Is your cat fat? Is your dog plump? How do you feel about that?
I bet you don’t like having a pet with weight issues—who would?
I asked pet professionals and pet owners to talk about fat pets.
They agree on one unbreakable rule: first, consult your veterinarian.
Hilary Lane (Colorado) Make sure it’s not medical—that’s my motto for everything that’s doesn’t seem right in your pet.
Rebecca King Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (Ohio) First step: Physical exam, screen for medical reasons for obesity.
Once you have consulted your veterinarian, you have some homework to do:
Rebecca King: Second step: Determine your pet’s caloric need; there are many great online calculators. Determine the number of calories in your pet’s food, and feed 20% fewer calories than he/she needs.
Third step: Don’t depend on physical exercise to compensate for over-feeding. The instructions on food bags are ridiculous. I feed two pit bulls and four cats less than the directions instruct for one of my dogs. Feed by caloric requirements.
Fourth step: Consider “diet” food. I’ve had great luck with some of the new Rx diets that are more low-carb and have better satiety.
Fifth Step: Consider environmental-enrichment feeding.
Do not aim for fast weight loss, especially for cats. Crash diets in cats can cause a life-threatening liver disease.
How do cats lose weight safely?
Lori Leah Monet DVM (Colorado) There is only one way to lose weight: increase exercise and decrease calories. (I should say only one safe way.) In cats, [a goal should be to] lose only 1/4 pound a month. Overweight and obese cats who lose weight faster than that risk fatty liver and/or diabetes.
Weight is not the best determining factor—body conformation and shape are better. For example, a Maine coon cat can be 20 pounds and a Siamese 10 to 12 pounds—even less for a female. All pets should follow the criterion that [when you] look from the top, [they] have a waist; from the side, an abdominal tuck. [You should] be able to feel the ribs but not see them. BCS [body condition score] is what I go on.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/how-find-your-dogs-body-condition-score
Tammy Marshall (Washington) I’m very curious about cats. My first thought is to increase exercise.
Lori Leah Monet Absolutely. Now, how do you do that? Going for walks isn’t high on most cats’ list. “Fetch” works for . . . five minutes. Laser pointers help, but when a cat decides it is done, it’s done. There is the quandary. Cats, by nature, only actively move when hunting. When they have food available, they have no incentive.
Tammy Marshall Is it a matter of prevention, then? I’ve always had farm cats. I have a dog breed predisposed to cancer. When I studied nutrition, the science said maintaining a healthy weight decreased cancer by 50%. That made maintaining his weight a priority.
Lori Leah Monet Yes. We all know being obese is bad. We also know being too thin is bad (decreased immune response for one, and decreased ability to respond to stress; in women, decreased ability to conceive and maintain pregnancy). Given the right circumstances, the body will maintain a healthy weight. Cats who need to hunt to survive burn calories to do it. Also, we know certain tumors and cancers are triggered by or respond to calorie intake. The problem there is that some respond to extra calories, some [respond to] starvation, and some to increased protein. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all, especially when it comes to pets. We have manipulated genetics to make oddities. An English bulldog is by definition supposed to be overweight, and yet we have made their joints and hearts unable to withstand that weight. If nature had its way, all dogs would look like wolves and coyotes.
What makes a food palatable? Protein and fat. (For humans, salt.) So for cats to lose weight and not go into starvation, you decrease fat and usually maintain or increase protein. Cats don’t do well on high-fiber, low-calorie foods. They go into starvation mode and fatty liver (the inability to mobilize glycogen stores) or ketosis. Portion-rationing works, but not severe rationing. The rules for dogs are far different. It is easy to increase [dogs’] exercise, assuming the owner is motivated and willing to exercise as well (aye, there’s the rub). Cats don’t do much on their own.
Jennifer Litton Ramirez DVM (Washington) When I recommend weight loss for a pet, I know firsthand that it’s easier said than done! If you have family members feeding extra snacks or people-food despite your best efforts, you may need to place the pet on a reduced-calorie prescription diet. Reduced-calorie food works well for cats. If your pet loves canned food, you can soak their reduced-calorie food in warm water to trick them and wean them off calorie-dense canned food. For indoor cats, I like the fishing pole toy or battery-powered mice to encourage exercise.
Photo by Amy Suggars
Environmental-enrichment feeding
Making pets “work” for their food can be an important part of their weight-loss program, as well as an essential element of enriching their environment.
Summer Storm Kingery DVM (North Carolina)
▪ Measure food and feed to a calorie count determined by a veterinary professional.
▪ Make pets work for food using puzzle feeders or [use] as training rewards. This is better for their brains and their waists.
▪ Rotate feeders and toys to increase novelty and interest.
▪ Manage the environment to increase activity (create mini-obstacle courses down hallways, add new bags and boxes for cats).
▪ Create search work for pets by hiding small packets of kibble for them to search out.
▪ Introduce novel scents to the environment (careful with creatures that scent-mark) to stimulate interest.
▪ Use interactive toys.
▪ Create three-dimensional spaces, especially for cats.
▪ Heated cat beds on timers can encourage regular relocations.
▪ Have multiple water sources at favorite rest areas and along common paths to avoid eating due to dehydration.
▪ Use low-cal treats such as green beans and air-popped corn.
▪ Aim for 0.5% to 1% weight loss a week.
Oh, another thing—diet-wise, prescription diets deliver more bulk for calories than over-the-counter diets can. However, you might have to try a few. For example, we are working with a nutritionist on a morbidly obese pet. It took three carefully controlled diet trials to find a food that she lost weight on.
How can a veterinary nutritionist help a morbidly obese pet?
Rebecca King For all of you who want a victory story, this dog is owned by a veterinarian at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center, Community Practice.
https://www.instagram.com/fitmitchosu/
Veterinary nutritionist consults are not that expensive, and yield a wealth of info. Some do online consults in conjunction with a regular veterinarian. I know the nutritionist at Ohio State is amazing.
Summer Storm Kingery NCSU as well. I have so many complicated cases where nutritionists are miracle workers.
Rebecca King No joke. It’s not expensive, and so worth it. I may do it for my geriatric cats to manage potential kidney disease. I am not sure if you need a referral, but normally they’ll want to work with a referring veterinarian. They have a calorie counter, BCS score sheet, and information about consults, online:
https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service
What if only one animal in the family is overweight?
Tom Quinn (Washington) I have four cats. Three are a healthy weight and one is a blimp. When I took Guinevere in to be spayed two years ago, she seemed like a normal kitten, but the vet told me she was overweight. At the time, I couldn’t believe that. I definitely do now. She is enormous. The obvious advice is to put her on a diet. But the other three cats don’t need to lose weight. The oldest one, Eppie, actually seems to be losing weight (it’s heartbreaking when they reach the age that you start feeling their bones). They share a small house with no enclosed space; the only door is the one to the bedroom, and that is never closed. Their food and water dishes have always been together. It just isn’t practical to feed one ration to one cat and another to the other three.
Q: You’d feed them individually if it was more practical?
Tom Quinn Sure, if I lived in a house with rooms and with doors. Even then, I’m not sure how it would work. I want all four of them to have access to their food when I’m out of the house. There’s no way I could keep Guinevere out of the other cats’ bowls.
Technology may have a solution!
Google “chip activated cat feeder”. These feeders are activated—either by a cat’s microchip or by a small tag attached to a cat’s collar—to open the cover over a feeding station. The sales pitch points out that the feeders keep dogs and children out of your cat’s food, but none of them mentions how you can prevent one cat from activating a feeder and another cat from joining in the meal. Most of the available styles aren’t prohibitively expensive, though, so if they’re returnable, this concept might offer a tool if you can figure the logistics out. (I’d strongly suggest reading the reviews before you decide—look for reliability, replaceable parts, longevity.)
How to make weight loss for your pet easier for you and more rewarding for your pet?
Connie Price (California) I gave my chubby Rottweiler, Kess, vegetables mixed into her food. I could give her less kibble then, but she still felt full. Her favorite was green beans. My first Rottweiler, Cochise, really liked asparagus, but it had to be al dente—he didn’t like it raw or mushy/overcooked.
Julie Ellingson (California) My mother puts her dog’s rations in a treat jar each morning. She feeds treats from those rations as the day goes on, and the leftovers become dinner. That way she can treat her dog as much as she likes and [the dog doesn’t] get fat.
Sara Maynard (Trinidad and Tobago) My trainer suggests cutting the chow in half for a couple of weeks and then adding a quarter back once dog is at the right weight. Not something I’ve tried, I have to be honest. I’ve tended to cut back by a quarter and added things like vegetables, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc., as a filler. Cutting back on treats is also good, making veggie treats with oats, etc. Cats are tougher—cutting back on canned food is probably the way to go, and using a measure when putting out food. My cat is on the fat side because she’s older and leads a sedentary life.
Kim Campbell (British Columbia) Frack tends to be plump—or “fat,” as her vet calls it. I feed her 1/4 cup of food with one cup of warm water added, so it is basically kibble soup. She feels full this way, and the bonus of the added water is that, being a bichon, she can be prone to bladder stones. This increases her water intake to keep things flushed out.
Denise Gregg (New York) I’ve always added a dollop of pumpkin and cut back on the regular food.
Elisha McCallum (British Columbia) I use food for training throughout the day; that way they feel less hungry and not as ragey. I can tell you there is nothing worse than a hungry Jack Russell terrier who decides out of spite to puke on your carpet.
Donna Furneaux (Ontario) I found it easier to control weight by feeding twice or three times a day. Just divide the ration up and serve twice or three times. Treats of vegetables are good for dogs and lack caloric weight. I had three beagles over the years and managed to keep them all slim. The first one was blimping out when my vet suggested I take action and I did.
George Guba (Virginia) Cut back on food and treats. Feed pets separately to monitor their food. Adding green beans to your dog food can provide bulk for a feeling of fullness.
Beth Fabel (Washington) Check your measuring cups for accuracy, or use a scale. A lot of people estimate a serving . . . badly. [Many do not measure at all,] or they use a cup that they found or that came with the food and [they] are feeding way more than they thought.
Julie Ellingson (California) In my experience—[as a groomer], I handle a lot of dogs every week—people don’t know what a good weight feels like, or even what “moderately fit” feels like. I get plump marshmallows all the time that people think are fine. Feed for what your dog should weigh and adjust for activity. An awful lot of people feed their 25-pound fat dog as if it were a 25-pound fit dog, when they should be feeding a 20-pound couch potato—two very different diets.
My cat gets fed canned food only. That’s easily rationed, with a small can per meal for a small cat and one large/one small for a medium, two large for a big cat. My vet explained long ago that cats do best with mostly canned food, and my experience agrees.
My dogs each have their own measuring cup. I bought a colorful kids’ set, calculated their calorie needs, and they get their rations measured at each meal. We have a weekly rib check. No free-feeding ever. When my pets are altered, I automatically reduce their ration by one-fourth. I’ve never had any weight gain on any of my pets doing that.
Cats don’t drink enough water in general and should get their water from the food they eat. My cats have gorgeous teeth even as they age and have maintained a good weight. But I am a stickler for watching their calories (if not my own). I never, ever free-feed—not even my cats.
Jane Finneran (North Carolinia) WALK! Good for you and your dog.
Lynn Brezina (Illinois) Portion control. It takes time but it works.
Tim Beau (Oregon) Lock up your spouse. Personally, I have everything under control, but it’s all wrecked by the begging, cute faces that the spouse succumbs to.
Katie Kay (Toronto) Most dogs love at least one fruit or vegetable, so take advantage of that! I use sweet potato anywhere one would use peanut butter (husbandry, KONG stuffing, etc.) and carrots as chews for Bob. The Omega Paw treat-dispensing ball is good if you feed kibble; they need to move around to get it out. Da Bird (and other toys in that line) and the cat dancer are excellent for exercising indoor cats. One of my kittens was chubby when I adopted her, but she lost weight quickly due to daily play with those—and being adopted with a much more rambunctious kitten!
Manda Jean (Wisconsin) When Z got a little chunky this winter (which is easy in the Midwestern polar vortex), I started taking her swimming at the indoor dog pool. She got “lessons” at first to build her confidence and now she loves it! She’s lost five pounds and has four more to go. I’ve also been feeding Solid Gold Fit and Fabulous because my other dog has bum legs and can’t really exercise and that’s helped her take off the few extra she put on. They also have a senior formula that is “light,” but my girls like Fit and Fabulous better. It’s not prescription. The great thing about the swimming is that older and injured dogs can do it with no stress on joints! I’ve noticed these dog pools popping more and more in urban and suburban centers. Some of them are part of bigger training businesses and some, like ours, is stand-alone. A good one will not let the dog have “free swim” until they’ve been swim-tested. It took Z about two months. But some dogs are naturals their first time out.
Photo by Manda Jean
Christine Hale Vertucci (Illinois) In October, we realized, to our surprise, that our male Rottweiler had gained 10 pounds. As a registered dietitian, [I found it] really upsetting. We immediately went on a weight-reduction plan and reduced his kibble portion by a quarter-cup per meal (we feed a mix of raw and kibble—it just works for him). We didn’t add anything else. We [started] swimming once weekly, as well as increasing the frequency of walks. We got those 10 pounds off over three months. Well worth the effort, as he seems to feel much better at his ideal weight.
Amy Suggars (Ohio) The vast majority of cats for whom I care as a professional pet sitter have unlimited access to dry food. I have always done the same for my own cats. I was under the impression that cats, unlike dogs, would regulate their food intake and not overeat. Then Melli (a formerly feral kitten) came into my life and grew into a fat cat! I have a client who feeds her four cats like dogs, in that she gives them a measured amount of kibble twice a day. Her cats are all at appropriate weights. A light bulb went off in my head and now Melli receives two meals a day. She no longer has access to a big bowl of kibble! The weight is slowly but steadily coming off.
Steven Cogswell (Colorado) I’m studying to be a canine massage therapist, and here are the suggestions from my nutritional packet:
▪ Major weight loss should be done under the supervision of a vet. Merely cutting back on the amount of food can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Health problems and medications also need to be assessed.
▪ “Lite” foods can work to maintain a healthy weight, but seldom work for the initial weight loss. The loss should be slow, taking a year to reduce weight by 20%.
▪ Make sure to include treats in the overall calorie count. If your dog likes carrots and canned beans, they make great treats.
▪ The goal for exercise should be 20 to 60 minutes a day. For an obese dog, it can start with very short walks and, as their fitness improves, the amount of exercise can be increased.
▪ Make sure to avoid the heat of the day, as obese dogs are at a greater risk of heatstroke.
▪ Frequent, regular vet checkups should happen during the weight loss to catch any possible issues early.
I bought an animal scale for less than $100 to have at the house so I could monitor everyone’s weight without trips to the vet. It is low to the ground, so I store it under a hutch in the dining area, so I can pull it out easily.
What’s the hardest part of pet weight loss? For many of us, it’s first accepting that our pet is overweight. There’s often a feeling of guilt involved, as we know it’s not the pet’s fault that he or she is plump, possibly to the point of being unhealthy.
Once we accept that a pet’s extra poundage is our responsibility, we can start to take the necessary steps to turn our plump pet back into the slender animal that he or she should be. In the long run, the expense and effort is well worth it, as we’re investing in our pet’s future, helping our much-loved family member to live a long and happy life.
