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I
watched my patient, an overweight pug, waddle past three shelves of diet
chow on his way out of the clinic. I couldn’t help but notice how content
he seemed with his giggling fat. To be fair to the pug, he did lose a
pound since the previous visit. But that was only after gaining two
pounds the year before. With each pound his snorting gets louder and his
eyebrows cloak his vision.
I was
reminded of this pug when I saw a girl at Macy’s last weekend eyeing her
tush in the mirror. It was rather large and round, and she had a layer of
back handles that giggled just like that pug. She, too, waddled out and
paraded her new outfit to her friend exclaiming, “Yeah baby, I look good!”
Beauty,
along with ideal weight, is definitely in the eye of the beholder. This
is why it is difficult to explain to a loving pet owner that their
precious Labrador looks like a beached whale. Weighing in at one hundred
pounds doesn’t mean your machismo dog is “a giant breed” or “the biggest
in his litter”. Nine times out of ten, it means he’s plain ol’ fat.
To get
your dog to lose weight, try cutting out snacks and feeding a smaller
portion. It’s a simple strategy and especially hard when dogs use their
super powers to implore you to feed them. Remember: just because a dog
pants, passes gas, or gets up off his bed to sniff you, doesn’t mean he
needs more food.
Your
veterinarian can make diet recommendations to prevent obesity, which is a
major cause of illness in pets. Obesity makes arthritis worse, can cause
back problems, and can lead to an early death. Yet it seems veterinary
recommendations are no match for the latest internet advice that clients
often spend hours searching for. You have your choice of holistic,
natural, gluten-free, grain-free, freeze-dried, low calorie, high protein,
raw, free range, and of course, organic foods. Any of which are far
better than I myself eat.
I have
a few patchouli smelling, Birkenstock wearing, vegan cat owners. They ask
me if it’s OK if their cats are vegetarian as their Marlboro packs hang
out of their hemp bags. Cats are true carnivores, I remind them. They
are meat eaters. They are unable to digest carbohydrates in foods like
dogs and people can. High carbohydrate diets can lead to obesity and
diabetes.
A
healthy cat should be eating a diet similar to his wild cousins – a mouse
for instance, is high in protein, high in fat, and very low in
carbohydrates. Most dry cat foods have a high carbohydrate level due to
the grain that is required to form the product.
Canned
food, with its low carbohydrates and high water content, is ideal for most
cats. There are a few other options to ask your vet about, as some cats
won’t eat canned food, like my Alvinanne. She could eat anything and look
good, she is the supermodel of cats. Other cats look at her and feel
jealous that she eats dry food, hardly goes to the gym, and still keeps
her rock star figure.
The
biggest resistance to feeding a cat canned food is not the expense or the
hassle it is to prepare. Its what canned food smells like at the other
end. But, I tell everyone, at least it’s a natural and organic smell.
Just look it up on the internet.
Dr. Addleman’s other cat, Amos, is a scale topping 26
pounds. He eats only the best canned foods and when it comes out, it
smells very natural and organic.
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