Loving them too much?

May is the last month of spring, meaning summer is nearly here! Last month we held the star studded joint birthday party for Stefs Tinkerbell and my Lily and Rodney. Tinkerbell has turned twelvty and doesn’t look a day over two. Lily and Rodney have turned four and dressed in their finest for the party. Myself and Stef spent 10 hours hand sewing dog party dresses, embellished with 108 silk flowers… I’m not joking! Some would call it a bit extra, we call it being a dog mum! A choice of 12 different raw styled birthday cakes was on offer, from a colin the caterpillar, cake pops, upside down cake and macaroons. Washed down with some doggy pimms and party games, we were all as tired as the dogs by the end of the day. Now little Rodney did overindulge himself (there's always one at a kids birthday party) and did look a little green at one point. Luckily he wasn’t sick from too much running and party food, but was on reduced portions for the next two days. Having an extravagant treat once in a while is all well and good, but it got me thinking about how easy it was for him to over eat!

This month I will be tackling the subject of canine obesity. This topic is super important not just for overall health but joint health too! Now there are certain medications and conditions that can cause a dog's weight to balloon, but I will be discussing good old fashioned over feeding.

So how can you tell if your dog is overweight?

I like to look at the dog in front of me, weighing scales and posters of ideal breed weight can sometimes throw a spanner in the mix.They don't take into account bone and muscle density and also that the same breed can still have big variation with height, gender etc. I have a little check point list for when checking a dog's overall body condition.

1. When looking from above can you see your dog's waist?
2. When looking from the side can you see a tuck at your dog's waist? 

3. When you gently run your hand over the rib cage can you lightly feel the ribs?
4. When you go from the point of elbow diagonally up into the body do you feel bone?

If you can’t see your dog's waist of a nice tuck, can’t lightly feel the rib cage from the side or point of elbow… well you can see where I’m going with this one.

So you’ve identified that your dog needs to lose some timber, where do you start?

First up you have your weighing scales, when raw feeding the most popular way to calculate food allowance is working out the % of food for your dog's body weight. You can weigh your dog at home, stand on the scales with and without your dog and work out the difference. This is of course dependent on how big your dog is. The easiest option is to get your pooch on some dog scales, these can be found in your vet but also in store at Stefs.

There is also the option to work out calories needed per day and build a diet around this but I find % much easier. Every dog's metabolism is different so % are guidelines, so usually 2-3% is a good starting point for example,

Dog weight- 10kg
2% of 10kg = 200g
3% of 10kg = 300g
Daily food allowance 200g/300g

If you do have a dog that is currently overweight this % should be calculated off the weight you want them to be.

Overweight Dog- 10kg
Ideal weight of Dog- 8kg
2% of 7kg = 140g 

3% of 7kg = 210g

If you are looking to bring the amount of food your dog is having they may experience hunger pukes. Hunger pukes can occur as the body prepares bile for the amount of food it is used to, the excess foamy bile produced then makes an appearance on the kitchen floor. Should this occur you can use additional veggies such as steamed broccoli to help fill the bowl out whilst your dog's stomach adjusts to smaller portion sizes.

Another aspect to be careful of is the proteins you are feeding, I have been caught out by this one before! I liked the poops produced from feeding duck mince which was higher in bone, but what I didn’t realise was just how fatty this protein was. The amount I was feeding was the same but the regular feeding of duck caused my lean dogs to start looking a little round. Stefs has a handy low fat section on the website for all the minces that are under 10% fat.

The time of year can also influence your dogs weight, during colder months dogs will hold onto weight to help retain heat. Now I’m talking a little extra covering, this doesn’t explain away obesity in canines. This is for usually lean dogs who might start to carry a little bit extra. One of my dogs can do this very thing and she is a pet dog so to accommodate her portion sizes are dropped roughly 10-15g to keep her lean.

Treats! Everyone loves a cheeky snack but choosing wisely for our dogs is important especially when trying to manage weight. The amount of treats and again the type can easily scupper a weight management plan. For example a sneaky one can be rabbit ears! Popular for use as part of a natural worming regime, they’re actually quite high in fat. Instead of using daily you can also use natural herbal products to help keep your dog on track.

Another scenario where we have to be mindful is if your dog has been neutered. It can be tricky to keep their body nice and lean, so adjusting the amount of food may be necessary to keep your dog in good shape.

Why is keeping your dog lean important?

80% of dogs over age of 8 suffer with arthritis and 35% of dogs of all ages suffer with arthritis. I will keep saying these stats until I’m blue in the face, we can actively look to help reduce those numbers through many factors but a big one is through weight management. Additional weight causes additional stress through joints which leads to joint inflammation. Not only this but on a biomechanical level fat (adipose tissue) releases chemicals (adipokines) which mimic inflammation markers, thus increasing the inflammatory response.

Having an overweight dog can often be referred to as ‘loving them too much’. It is evident that you love your dog if they have things in abundance, however the health concerns that come with over feeding are overwhelming. We want to keep our dogs happy and healthy for as long as possible but sadly having an overweight dog can shorten lifespan drastically. A shocking quote from author Daniel Schloff ,

“Having a mildly overweight dog, does to their body what a lifetime of smoking does to ours”

It really does put everything into perspective, sometimes it's difficult to notice when your own dog is gaining weight as you see them everyday which means we have to be more brutally honest with ourselves about the shape our dogs are in.  Having a treat or overindulgence once in a while is fine, when it becomes a regular occurrence it becomes a long term issue.

If you think your dog is potentially overweight you can seek help from myself and Stefs Pet Pantry Staff. Therapist Saturdays are the perfect opportunity to come down and have a chat and I can help show you how to check your dog's body condition. We’re all here to help and guide you through a weight loss journey. Your vet is also a good port of call when discussing body condition and they are able to explore other avenues that may be causing weight gain.

Continue to nourish your dogs with species appropriate nutrition, massage and compassion. 

Catch up soon, 

Yaz x