Introduction to Obesity:
I'm not a great expert on this subject, but when it comes to obesity; "I know it when I see it"
Yes, there are some medical diseases or reasons for being way over weight. These include diabetes, Cushings disease, and Hypothryoidism.
And vice versus; excessive weight can be and often is an underlying factor or cause of diabetes, Cushings disease, Hypothyroidism, heart disease, joint disease, liver disease, and kidney disease.
So, blood work to rule out these diseases is in order prior to starting a therapeutic diet or a potent medication like Slentrol.
But a lot of cats and dogs are simply OVERFED AND UNDER ACTIVE. Like a lot of owners.
Here are my general diet recommendations for both cats and dogs:
Therapeutic diets from your vet are very carefully designed to make your pet feel full but be greatly restricted in calories, simple sugars, and carbs.
They will have relatively high protein content.
They will work IF you also:
- stop feeding high calorie snacks and table scraps
- add some exercise
- be patient and don't give up too early
The best of these diets include:
Hills MD diet for cats (based on the Atkins Diet)
Hills RD diet for cats or dogs
Purina OM diet for cats or dogs
Royal Canin Calorie Control diet for cats and dogs
Eukanuba Restricted Calorie diet for cats and dogs
One last comment before I move on to Slentrol and other supplements.
My favorite dieting recommendation for both people and pet dogs and cats: fasting one day a week. This is not just good for weight loss but bowel and overall health and for humans, mental and religious discipline.
Slentrol: the new weight loss medication approved by the FDA as safe and effective. The only FDA approved, prescription medication for weight loss in America. And it works in about
90+ % of canine patients. Not safe or effective in cats or humans. Not a replacement for special diets or exercise. And sometimes causes diarrhea or other side effects so not for every fat dog.
But very successful in a lot of dogs.
Not expensive.
It helps dogs lose about 1% of weight a week !
Click here to go to Pfizer's web page about the detail to include a fascinating video on how it works if you want to watch it.
Your vet may recommend it.
Supplements for weight loss:
Lean Treats: Your vet will have several appropriate treats or recommendations (such as green beans) to give your pet. But it's critical to success to stop giving high quanities of high calories snacks and table scraps.
DHEA and other neutriceuticals advertised for losing weight: I don't know enough about these products except that there are hundreds of products claiming to aid in weight loss based on the flimsiest of science. I keep thinking that if one such product was really safe and effective there wouldn't be so many overweight people around.
Prozac like drugs: Some vets are recommending medications that help break compulsive eating habits in some of their patients. I think they are quite helpful in many cases ... but only when combined with the diets and exercise.
How about Pets that are LOSING WEIGHT?
This page is getting to be too long so please click here to go to our separate page about this problem.
Click on any of the links below to go to the page describing the diets and/or supplements that are often recommended for certain disease conditions:
The patient about isn't fat, he's been bitten by a snake
Click here to go to our page about snake bites in pets
The sheet of tissue above is called the omentum.
We sometimes tease it out of a surgical hole in the body
Click here to go to our pages about zoonotic diseases, including West Nile
Disease. Zoonotic diseases are diseases passed from animals to humans.
