Obesity is currently the most common nutritional disorder that occurs in companion animals in North America. Surveys have reported obesity incidence rates of between 24% and 34% in adult dogs, and between 25% and 40% of the cats seen by veterinarians. Obesity can be defined as an excess of body fat sufficient to result in impairment of health or body function. In people, this is generally recognized as 20-25% above ideal body weight. In dogs and cats, the degree of overweightness required to cause or aggravate health problems is not yet well defined, but it is thought to be similar to man.

In dogs, obesity is linked to musculoskeletal problems, compromised immune function and abnormal glucose tolerance. Severely obese dogs may be at greater risk for anesthetic and surgical complications, heat or exercise intolerance, and complications from cardiovascular and other diseases.

Obese cats face an increased risk of musculoskeletal problems, diabetes mellitus, hepatic lipidosis and early mortality. Despite widespread concern about obesity among pet owners, in independent studies only 30-40% of owners of overweight dogs thought their own dog weighed too much.

The fundamental underlying cause in all cases of obesity is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure that results in persistent energy surplus.

Excess energy is stored primarily as fat, resulting in weight gain and a change in body composition. Many factors contribute to obesity, including age, sex, reproductive status, the presence of hormonal abnormalities, genetic predisposition, activity level, external influences on food intake, diet composition and palatability, and environment and lifestyle.

Obesity is probably a combination of physiological and environmental factors. Owners generally spay and neuter their pets between 6 months and 1 year of age. This time period also corresponds to a natural decrease in the animal’s growth rate and energy needs. If owners are not aware of this change and continue to feed their pet the same amount of food, excess weight gain will result. Remember that increasing age, and a change in sexual status are also associated with a decrease in voluntary physical activity.

As an adult animal ages, lean body mass declines, resulting in a decrease in total daily energy needs. The loss of lean body mass is exacerbated if aging is accompanied by a decrease in voluntary activity. The total daily energy needs of an average-sized 7-year old dog may decrease by as much as 20% when compared with its needs as a young adult. If food intake does not decrease proportionately with decreasing energy needs as an animal ages, weight gain results.

To date, the only intervention proven scientifically to improve quality of life and concurrently extend lifespan in a pet species is caloric restriction and maintenance of a lean body condition score. Today dogs and cats are supplied with an abundance of highly nutritious and palatable food. They also live increasingly more sedentary lives, and clients provide treats and food as a basis for enhancing the human-animal bond. The result is often the consumption of excessive calories and the accumulation of adipose tissue. The development of obesity can have numerous adverse effects on a patient’s health, thus, weight reduction in obese patients or weight stability in patients with an ideal body condition should be a focus of every veterinarian.

If you have any further questions, call us today to see how we can assist you in fulfilling all your veterinary needs.
The Langley Animal Clinic is open 7 days a week, Monday through Saturday (8 am – 9 pm), Sunday (8:30 am – 9 pm).