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Pet obesity rates on the rise, cats heavier than ever

U.S. pet obesity rates continued to increase in 2012 with the number of overweight cats reaching an all-time high. The sixth annual National Pet Obesity Awareness Day Survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) found 52.5 percent of dogs and 58.3 percent of cats to be overweight or obese by their veterinarian. That equals approximately 80 million U.S. dogs and cats at increased risk for weight-related disorders such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, hypertension and many cancers.

52.5% of US Dogs Overweight or Obese or approximately 36.7 million

58.3% of US Cats Overweight or Obese or approximately 43.2 million

 

“This is a war veterinarians, pet owners and parents must win. Obesity is the number one preventable medical condition seen in veterinary hospitals today and is the fastest growing health threat of our nation’s children. Our goal is to help pets and people live longer, healthier, and pain-free lives by maintaining a healthy weight, proper nutrition, and physical activity. The most important decision a pet owner makes each day is what they choose to feed their pet. Choose wisely. Your pet’s life depends on it.”

Dr. Ernie Ward, founder of Association for Pet Obesity Prevention

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Barkin' for Brownies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lbs Beef liver or chicken liver
2 C Wheat germ
2 T Whole wheat flour
1 C Cooked barley
2 Whole eggs
3 T Peanut butter
1 Clove garlic
1 T Olive oil
1 t Salt (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Liquify liver and garlic clove in a blender, when its smooth add eggs and peanut butter. Blend till smooth. In separate mixing bowl combine wheat germ, whole wheat flour, and cooked Barley. Add processed liver mixture, olive oil and salt. Mix well. spread mixture in a greased 9x9 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or till done. When cool cut into pieces that accommodate your doggies size. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Reproduction of these recipes not allowed without iPawz.com's written permission.

What to do about an overweight dog

Research has shown that, in general, a healthy dog can abstain from food for five days before any noticeable health effects occur. They generally don't HAVE to eat every day. (Very small breeds are an exception...but unless there's really some medical problem present, missing a day of eating isn't a major catastrophe.) Always be sure fresh water is available. So start out by feeding a very high quality, complete and balanced dog food. Look on the ingredients list...MEAT should be the first item listed, not corn. You may also want to supplement with a vitamin/mineral/fatty acid product.

Be careful about over supplementing, too! Now record an accurate pre-diet weight. Reduce by one-third your pet’s total daily ration previously given. Include in this total all treats, snacks, or left-overs if you insist on continuing to provide these. Reweigh the pet in 2 weeks. (Remember if the pet begs for food, that's a good sign! But don’t give in.) If you find upon weighing your pet after two weeks that it has lost even a little weight, you’re on the right track; keep up this schedule! If no weight loss is evident, again reduce by one-third the amount being fed. Weigh the pet again in two weeks.

Depending upon the results either keep feeding this amount or reduce again by one-third the total amount being fed. If you persist a good outcome is certain. Many veterinarians believe you should not feed the "Reduced Calorie" or "Lite Diets" or "Senior Diets"! These diets have very restricted fat levels to reduce the calories but by necessity have increased the carbohydrate percentages. This increased carbohydrate stimulates additional Insulin secretion which tells the body to store unused calories as fat! There are a multitude of overweight dogs that have actually gained weight on those "Reduced Calorie" weight loss diets. Your dog needs a meat-based diet, high in protein (which isn't stored as fat) and fat and low in carbohydrate. Now... YOU have to adjust the quantity being fed to achieve a state where the dog takes in fewer total calories than it is using for the day's energy requirements.

Voluntarily withdraw of Hartz® Chicken Chews™, Hartz® Oinkies® Pig Skin Twists wrapped with Chicken for dogs

SECAUCUS, N.J., Jan. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hartz Mountain Corporation is voluntarily withdrawing its Hartz ® Chicken Chews™ and Hartz ® Oinkies® Pig Skin Twists wrapped with Chicken for dogs in the United States because they contain trace amounts of unapproved antibiotic residue.

We

are taking this action after recent Hartz testing found trace amounts of unapproved antibiotic residue in samples of Hartz® Chicken Chews™ and Oinkies® Pig Skin Twists wrapped with Chicken products. Even though two-thirds of the products we tested did not contain antibiotic residues, we would rather be overly cautious by voluntarily withdrawing these products from the market.

These antibiotics are approved for use in poultry in China and other countries, including European Union member states, but are not among those approved in the U.S. Based on the FDA's review of the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets (NYSDAM) results, there is no evidence that raises health concerns, and these results are highly unlikely to be related to the reports of illnesses FDA has received related to jerky pet treats.

Immediately upon learning of this finding, Hartz contacted the FDA to share our test results and execute a nationwide voluntary withdrawal.  There have been no known illnesses to date associated with the consumption of these products.

"Upon learning about the nationwide voluntary withdrawal of several other brands of chicken jerky products through media reports, Hartz acted immediately to begin additional testing to determine if the same unapproved antibiotic residues were present in our products," said Sean McNear , Sr. Director of Quality and Regulatory at Hartz Mountain.

There is no indication that the trace amounts of unapproved antibiotic residue are linked to the FDA's ongoing investigation of chicken jerky products produced in China. The trace amounts of antibiotic residue do not pose a health or pet safety risk.

No other Hartz products are affected by this withdrawal.

If you have these products contact the Hartz Consumer Affairs team (24 hours/day 7 days/week) at 1-800-275-1414 for a product refund or go towww.hartz.com for additional information.

SOURCE The Hartz Mountain Corporation

RELATED LINKS
http://www.hartz.com

This article, The Hartz Mountain Corporation is voluntarily withdrawing its Hartz(R) Chicken Chews(TM) and Hartz(R) Oinkies(R) Pig Skin Twists wrapped with Chicken for dogs, is syndicated from PR Newswire and is posted here with permission.

Fat cat's fate: Meow, the 39-pound feline, dies of lung failure

Meow, the fat cat whose 39-pound girth helped raise awareness about obesity in pets, has died of lung failure.

The orange-and-white tabby was turned in to the Santa Fe, N.M., animal shelter last month and quickly made international headlines. At first, his story was played for laughs: The 2-year-old cat apparently favored hot dogs, and was so fat that he got stuck inside things. He barely fit into his animal carrier, and was likened to Puss in Boots from the "Shrek" movies.

But Meow's weight underscored a growing problem: Pets in America are getting fatter -- just like their owners -- and all that extra weight can hasten death.

That's what happened in Meow's case, said Mary Martin, executive director of the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society. The shelter assumed care of Meow when his 87-year-old owner could no longer care for the mammoth feline.

"We are so heartbroken," Martin told the Los Angeles Times. "He had such a big personality. We all fell in love with him."

Ideally, Meow would have weighed 7 to 10 pounds. Carrying 39 pounds of weight on his feline frame was the equivalent of a man weighing more than 600 pounds, experts said. The shelter placed Meow in a foster home and put him on a strict, high-protein diet intended to knock off some weight before he could be adopted by a new owner. Publicized weigh-ins were planned as a way to highlight the problem of obesity in pets, as well as to drum up interest in pet adoptions.

full story here

Veterinary nutritionist debunks pet food myths

According to veterinary nutritionist Lisa Freeman, flashy pet food marketing can often sidetrack pet owners, but the savvy shopper must look past advertising and analyze the facts. The most important pieces of information on pet food packaging are the manufacturer, the nutritional adequacy statement, and the intended life stage of the pet, she says. Dr. Freeman also explains a novel way to assess an animal's weight.

The Tufts Daily (Tufts University)