Is Your Pet Obese?

Hello OH Members,

A recent study has found that American dogs and cats are facing an obesity epidemic of their own.  OH Magazine would like to hear from you.  Is your pet Obese?  If so, are you guilty of feeding your favorite companion table scraps and treats on a regular basis?  Would you like to see nutritional labels with caloric information on the packaging of the foods you buy for your pet?   Do you have any tips for getting your pet healthy?  Share your stories and photos (if you like) of your pets here.   Your responses may publish in OH Magazine or on ObesityHelp.com.

 

You may also your responses and photos to me at [email protected]

My dog is not obese.

We adopted her at about 9 months of age, and she has maintained her weight within 3 pounds for the last 6 1/2 years.,

She eats lots of treats, and probably more than her share of people scraps, but she also exercises for 30 - 90 minutes twice a day.

She actually has contributed to my weight loss, because she demands to be walked morning and evening.  My husband takes her out most mornings for 30 - 40 minutes.
I take her for an hour or more each evening.

We walk her in a location that allows her to run off her leash and chase rabbits and lizards and anything else that moves.  She gives them a real aerobic workout!

I did not have pets growing up, so I have learned alot from this active girl.  I will never live without an active pet again, that is certain.
She inspires me and gets me moving, even on the days I don't want to.
Her delight in walking and running and a 'good sniff' remind me how simple joyful the simple things in life really are.

Hi Kath!

Thanks so much for sharing your insights and experiences with your puppy!

Tammy

 Interesting question!! 

My 7 y/o yorkie is naturally bigger than most yorkies (as some are) and his healthy weight is about 10-12 pounds. 2 years ago he was up to 15 and we started taking more care to his food and exercise and now he's down to 11 and fit as a fiddle! 

- Megan

We weigh our dog weekly to make sure he stays above 19 lbs and below 20 lbs. If he gets too many treats one week, we cut him back slightly the following week.

Most of our family members have obese dogs so we refuse to let our little guy get fat.

I have two pets, a rescue kitty and a dog that belongs to my bf's family.  My kitty was overweight at one point but then got a complete bladder blockage and was put on a special diet for the rest of his life, he is back to being very lean.  My bf's dog is big, he weighs around 130lbs and gained weight as I lost weight.  He is a begger.  He got so bad he was having trouble walking, we scaled back on all table food and treats and give him Glucosamine daily.  He has lost weight and can walk a lot better.  My goal is to start taking him on daily walks to get him to lose even more weight.  He could probably lose another 10-20lbs and be okay.  I want to get him as thin as possible to get the weight off his joints.  The problem is now that hes feeling better hes back to begging again.  But we try very hard to only give him things that are healthy.

I have an obese cat.  She is only 4.5 years old and weighs 20 lbs (maybe a little more).  She does not get nor beg for table treats.  We also have a 20 yo and a 12 yo that are slender and they all get the same food.  Hard to know what to do with her??  Maybe a DS (as I'm not sure the other wls are powerful enough for her, lol).

Nope, not obese.  A perfect Collie!!

I have 4 Chihuahuas.  I've had the 2 older dogs for 11 and 12 years.  The boy has always been tiny, about 4 lbs, and the girl has always been bigger, about 15 lbs, but not overweight or obese.  She is very proportionate.
About 2 1/2 years ago she had puppies and we would up keeping 2 of them.  Well, we kept one, a girl and give one to my daughter and she had him for about a year and we have him now for about 1 1/2 years.  Up until July, 2010 they were both normal sized.  The girl was tiny, about 5 lbs and the boy was bigger, around 8 lbs.  After I had my  surgery that changed, mainly because we have a lot more leftovers now and I hate to throw things out so they get them.  I have always given them people food with no problems but it was a much smaller quantity.  Now, because my daughter and I don't eat the same any more there are always more leftovers because I'm not eating things like macaroni and cheese or hamburger helper so it goes to the dogs.  And I also give them the rest of my meals that I can't finish, plus anything we bring back from a restaurant that isn't eaten.  Plus their regular food.  They have turned into little pigs, always begging for food.
Now the little girl weighs about 12 lbs and the boy about 16 lbs.  Even  their mother has put on a few pounds.  Only my oldest dog, JJ, has stayed small.  I know I'm not doing them any favors but it is so hard to say no to them and I hate wasting food.

Here is Princess


This is Pepper

My cat is pear-shaped but not obese. At last weigh in she was 2 lbs over. We cut back to one treat every 2nd day. :)
She never eats people food, (she hates it! YES even tuna...)and we've also been more active with her, using a laser pointer to exercise her. She loves it!
I keep multiple sources of water for her, stemming from a little UTI she had. We were told cats are opertunistic drinkers, and "hid" 4 more containers of water near her favorite spots. She has been drinking much more and never had a UTI since :)