Obesity

An excess in ingested energy results in weight gain, which can lead to obesity, the number one diet related disease of dogs and cats today. Current estimates suggest that 30-40% of all dogs and cats are overweight and likely 20-30% of these would be considered obese. This condition increases the risk for other disease problems including a lower resistance to infection, increased risk for diabetes, certain types of tumors, lameness, and heatstroke.

While difficult to fix, the solution to the problem is quite simple. The dog or cat needs to expend more energy that it takes in. Unfortunately, putting a dog or cat on a diet is more difficult than it seems. A frequently recommended method for helping a dog or cat lose weight is to feed the dog or cat a low calorie diet. Because of problems within the pet food industry, pet foods are allowed to use the term "lite" "light" or "low calorie" only if the calorie content of the food does not exceed the following levels.

You may wonder why the dog food standards are lower than those for cat food. The reason is that cats which lose weight too fast are at risk for a disease called hepatic lipidosis, a potentially fatal disease. To help minimize this risk the standards for cat food were made less stringent.

Some manufacturers attempt to produce foods which get around these rules by using terms like 'reduced calories', 'reduced fat' of 'less active'. Since these are comparative claims, they can easily produce a 'reduced calorie' food by making comparisons to a high calorie diet. It works like this:

• Regular adult food                     1,850 kcal/lb
• Reduced calorie food                1,665 kcal/lb

Note the 'reduced calorie food' has 10% fewer calories than the regular adult food but still has 18% more calories than a light food. The best way to judge if a food is appropriate for weight loss is to look on the label. Foods making references to calories must, by law , list the calorie content of the product on the package. Remember the most effective foods for weight loss are those that contain the fewest calories per unit weight. While foods labeled less active, reduced fat or lean can be used for weight loss, they will not be as effective as a lite food containing fewer calories per cup or can. These foods may also be more appropriate for weight maintenance of sedentary dog or cats than they are for weight loss.

For cats, the problems of obesity are even more difficult than for dogs. As mentioned earlier dieting cats are at risk for hepatic lipidosis so care must be exercised when putting a cat on a diet. Since cats are finicky eaters and lite foods, by virtue of the ingredients they use, are generally less palatable than higher fat foods, cats will often times refuse to eat a lite diet unless it is very palatable. While dogs can go for long periods of time without eating without harm, cats cannot. This is because an overweight cat that does not eat readily begins mobilizing body fat to provide energy, as does the dog. However, unlike the dog, the cat, possibly due to its unique carnivorous nature, cannot effectively transport and utilize this fat. Thus, the mobilized fat accumulates in the liver, causing a condition known as hepatic lipidosis, which can be fatal. So cats should never be allowed to go more than a couple of days without eating to minimize the risk of hepatic lipidosis or death. Owners should consult a veterinarian before putting any pet, especially a cat, on a reduced calorie diet.

Bloat is a life-threatening condition that causes the stomach to expand with gas because it is not emptying normally. It is important to note that bloat occurs from a gas buildup in the stomach, not the large intestine. Also, the composition of the gas in the stomach of dogs with bloat is identical to that of the outside air and not typical of that which results from fermentation by bacteria in the large intestine. A survey of 240 dogs that were affected by bloat showed that no single brand of dry dog food was the cause. All types and consistencies of diets had been fed to the affected dogs. Studies clearly show that neither soybean meal, nor methods of diet formulation or production have any bearing on bloat in dogs. Not much is known as to the cause of bloat except the swallowing of air causes the bloat and large breed dogs are most likely to be affected. Bloat can cause the ligaments in the gut to stretch and distort which predisposes the stomach to flipping over causing both ends to close off so nothing else can enter or exit. This rotation cuts off a major vein that carries blood to the heart, which severely impacts blood circulation to the entire body. This disorder called Gastric Torsion will rapidly lead to shock and death.

There are some ways to help prevent bloat in dogs with a tendency to this problem:

• Feed many small meals throughout the day.
• Watch dogs that 'bolt' their food or swallow air when eating.try adding a large hard rubber ball to their food dish, thus slowing them down. Make sure the ball is large enough so the dog does not accidentally swallow it
• Avoid exercise for at least 1 - 2 hours after a meal.

Since dogs and cats get few cavities, it is plaque and tartar build up that can cause the severe dental disease gingivitis. If left untreated, this causes the gums to recede from the tooth which can eventually lead to tooth loss. Prevention of gingivitis is the key. While it does appear that a good quality dry diet may be better for long term dental health than a canned diet, animals fed either type of diet require additional care. Owners should begin brushing their pet's teeth as puppies and kittens. Brushing an animal's teeth is the best way to prevent gingivitis. While biscuits provide some benefit in helping reduce tartar buildup, they are not very effective at preventing gingivitis as feeding biscuits does little to reduce plague and tartar at the gum line. Rawhides or various specially designed chew toys are often quite effective in reducing tartar and plaque at the gum line and in helping prevent gingivitis.

Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS) is an old term that is used to refer to a variety of urinary tract problems in cats and now is currently referred to as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). This condition affects 1-2% of the cats in the United States , although up to 10% of cats presented at veterinary clinics have FLUTD. The problem develops when materials accumulate somewhere in the urinary tract which can cause blockage. Symptoms of FLUTD include frequent urination, bloody urine, licking of genitals and abdominal pain. There is probably more inaccurate information regarding FLUTD than any other condition in cats, and much of the confusion results from attempting to find a single cause for FLUTD, while in reality it refers to a variety of different problems in the cat.

In the 1970's and 80's the most common form of FLUTD was probably the result of an accumulation of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) crystals in the urinary tract. For many years, low-ash (ash is the mineral residue of incinerated organic matter, used as an additive in pet foods) diets were recommended to help prevent FLUTD, however research has shown that ash alone does not cause the problem. The crystals accumulated because commercial diets were not formulated to help maintain an acidic (low pH) urine. When cats are fed all meat diets they naturally produce an acidic urine which keeps these struvite crystals from forming. Commercial cat diets used in the 1960's through the 1980's usually produced an alkaline (high pH) urine when fed to cats which often favored the formation of these crystals in the urinary tract causing an obstruction. While the magnesium content of the diet has also been implicated in helping cause FLUTD, its role is probably minor compared to that played by urine pH. Most manufacturers now test their diets to make sure they produce an acidic urine, and the FDA has allowed manufacturers to claim that their products help maintain urinary tract health if they can demonstrate that their product produces an acidic urine and is safe in long term testing. There are other types of crystals, such as calcium oxalate, which can also form in the urinary tract of cats. So when formulating feline diets, care must be taken to maintain just the right urine pH, which is tested during various stages of the animal feeding tests. It also points out that recommending a diet for cats with FLUTD is difficult, unless more information is available. Choosing a diet which has been formulated to produce an acidic urine on a cat with calcium oxalate stones could further aggravate the problem. For this reason, it is best to get a veterinary analysis of the crystals in order to make a proper recommendation.

Although many companies stress and list the ash content on their labels, this is not a good indicator of diet quality relative to FLUTD. In fact, the term "low ash" is not allowed to be used on cat foods because the FDA has considered the term misleading. Their view is that dietary ash levels have nothing to do with FLUTD.

While the reasons are not exactly clear, cats fed canned food tend to have less of a problem with FLUTD than cats fed dry foods. It has been suggested that the high water content of canned foods results in a higher overall water intake of the cat. This higher water intake results in a more dilute urine which may reduce the risk of crystal formation. Another possibility is that the high meat content of most canned foods may help to naturally produce an acidic urine.

Hip dysplasia is a disease predominantly found in medium, large and giant breed dogs in which the hip joints do not fit perfectly together. The disease is not immediately evident in young puppies but by 1 to 2 years of age it can be diagnosed quite accurately. While hip dysplasia has a genetic component, it is also clear that its development is influenced by environmental factors. Heritability estimates range from 0.2 to 0.6 (20-60%), suggesting that the role of environmental factors ranges from 40-80%. As such, environment factors can be as important as genetics in determining the incidence and severity of the disease. While all the environmental factors have not been identified, the one factor which is has been identified is an excessive growth rate brought on by an over consumption of food. Many owners believe that the faster a puppy grows the larger it will be as an adult. However, unless the puppy is malnourished, adult body size is mostly a result of genetics. The best method to help reduce the risk of hip dysplasia in dogs is to limit feeding to prevent the puppy from growing too fast. The details of how to accomplish this are discussed in the section on feeding for growth.

Enzymes from the pancreas help breakdown proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the small intestine. Pancreatitis or inflammation/ dysfunction of the pancreas can sometimes be caused by abruptly switching an animal from a maintenance or lite diet to a diet extremely high in fat. Dogs seem especially prone to this disease. This is another reason transition feeding is so important when switching an animal's food.

If you decide to change your pet's diet, veterinarians recommend you do it slowly. Rapid changes in diet may cause serious stomach issues and numerous other problems. When changing your pet's food, start by mixing some of the new food in with your pet's regular food. Over the next three to five days, gradually increase the amount of the new pet food. After this time, your pet should be adjusted to the new food.

Dogs or cats with food allergies will suffer from skin rashes (usually on the feet and muzzle), diarrhea and vomiting. The ingredients that are reported to cause the most problems are beef, wheat, fish, soy and dairy products.

While adverse food reactions are fairly common, food allergies are actually rare (less than 1% of all dogs or cats will ever have a food allergy) and feeding a hypoallergenic diet does not prevent food allergies. The best way to determine if the dog or cat is actually suffering from a food allergy requires that the dog or cat be fed a food containing ingredients different from what the dog or cat has not been exposed or which have a tendency to be hypoallergenic. Hypoallergenic simply means "less likely to produce an allergic reaction".

Many more dogs and cats seem intolerant of certain ingredients such that they may have difficulty digesting them leading to vomiting and diarrhea. These are usually not allergies per se (since they don't involve the immune system) however, many of the signs are similar to those of a true food allergy and switching to a diet that doesn't contain the offending ingredient usually resolves the problem.

Next->