Obesity involves an excessive accumulation of body fat and occurs when the energy intake exceeds the daily energy usage. In short, overfeeding causes obesity.

Obesity is often due to owners feeding too much snacks and treats in between meals and/or overfeeding them. Insufficient exercise often contributes to the excessive weight gain. 

A small percentage of obese patients are caused by health problems (e.g. thyroid problems, adrenal gland problems, side effects of drugs).

What bad does obesity do?

Obesity is associated with diabetes, fatty liver, arthritis, skin problems, heart and respiratory problems as well as increased anaesthetic and surgical risk. It may shorten the quality and length of your pet’s life.

How do I know if my pet is fat?

The body condition of your pet can be determined by its appearance and the amount of fat found over its ribs. It is normal to feel your pet’s ribs and you should be able to feel each rib as you stroke it. Looking from above, there should be a “waist” seen below the rib cage and above the hips.

If you pet is “waistless” and you have difficulties feeling the individual ribs, your pet probably has too much fat.

Ok, my pet if fat. What can I do?

Its calorie intake needs to be controlled without it feeling hungry and begging for more food the whole day. If you are feeding too much, simply reducing its intake may improve his weight. Special reducing pet foods are available through vets to help with obese animals. Such special diets provide fewer calories without significantly decrease the animal’s volume intake. Avoid feeding snacks or table scraps.

You will also need to monitor its weight weekly to gauge any progress. Weight reduction should be gradual and should always be combined with exercise.

Can I prevent my pet from being obese?

Prevention is the best management strategy to combat obesity. It is important to remember that a sterilised pet requires less energy and so alteration to their diet is very important. The activity level and lifestyle (indoor/outdoor) of an animal determines their energy requirements and may need alteration at different stages of their lives. Everyone in the family should also be conscious of any inappropriate feeding practices to prevent overfeeding.

A pdf copy of this article can be found here.

www.jtvet.com, James Tan Veterinary Centre, Copyright 2009