Dogs Need Good Nutrition Too

 

Study after study shows that overweight owners tend to have overweight pets. When researchers assessed the association between the weight of the pet owner and the weight of their dogs, the slim and normal weight owners had a prevalence of heavy or obese dogs of 14 percent. For an overweight pet owner, that percentage doubles, so that now 28 percent of these dogs are overweight. However, if we look at obese dog owners, that percentage rises all the way up to 35 percent of their companion dogs being heavy or obese. A March 2019 survey of veterinary clinics conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimated that 58% of American dogs are overweight. 

As in the case of humans, being overweight or obese is not just a cosmetic problem, but tends to predispose pets (the problem is not limited to dogs) toward a large number of health problems. These problems include arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, breathing difficulties, compromised lower immune system function and a predisposition toward certain types of cancer-related tumors. Also as is the case with humans, the root cause is poor diet and lack of exercise.

The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Boston offers these five common nutrition mistakes we make when feeding our canine companions.

1. Choosing a food based on the ingredient list.  The ingredients do not tell you if the food actually contains the right nutrients in the right amounts and proportions that your dog needs. Many things that sound good to you are of no real benefit to your pet. More important than the ingredient list is the Statement of Nutritional Adequacy . This provides a guarantee that the pet food is complete and balanced for the animal for which it is intended. The nutritional adequacy statement is often found near the guaranteed analysis of the diet. 

2. Not knowing how many calories we are feeding.  Just as with humans, regularly consuming more calories than expended will lead to weight gain. Here is a calorie calculator to help you estimate your own dog's needs. Overfeeding your dog has predictable results.

3. Too many treats. Veterinarians recommend that no more than 10% of a dogs total daily calories be from foods that are not a part of his regular diet. Again, as with humans, treats tend to be nutritionally deficient so they should never be allowed to crowd out nutritious food or add too many calories. Experiment with different treats to see what your dog likes. Mine thinks carrots are treats. And some treats are small enough to deliver as few as 1 or 2 extra calories.

4. Paying attention to pet food marketing. Just as with humans, pet foods are marketed using slews of misleading and often meaningless terms. "Holistic", gourmet", "senior" and so on have about as much meaning as "natural" does on your own food. That is to say, none.

5. Choosing a food based on price. People tend to think more expensive equals better, and marketers know this. Don't fall for it. Many of the exotic sounding ingredients in high cost pet food do absolutely nothing to improve canine health.

Our pets depend on us to take care of them. If they end up overwieght or obese, it is our fault not theirs.