Search Results for: blog is my pet overweight

How to Help Your Pet Lose Weight

Are you not sure if your pet is overweight? Have you had trouble getting your pet to lose weight, or do those last few pounds refuse to come off? If you have any of these problems, today’s article is for you. Dr. John Lupo from the Malibu Vet Clinic posted some advice about maintaining a healthy weight for your pets on his local patch.com, and we’re going to examine it today. The first thing is to determine whether or not your pet is overweight. Obviously a veterinarian can do this, but why wait to see the vet? There are ways … Continue reading →

Pet Obesity Rates Still Climbing

The trend I first wrote about two years ago is only getting worse. Pet obesity rates continue to rise in America, and unfortunately that’s not all. Not only are once-healthy pets gaining weight, ones that are already obese continue to put on the pounds. Cleveland’s Fox 8 profiles the epidemic. The Association for Pet Obesity recently ran a study that concluded 25% of cats and 21% of dogs are overweight. Those numbers are slightly up from the last study (and the last article I wrote on the topic) in 2010. As already mentioned, one of the most worrying parts of … Continue reading →

Fitness Programs for Pets

Just like with humans, one half of the key to pets losing weight is for them to receive more exercise. Did you know that many veterinary centers and other groups across the country actually offer pet fitness programs? If you’re not sure how to help your pets lose weight, if everything you’re doing just doesn’t seem to work, or maybe you just don’t have the extra time to spend to help your pet shed those pounds, check to see if you have any such programs in your area. Public pet fitness programs have the added benefit of being extra social … Continue reading →

Pet Obesity

We hear a lot about human obesity, but what about pet obesity? For me it’s a lot simpler to keep my dog in shape by not feeding her too much than to keep myself in shape and ignore that extra slice of cake. Pet obesity, however, is on the rise in America. MSNBC has the details on a 2009 veterinarian survey revealing that 45% of dogs and 58% of cats nationwide are overweight. I’m definitely surprised by these numbers; I expected lower for dogs. I think it’s easier to make sure my dog gets enough exercise than figuring out how … Continue reading →

My Baby: A Bottomless Pit

These days, I’m convinced my 1-year-old has some extra storage space in her stomach she’s hiding from me. She’s not a big kid. She was huge at 6 months of age, then completely thinned out. In fact, I’m pretty sure her weight has stayed the same from 6 months until now. You’d think that a little peanut like her would have the appetite of a bird. No siree. That girl can pack food in like nobody’s business. A month ago, we’d eat breakfast together, and she’d consume a small amount of my daily bowl of oatmeal. Now, I have to … Continue reading →

Is My Pet Overweight?

I’m not a vet, and I don’t play one on TV. But I do work with cats, live with dogs and cats, and read and write a lot about animals. One question that comes up over and over is this: “Is my pet overweight?” I get asked that at least once a week at the cats-only boarding facility. And I worry about it for my own pets, too! My dog Lally regulates her eating well — she only eats when she’s hungry. If I left food out all the time, she probably wouldn’t gain a pound. My dog Moose, on … Continue reading →

My Life as a Lab Rat: Getting to the Maze

About a year ago, I mentioned my interest in clinical trials. There are a lot of good reasons to get involved — access to cutting edge treatments, potential to help a lot of people around the world. One challenge I didn’t expect was how hard it would be to get involved in a study. Since I made that post, I’ve applied to be in a variety of studies — including one to look at the effect of magnets on repetitive strain injuries to the wrist and another to study the dosages of birth control pills on overweight women. There are … Continue reading →

Diary of an Overweight Hamster

I’ve just completed week three of my journey to weight loss. In some sense, this has been the hardest week yet. The novelty of getting out there and exercising has worn off. The fact that I haven’t seen a dramatic visible difference is discouraging. I’m vowing to go out and get a scale this week, so that I have some sort of bench mark. I may even get up the courage to try on my “cut off the circulation” pants and see if they are more comfortable. I’ve been wrestling with what to call this weight loss diary. I’ve been … Continue reading →

Prince Chunk and Other Plus-Sized Pets

I have extra-large pets on my mind, since we had a return visit from the biggest cat I ever saw at the cats-only boarding facility. Mr. Big-But-Lovable tipped the scale at a mind-boggling thirty-three pounds the first time we met in late spring. This time around, he’s down to twenty-nine pounds… and I can already see a difference. Mr. Big used to be very rigid through his torso, and nearly unable to flex at the waist. Now, with just four pounds gone, he’s already able to bend more. It’s really encouraging to see such improvement with such a small change! … Continue reading →

Diabetes on the Rise in Pets

Obesity is on the rise in pets — just like in people. And just like in people, diabetes is rising in dogs and cats. Diabetes affects as many as one out of every fifty pets, and overweight pets are at higher risk. What is diabetes? When the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, the body can’t process or properly use glucose (blood sugar). The glucose isn’t going into the body’s tissues, and instead builds up in blood and urine. If your pet is overweight, watch for these signs that may indicate diabetes: You may notice your pet drinking a lot of … Continue reading →