contribute to overall calorie intake. Remember, there are other ways to positively reinforce your puppy’s good behavior using toys, pets, and verbal praise—none of which add additional calories!

An important difference between maintaining a healthy weight in young pets compared to older ones is the fact that rapid changes in metabolism occur in young pets. Kittens are usually spayed or neutered around 5–6 months of age, while dogs undergo the procedure anywhere from 6–12 months of age, depending upon breed and other factors. It is very important to recognize that a pet’s metabolism will slow down post-spay or neuter. In general, spayed or neutered pets will require 30% fewer calories to maintain a healthy weight than before surgery.

Understanding these needs early helps build healthy habits for dog weight loss and cat weight loss down the line.

The Adult Pet:

In general, most pets may transition to adult food around 1 year of age. Adult foods will usually have fewer calories than growth formulas to account for a slowing metabolism. The key to keeping your adult pet slim includes exercise and mindful caloric management. Although there is little research available to tell us how many calories pets burn during a given activity, it stands to reason that some exercise is better than none.

Walking is an excellent way to exercise your dog and is well tolerated by most, even those new to exercise or getting back into it. Swimming, ball chasing, and running are also great activities for healthy pets with the appropriate fitness level. Don’t forget, cats love exercise too and can be taught to chase toys, play with laser pointers, walk on a harness, and jump over obstacles!

Managing calories is very important. There are numerous online calculators to help you determine how many calories your pet needs per day to maintain a healthy weight. By using these calculators, or asking your veterinarian to run the calculations for you, you will learn how many calories per day your pet should consume. You can give this calculator a try: https://vetcalculators.com/calories.html.

Don’t underestimate the amount of treats your pet is given per day. Only 10% or less of your pet’s diet should come from treats. If more than 10%, the nutrient balance of the diet will be affected.

In order to lose weight, be sure to calculate your pet’s daily caloric requirement and pick an appropriate food. Some pets feel less hungry when dieting if fed a food that contains higher fiber, which is the case with many weight loss foods. Labels stating “lite” or “light” must contain less than a certain amount of calories per kilogram set by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), although there is no restriction on calories per cup or can.

The Senior Pet:

Weight management in senior pets follows the same principles as those of younger animals: exercise and controlling calorie intake. Differences lie in the fact that many senior pets suffer from other diseases. Orthopedic disease may limit just how much or the type of exercise an older animal may engage in. Metabolic diseases such as hypothyroidism may make it very difficult for a dog to lose pounds, while an overactive thyroid in cats may make it extremely difficult to keep weight on an older kitty. Reversing years of obesity in older pets can be much harder when age-related disease is factored in.

Many people do not have access to a scale that will weigh large pets. However, there is a way to help determine if a pet is overweight without a scale. This is called a Body Condition Score (BCS). The BCS scale used most often is the 1–9 scale, where 1 is emaciated, 9 is obese, and 5 is considered ideal. For every point drop below 5, the pet is 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% underweight, respectively, and the same is true in reverse for points above 5. By following these criteria, you can assess (alone or with your vet) if your pet is overweight and by how much. Learn more here: Body Condition Scoring Chart.

Remember, especially for older pets, weight loss is best slow and steady. You do not want to see cats losing more than 0.5–1.0% of their body weight each week, and dogs not more than 1–2% of their body weight per week. Seniors should exercise if at all possible to help prevent muscle loss, and food should not be restricted too drastically, or protein needs will not be met.

Longwood is Your Partner in Helping End Pet Obesity

Helping pets lose weight can seem like a daunting task. However, we at Longwood Veterinary Center are willing partners in this journey. We can easily schedule an office visit committed to developing a weight loss plan, including feeding amounts, exercise plan, and monitoring recommendations (such as weigh-ins every 2 weeks). Give us a call today!

Call Now: (610) 388-3388

Corrina Snook Parsons VMD, DACVIM