Loving Your Pet By Insuring a Healthy Weight for a Longer, Healthier Life

I adopted an orange tabby that was a rescue. Breitling’s favorite hobbies include teaching the dogs he is the king, fetching, cuddling and food. Breitling LOVES food, I think when he dreamed of the day he would be adopted and become a 20 pound kitty. Although Breitling is constantly begging for food, I know if I want to have an active healthy kitty, I can not give into his demands.
Studies have shown that owners of obese pets that implement a successful weight loss regimen notice significant improvement in their pets health-related quality of life.   This Valentines Day give your pet the gift of health. 
Before starting any weight management program, it is important to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to verify that your pet is not hypothyroid, cushionoid or has kidney disease which could alter the weight management protocol  for your pet. Your veterinarian can help you figure out how many Kcals or calories your pet should be eating per day. For weight management, it is best to feed a low carbohydrate diet which will keep blood sugar and insulin levels stable and help maintain lean muscle. Giving pets bites of leftovers from your plate can really add up to a lot of extra calories so watch how much and what you share. This is especially true for small breed dogs and cats. Limit human foods to healthy treats like green beans or baby carrots. (Cats?)
For dogs I recommend feeding the correct kcal for their ideal weight and adding green beans and broccoli to their meal to bulk it up. For kitties it is best to feed a mostly wet diet. Breitling does NOT have access to dry food at all times, he is on a mostly wet food diet which is a low carbohydrate food; when he extensively begs I give him 5 kibbles of his dry food. 
A pet with a healthy weight has decreased risk of diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.  Studies have shown that feeding to maintain a proper body weight can increase pet’s lifespan up to 2 years. For more information from No Place Like Home call/text 818-400-1986 or email dramelia@noplacelikehome.vet.