Obesity In Dogs

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Obesity In Dogs

Obesity is the most common nutritional disease in American dogs today. It is the result of simply eating more calories than are burned. Dogs have a built-in protection against this disease, a control mechanism in their brains that satisfies their hunger after they have eaten enough calories to meet their daily energy needs. However, it is possible to upset this control mechanism. By feeding the dog a food that is highly palatable, he will eat to satisfy his appetite and not his hunger. The only way to remove the excessive fat from a dog's body is by reversing the way it was put on, which is feeding the dog fewer calories than he will burn for energy. When this is done, the dog's body will burn up energy stored in his body to obtain what he needs. Fat is the most efficient source of energy and will be used in the greatest amount whenever energy is needed. A reduction in caloric intake cannot be achieved by just cutting down the quantity of food you feed your dog. Drastic cuts in the quantity of food fed will only lead to deficiencies that pose an even greater threat to the dog than the obesity does which are deficiencies of proteins, vitamins and minerals. It will also make your dog ravenously hungry! Fats and carbohydrates that contain the most calories should be replaced by ingredients that are less digestible and lower in calories.

The diet of an overweight dog should not contain more than 1400 calories per pound of dry matter. This is approximately 1250 to 1300 calories per pound of dry food or 330 to 350 calories per pound of canned food. A more accurate and convenient way of obtaining a reducing diet is to use a dietary animal food specifically designed for that purpose. This food can be obtained from a vet. It contains 330 calories per pound and is balanced to provide the correct amount of other nutrients for the dog when fed at that caloric density. Whatever the food used, the quantity of it that should be fed has to be estimated.

Portion control is the only method of feeding that can be used during a weight reducing program. Treat or supplement should not be given during the reduction program. If a dog is more than 10 pounds overweight, (over his ideal body weight) begin your weight reducing program by feeding him only 2/3 the quantity calculated to maintain his desired weight. The full amount of food should be given once a reduction in weight begins to occur. For dogs that are less than 10 lb overweight, begin with the full amount calculated. In dogs weighing less than 10 pounds, use the two-thirds guide for any dog that is more than 33% of his desired weight overweight. It may require several months or longer before a dog reaches his optimum weight. Do not expect your dog to lose the weight in just a few days. Taking off weight too fast can be dangerous to a fat dog. Once optimum weight has been attained, most dogs will have to be kept on portion control feeding. Dogs that tend to get fat need to have their intake closely regulated to prevent them from gaining back the lost weight.

Dog Anorexia

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Dog Anorexia

When a dog refuses to eat or eats only a portion of what he needs or what he usually eats every day, this will also produce a deficiency. The term Anorexia is used to describe the condition when a dog refuses to eat. Many dog owners take their dog's eating for granted until the dog actually stops eating. A dog's eating habits are normally controlled by hunger, appetite, and the satisfaction of these two. This control may be abnormally affected by emotions, sensations, or the taste of the food. Another thing that causes a disturbance of the dog's natural eating behavior is mechanical interruption. Broken jaws, a fish hook in the tongue or a rubber ball stuck in the throat are typical examples of mechanical anorexia. A lot of dog owners think that it is normal for all dogs to miss a meal and that a missed meal is not something to be concerned about. However, a healthy dog is always hungry at meal time, just as a healthy person is. Any time a dog refuses to eat, it is a signal to you that something is not right. If the dog refuses two meals in a row, you can be certain that there is something wrong, either with your dog or with his food.

Obviously, a dog gradually losses weight once he stops eating. A 20 lb Beagle will lose 0.4 pound (six and one-half ounces) each day he refuses to eat. This weight loss occurs because the dog is breaking down and using up his own body. Since there are no nutrients coming in, a dog with anorexia must literally burn itself up in order to obtain the energy and nutrients needed for his essential life functions. When extra demands from disease are piled on those suffering from anorexia, the burn-up is even faster. That Beagle cannot afford to lose ฝ lb of his body weight every day for very long!

Included within the weight lost will be fats, carbohydrates and protein. The most important loss to a dog is protein. By the end of only two days of anorexia, that 20 lb Beagle will already have lost about 3% of his total body protein. This becomes increasingly important if one considers that protein is essential not only for normal metabolism but for wound healing, tissue repair and combating infections. Actions to replace the intake of anorectic dogs should be implemented immediately. Unwillingness or failure to overcome the deficiencies of calories and nutrients created by anorexia can mean the difference between recovery and death during an illness.

The same diet the dog was eating before anorexia is suitable, as long as the cause of the anorexia does not make it unsuitable. Because dogs become inactive with anorexia, their calorie need is somewhat less than for most dogs. If they have a fever, however, this rapidly increases their caloric requirements.

Dogs with anorexia must be force-fed either by spoon feeding or by intragastric intubation. This type of diet should be fed only long enough to get a dog back to eating satisfactorily on his own and should never become a substitute for actually determining the cause of the anorexia or for overcoming that cause.

Three Steps To Determine How Much Food To Give Your Puppy

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Three Steps To Determine How Much Food To Give Your Puppy
To determine the amount of food to begin with when you start feeding a growing puppy, apply the following steps:

Step 1: Find a puppy feeding chart and determine the number of calories per pound of body weight your puppy should have for his age. For example, a 7-week-old pup weighing five pounds needs 400 calories every day.

Step 2: Divide the number of calories contained in a pound of the food you are feeding into the number of calories your puppy needs every day to find out how much food you should offer to begin with. For instance, if the 7-week-old pup is being fed a food containing 600 calories per pound, he needs about 400/600 cal per Ib. or.66 pounds of food each day.

Step 3: Divide the amount of food needed each day into the appropriate number of daily feedings, according to the following rule: If the puppy is from six weeks to four months of age, feed him four times per day. If the pup is from four months to 12 months, feed it three times daily. When the pup is over 12 months, feed him twice daily for the rest of his life, 1/3 in the morning and 2/3 in the evening.

Puppies do not need to be fed six to eight times daily. Although such frequent feedings may improve slightly the efficiency with which the puppy uses the food, it is to such a small degree that the extra time spent in preparing and feeding so many meals is not worth the effort. Puppies have been raised successfully with only two or three daily feedings immediately from weaning, but four seems to be the number that provides the best growth for the least effort by the dog owner. If a puppy cleans up every bit of food offered for three days in a row, add five% more food to the daily feeding. If he continues to eat everything he is offered for three more days, add five% more food.

Continue to add food at this rate until the puppy leaves a tiny bit at each meal. It is entirely possible in a growing puppy, that you may never reach a point at which he will leave any food, until he is almost grown. There is no need to worry as long as the puppy gains about the same amount of weight each week as he did the week before. Between 10 and 12 months of age, the rate at which a puppy grows starts to slow down. At the same time the dog's food consumption also begins to drop. This is a normal occurrence, brought about by the reduction in the dog's need for extra nutrients and energy required for growth. The reduction is simply an indication that the puppy is reaching maturity.

Some dog owners may mistake this reduction in food consumption as an indication of illness. This fear becomes even more pronounced when the maturing process makes the dog less active, as well. Novice dog owners usually forget that human adolescents go through the same steps on their way to becoming adults. Other dog owners may forget the fact that the maturing process in the dog requires only about 12 months to complete, while in humans it usually takes 20 years!

Determining The Amount Of Dog Food Needed For Your Dog

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Determining The Amount Of Dog Food Needed For Your Dog

The pet dog has the same nutritional needs as any other dog. The only difference is the reduced number of calories it uses because of the type of life a dog leads as a household pet. The house dog living exclusively indoors is probably one of the least active animals in the world. More inactive, even, than its owner.

Most of a house dog's time is spent sleeping. Its greatest effort, in many instances, consists of a 10-foot walk from the back door three times a day for eliminations, and a 10-foot walk from the family room couch to its food bowl in the kitchen. As a consequence the house dog is the most overfed and suffers from the greatest overweight problems of all the house-pets.

The dog that spends most of its daylight activities outdoors, but comes in at night, has a higher energy need than the pet kept indoors constantly. Not only does it get more exercise, but it requires extra energy to maintain its body temperature during cooler weather outdoors. Even with such additional requirements it is not uncommon to find indoor/outdoor pets that are fed too much and are borderline overweights.

The dog that stays outdoors all of the time is the pet least likely to develop obesity. As an outdoor dog it enjoys the same, or more exercise as the indoors/outdoors dog. In addition, outdoor dogs have a considerably increased need for energy to maintain body heat.

This need for extra energy for body heat becomes especially high at night and in colder weather. In fact, there are occasional instances where outdoor dogs, when improperly fed, begin to appear just like the undernourished farm hounds of a past era of dog feeding.

Calculation: The quantity of food a house dog needs is determined by the same things that determine the amount of food any other dog eat, which is its optimum body weight and the caloric density of the food it eats. The amount is calculated in the same manner as for other dogs. Determine the number of calories a dog needs daily to maintain its optimum weight. Then divide that number by the number of calories in a pound of food you are feeding. The results will be the quantity of food you should feed, measured in pounds.