growing obesity problem doesn't exclude pets.

[almaty 19]

Fat Charlie lived up to his name, weighing 168 pounds before he was put on a diet.

1 of 2 "We are seeing so many overweight dogs and cats, and it's sad because their weight levels are completely manageable with diet changes," says Dr. Kristine Yee, a veterinarian at California Animal Hospital in Los Angeles.

But pet owners are often slow to admit that their animals need to shed pounds.

A 2005 study from pet-food maker Purina found that 60 percent of pets in the U.S. were overweight.

But almost half of the owners of overweight pets rated their cats and dogs as having the "ideal" body condition.

Pet obesity can be a sensitive issue, says Susan Davis, a pet nutritionist based in Lake Forest, California, who has helped many pets trim down. Because some owners treat their pets like their children, people can take it personally when you tell them they have an overweight animal.

But pet obesity isn't just about looks. Extra weight can lead to myriad health problems and even shorten an animal's life span.

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"Some of the pets I've seen have severe respiratory, cardiac, metabolic and orthopedic dysfunction that is drastically worsened by just being obese," Yee says. One beagle she treated tore a cruciate (knee) ligament three times and had to have multiple surgeries, all because he was carrying too many pounds.

Why so fat?

It's common for people to show their pets love by giving them a lot of food and snacks. They pour on the treats, not realizing that one dog biscuit can be 100 calories. They let cats and dogs feast on the fat of their rib-eye steaks and other scraps from the dinner table.

"A lot of owners think their pets are suffering if they aren't getting table scraps and treats," Yee says. "But dogs don't need people food; they're perfectly happy with their own food."

As with humans, excessive portions are a main cause of the weight problem.

"People don't use measuring tools most of the time," says Davis, a certified clinical nutritionist. "They wing it or free-feed their pet, and end up giving them three cups instead of the recommended one-cup serving."

Like people, pets need to stay active, too. This means walking your dog or cat regularly and playing with them, indoors and out.

The obesity test

You can find out if your pet is overweight by determining its body condition score. This test is available on several Web sites, including Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. It's the same test that many vets use to determine a pet's ideal weight.

Yee offers two simple tests that show obesity:

• Run your hands across the chest of the dog or cat. You should always be able to feel their ribs but not see them. There should never be a layer of fat over the ribs.

• Look at the standing dog or cat from a bird's eye view. They should have what looks like a waist that tucks in right in front of the hips.

Steps to slimming down

Davis gives these tips to get pets back into shape:

• Control portions. Look at everything you are feeding your pet -- pet food, treats and human food -- and reduce the amount. Use proper measuring tools.

Also, food packages will recommend portions by weight ranges. Use the weight range of the overweight pet's ideal weight, not its current weight. And use the lowest suggested amount for that range. For example, if the manufacturer recommends two to three cups for dogs over 30 pounds, give the dog two cups.

• Control quality. Don't feed your pet human junk food like pizza or sweets such as baked goods, ice cream or cookies. Home-prepared meals using fresh ingredients are acceptable, Davis says. Wholesome items such as brown rice, fresh lean meats and carrots are recommended. Be sure to avoid the human foods that can be toxic to cats and dogs: grapes/raisins, mushrooms, chocolate and coffee. Tomatoes and garlic can also be toxic for cats.

• Increase exercise. Get into the habit of walking your dog every day. Getting outdoors is good for a pet's emotional health, too, giving it a chance to make social contact and find out what is going on in the neighborhood.

With dogs, you can also play fetch, play hide and seek, set up obstacle courses for them or take them swimming. Cats can stay active indoors or out by playing with toys, "hunting" for food, or being walked outside on a leash.

Diet pet foods are also available. Ask your vet if he or she recommends feeding your pet reduced-calorie foods. Homemade meals tend to be lower in calories and healthier than prepared pet foods, because they don't contain fillers. In either case, vets say, portion control is the main issue in reducing or managing an animal's weight. E-mail to a friend

[Mags 112]

When I took my cats in for a check up the vet actually told me it was a nice change to have in animals that were not overweight. You CAN give your animals a treat now and again, but in moderation.

Years and years ago my aunt had this overweight Labrador dog. They're greedy dogs anyway but he really was overfed. It killed him and my aunt always said that she "killed him with kindness". It was true, but she did learn her lesson, her next dog was always at a healthy weight.

[Fandango 1,439]

Hopefully, Fat Charlie is not a fish or a cat.......

[almaty 19]

my parents always had a fat dogs...overfed them, mainly people food..all died of a heart attack....they ahve a cat now, and have learn finally...plus, the cat only likes cat food

[Mags 112]

Hopefully, Fat Charlie is not a fish or a cat.......

Fat Charlie the Goldfish. Wow, doesn't bear thinking about...

Edited September 26, 2007 by Mags

[Marilyn. 340]

I knew this lady who had a chihuahua .... the dog was so fat he could barely walk and didn't even look like a chihuahua....

the lady always let him eat off of her plate.... if she was eating a bowl of cereal the dog would be on the other side eating out of the same bowl

[Fandango 1,439]

Hopefully, Fat Charlie is not a fish or a cat.......

Fat Charlie the Goldfish. Wow, doesn't bear thinking about...

My grandfather had a goldfish that was quite big....his name was Fat Tony, lol. He wasn't 160 lbs tho

I knew this lady who had a chihuahua .... the dog was so fat he could barely walk and didn't even look like a chihuahua....

the lady always let him eat off of her plate.... if she was eating a bowl of cereal the dog would be on the other side eating out of the same bowl

That lady is a nasty azz.....*cringe*

[one...two...tree 2,762]

my parents always had a fat dogs...overfed them, mainly people food..all died of a heart attack....they ahve a cat now, and have learn finally...plus, the cat only likes cat food

Some friends also did the same thing with their dogs - used 'em as garbage disposals...believed they were not being wasteful, but dogs were as round as ticks.

[Caladan 19]

It really says something about the decline of the American republic that our dogs suffer from gluttony.

[Sister Fracas 5]

When we got our one kitty Alix 2 years ago, she was sooo overweight because her previous owners let her have any amount of food (thankfully only cat food) any time. They freely admitted this. I was so angry at them for doing that to her and she went on immediate portion control. She's lost probably about 3-4 pounds and still has a little to go, but it IS hard to make a cat be more active. All the toys in the world can just make them look at you like you've lost your mind. I can tell though that the weight loss has helped her be a better jumper and she runs faster. But she'll always have hanging skin, just like people get, that just won't go away, because for some strange reason I can't convince her to do strength training... The only treat the kitties get is on Sunday they get some decadent canned cat food....still cat food, but they just go absolutely crazy for it since they only eat dry food (senior food since they are both over 7, which has reduced calories anyway) the rest of the time, and in strict portion control. And very rarely I'll give them something like tuna juice. I'm very glad that both the kitties are totally uninterested in people food. Hubster always wants to give the kitties fat or gristle scraps from meat because that's what he was use to doing at home with the pets his family had....but I put my foot down. They just don't need it.

[AtlantiCat 0]

There's another major issue with pet obesity and it's being perpetuated by the very foods that owners feed their pets. For example, I have two cats. One has always been trim and the other has always been chunky. No matter how much I reduced their food, even going below the minimum recommended requirements for their ideal weight on "diet" cat food, the trim one stayed trim and the chunky one stayed chunky. And it wasn't me feeding the chunky one table scraps either because he turns his nose up at almost all of it, whilst the trim one is the family beggar. Then I got to reading and realized a significant truth.

Cats Do Not Naturally Eat Grains.

And what is a major component of almost every brand of pet food out on the market, even the so-called premium, "scientific," or "gourmet" brands?

Grains. Mostly corn, or rice for those animals allergic to corn.

I've since started feeding my cats by hand with fresh meat, a scant few vegetables (cats in the wild would normally only eat vegetables from the stomachs of their prey or to settle their own stomachs and rid themselves of hairballs), yogurt, egg yolks, and the occasional supplement. The current results are that the chunky one is slowly starting to lose his chunky bits (a few ounces over the last two months or so, that's a good rate for a cat), their coats are glossier than I've ever seen them, they have plenty of energy, and the litterbox smells a lot less than it did now that the cats' gastrointestinal systems are no longer attempting to process the complex carbohydrates for which they're not designed. And no, their teeth are not rotting, either. Turns out that eating crunchy food doesn't clean the teeth for cats any more than eating crunchy food does for humans.

And all it takes is an extra two hours or so per week to make up some food and freeze it in cat-sized portions. They're happier and healthier for it.

[Marilyn. 340]

Hopefully, Fat Charlie is not a fish or a cat.......

Fat Charlie the Goldfish. Wow, doesn't bear thinking about...

My grandfather had a goldfish that was quite big....his name was Fat Tony, lol. He wasn't 160 lbs tho

I knew this lady who had a chihuahua .... the dog was so fat he could barely walk and didn't even look like a chihuahua....

the lady always let him eat off of her plate.... if she was eating a bowl of cereal the dog would be on the other side eating out of the same bowl

That lady is a nasty azz.....*cringe*

actually she was a very nice lady, just treated her dog like her baby...

[Sister Fracas 5]

hmmm, interesting...

I honestly don't think I could ever get my cats to eat fresh meat though. They eat what they get very happily, don't have any gastro problems unless they wolf something down and then redeposit it on the carpet, and I actually notice a lot less smell than when I fed cats all canned food.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Hopefully, Fat Charlie is not a fish or a cat.......

Fat Charlie the Goldfish. Wow, doesn't bear thinking about...

My grandfather had a goldfish that was quite big....his name was Fat Tony, lol. He wasn't 160 lbs tho

I knew this lady who had a chihuahua .... the dog was so fat he could barely walk and didn't even look like a chihuahua....

the lady always let him eat off of her plate.... if she was eating a bowl of cereal the dog would be on the other side eating out of the same bowl

That lady is a nasty azz.....*cringe*

actually she was a very nice lady, just treated her dog like her baby...

I knew someone who ate with her bird on the table, feeding it scraps while she ate and even letting the bird reach into her bowl or plate.... eeep! that grossed me out! If one of the cats sneakily gets a lick of my water or anything else I have, that's it....no more of it for me.

Edited September 26, 2007 by Frances

[Mags 112]

Four of my cats are on a urinary tract diet and the other is on a special reduced protein diet, so I can't really make my own food. They are all the right weight though and seem happy enough.

They get a daily treat; I'll throw a small handful of cat crunchies on the floor and they have to run around and find them. Gets them moving and having to use their noses. They probably only get one or two pieces each, to be honest.