Burnham House Veterinary Surgery

The landmark prosecution by the RSPCA of the owners of "Rusty" the labrador retriever that was said to be twice its correct body weight has prompted a lot of discussion both in the media and in the consulting room.  Were they cruel or kind?

 

Suddenly people seem to be waking up to the idea that a stuffed pet is not a happy pet.  They are listening to the fact that obesity may shorten your pet's life and increase it's chances of heart disease, arthritis and cancer.

 

Tackling the weight-challenged pet is never easy.  The first benchmark is to look at the owner - yes, pets do take after their owners in this way too!  Although, of course, it is not the pet that is able to use a can opener, open the fridge, or order a takeaway pizza.  And it is the owner's preconceptions rather than those of their portly pooch that need to be burst if we are to get it on a steady weight regime.

 

Nearly every fat pet who visits our clinic has an owner who tells me he does not eat a lot, is a fussy eater or only eats once a day.  Essentially we find it hard to remember that Pudding* the dachshund is actually smaller than us, however big the dog inside may think he is!  Let's say Pudding is 10kg and his owner is 80kg.  In general terms, the owner needs to eat eight times as much as the dog does.  So the first image I try to give a client is the pile of food the dog gets, times eight (including the chews in the mornings, biscuits at lunchtime, etc).  Particularly for small dogs I feel quite nauseous at the thought of this groaning table of morsels from chicken breast to lightly cooked liver!

 

The next misconception is that the advice on the side of the packet or tin is accurate for every pet.  We all know that some of us gain weight on a lettuce leaf and other lucky people can hit the cakes with impunity.  It is of course equally true for our pets.  By now the client is defensive and Pudding is considering a savage attack of the trousers to silence the vet but as a trained professional I know my duty.

 

The next two cardinal defences from the owner are that they are feeding no more than five years ago and that he will lose weight when the weather improves and walks are longer (global warming cures obesity??)  Animals need different amounts of food at different stages of their life.  With regard to real exercise the average pet does this off the lead and so as he ages or gains weight he simply zigzags past the owner less and less and gradually reduces the mileage he does.  Unless you invest in a pet treadmill you are unlikely to significantly reduce your pet's weight through exercise.

 

By now there is a queue in the waiting room and we move to the last two defences.  "Are you sure it's not his/her hormones - he/she was OK until you neutered him/her?"  Neutering will reduce a pet's food requirement by as much as 10% but surely you simply feed a little less?  You would of course feed a great dane more than a yorkie and if your dog has been made 'energy efficient' through neutering you should simply put less fuel in the tank!  "I know you are right but my other half is the problem."  Time to plan another appointment when all three are free!  Pudding mutters something about a second opinion as he waddles out and casually lifts a leg on passing the doorframe.

 

It's not going to be easy - and Pudding knows it.  But with modern diet foods you certainly do not have to be cruel to be kind.  And once the pounds are off all three will know how kind we have been.

 

*names have been changed!