WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — Pets come in all shapes and sizes, but sometimes their girth can get a little out of hand. That's why this day - October 11th is recognized as National Pet Obesity Day -- to remind us why it's so important to keep our animals healthy.
"Having a healthy lean body weight is the best thing you can do if you wanna keep them around as long as possible."
We spent some time with Dr. Chantel Raghu, a veterinary internist at VCA Great Lakes Veterinary Specialists in Warrensville Heights. She sees pets that are pretty sick. Too often their serious conditions are connected to their weight.
"They've done studies on tens of thousands of dogs at least, that have shown that you can shorten their lifespan up to two and a half years if they're severely overweight," Dr. Raghu said.
Humans often use BMI as a weight guide. In pets, if they tip the scales at 10 to 20% above their ideal weight - that's considered overweight. If they're 30% or more, that's considered obese.
Ailments linked to weight can include heart disease, respiratory issues, high blood pressure, diabetes, some types of cancer, joint problems, arthritis and more.
So, how can you tell if your pet is at risk?
Dr. Raghu walked us through the steps on her own dog, Iggy!
"The best thing you can do is to feel over their ribs. It should feel like the back of your hand. It should feel like there's a little bit of covering and tissue over the ribs. You don't want them to feel like the inside of your palm where you can tell that there's too much meat and fat overlying the ribs. So just kind of feeling the ribs, making sure that they have a nice little tuck on their belly is the easiest thing you can do at home," she demonstrated.
If after that at home exam, you think your pet is plump, your next step is to contact your vet.
They'll help you formulate a good weight loss plan that's balanced, lower in calories but still has all the nutrients they need.
And a word about treats: Dr. Raghu says for all pets, they should be no more than 10% of their daily caloric intake.
They may not like it, but in the long run, their health is worth it.
"They're gonna feel more playful. They're gonna be able to jump up on the couch and snuggle with you again when they weren't able to before. They're just gonna feel so much better. "
Learn more about VCA Great Lakes Veterinary Specialists HERE.