Too much of a good thing?

Years ago I saw a magnet I wished I had bought for my refrigerator. It had a picture of a dog on it and read something along the lines of: "I wish I were a dog. Then I could blame my owner because I'm fat."

Next to choosing your dog's food, how much you feed your dog is the next thing to consider. Some dogs are easy to manage. You can feed them and they will nibble at those bites all day and sometimes they won't even finish before time to feed them again. They're picky about treats. And while they may develop a begging habit at the table, with a bowl full of food you can be reasonably sure they aren't hungry. Some dogs always act hungry. They will eat every morsel in their bowls every time you feed them. They will beg for every scrap from your plates. They will gobble treats. They may convince you that they are starving, no matter what. The fact is, unless you mess up their internal works, dogs are a lot like babies. Little children will eat when hungry, pretty much eat whatever you feed them. So you make nutritious choices for them and when they are full they stop eating. It's an excellent way to eat. As you get older, however, you cultivate your own tastes. You learn to like sweets (think treats) and you learn to eat when you're anxious or bored or just because it's extra yummy. Your dog can do the same thing. Just like a human who develops too much fondness for treats or idle eating, a dog who develops those tendencies will be soon be overweight. And just like a human, they would be facing a series of health risks. The good news is, just like our dogs could blame us for being fat, because we control their diet it is easy to fix. They won't be raiding the refrigerator every night after dinner or sneaking around at night to eat a bag of chips.

Often we don't really worry about our dog's weight. He or she could be carrying an extra pound or two and it doesn't seem like a big deal. But depending on the size of your dog, that could be a huge percentage of his or her weight. It could be like you carrying an extra 10 or 20 pounds. What would be the impact on your health? I see a lot of fat dogs at the kennel. Some are only a little on the heavy side, some have bulges on their hips like a healthy quarterhorse, and some are prematurely aged by their extra weight -- unable to play or walk as they should. I also see the consequences of this weight gain in issues ranging from limited mobility to life-threatening illnesses. One little chihuahua I have kept for years has a treat addiction. She didn't eat a healthy food, was indulged by one of her owners in a barrage of unhealthy treats, and was very heavy and unable to play or enjoy a walk. For more than a year I tried to get them to cut back on treats and change her food from moist kibble to a healthy dry food. Nothing changed and last summer she showed up drinking an excessive amount of water, then it was pancreatitis and now she has full blown diabetes. She requires insulin shots twice a day. She has finally lost weight and enjoys playing when she comes, but the damage to her system isn't reversible at this point. I've also seen dogs lose weight. Take "T" who was an overweight young lab when she began coming. She wasn't too heavy to play or walk, but she seemed older than her true age just because of the weight. After continued nagging by me and the family vet, they put her one a weight managment formula and restricted her to the recommended amount. She's lost weight and looks fantastic. Another pup, "B", was only slightly heavy, but being a dachshund his owners knew he was at risk for spinal injury if he carried any extra weight. He went on what we call the "green bean diet" eating 2/3 of a cup of his normal kibble in the morning and 1/4 of a cup of green beans at night. Over time, he's lost the weight and grown fond of green beans, still requesting them by standing at the refrigerator at night until he's fed. Unfortunately, more people worry about getting their dog to eat, bribing them with canned food, gravies and diet changes, than how much their dog eats. Feeding your dog well is easy, buy a quality food (earlier blog for guidance) and follow the feeding guidelines for the weight your dog should be (not the weight he or she is now). Your dog will eat if hungry and otherwise, don't worry about it unless they show signs of being sick. Skipping meals is normal for dogs. Their metabolism is different from ours. Also keep in mind that treats aren't required to show your dog you love him or her. (More on treats later) It's like giving your kid a cookie instead of a hug. Find another healthier way to show affection. Don't love your dog with quantity of food, love them with quality and your time and they'll be around to return that love for a long time.