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I've always considered pediatrics to be a little bit like veterinary medicine. Since it's recently been in the news about the 3 & 4 year olds who are already obese I thought it might be entertaining to know that we're not just doing it to our kids, but our cats and dogs as well
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090418/NEWS/904180332/1116
"Plump pets health woes keep vets busy
By Paula J. Owen CORRESPONDENT
Taco is a spoiled, fat Chihuahua who has spent most of his days riding in a car, with stops at Dairy Queen and McDonalds, and lying on his Betty Boop boogie board while family members pull him around the pool.
His life of leisure, his owners admit, has left him looking more like a football than a dog.
Obesity is becoming as much a problem for beloved pets as it is with human beings in America, and experts say people should love their pets with hugs and kisses and skip the burgers and milkshakes.
Taco is barely 11 inches tall and 18 inches long, but he weighs nearly 12 pounds twice his expected weight. His owner, Robin M.M. Read of Westboro, has been taking him to the Holden Veterinary Clinic regularly to keep him on a new weight-loss program.
Theres no mystery about why Taco, 5, is overweight.
When my son first bought him, he took him to get chicken nuggets, Mrs. Read said. He eats the scraps off our plates, and my kids take him to Dairy Queen. He is a conversation piece, so the family just plumped him up.
The family has tried to get him some exercise by walking him in the spring and fall and swimming in the pool in the summer.
We try to get him to do a lap or two, but he sits on the board and wont move and just gets dragged around by the rope by the kids, she said. Hes spoiled. Hes just like the little brother that never grows up.
Taco has lost half a pound in the last few months, but he hates his healthier diet.
He looks at us with his chocolate brown eyes and the kids say, But, hes hungry. I tell them, No. Hes going to blow up, but they will still give him a spoonful of whipped cream, Mrs. Read said. He knows how to work everybody.
According to a study by the American Journal of Veterinary Research, 40 percent of dogs and cats in the United States are overweight or obese, and it is costing Americans tens of millions of dollars a year in obesity-related veterinary expenses.
Some 7.2 million dogs are estimated to be obese and 26 million are overweight, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Journal of Nutrition, and the number among cats is higher 15.7 million obese and 35 million overweight.
In pets older than 7, 52 percent of dogs and 55 percent of cats are overweight or obese, the study concludes.
Dr. Liz J. Ruark of Lancaster Animal Hospital said obesity is one of the most common health issues veterinarians see. It is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in dogs and cats, yet it continues to rise.
People think food is love and more is better, but it is not, she said. Dog food is a complete and balanced food for a dog. They love it and it is appropriate to give a dog all it needs.
Exercise is also important. While keeping cats indoors can increase their life span statistically, she said, they end up sedentary and gain weight. That can lead to diabetes and other obesity-related problems.
Diabetes in cats can lead to huge costs, she said. Insulin, which needs to be given twice a day, can cost $100 for four to six months. Blood work and other tests must be done, and an emergency room visit for a feline diabetic emergency could cost $1,500 or more.
Obesity in dogs can lead to metabolic diseases and arthritis. Some animals are put to sleep at the end of their lives because they cannot walk anymore, which can be from being overweight most of their lives, she said.
Dr. Kelly Wolfenson Guay of the Blackstone Valley Animal Hospital in Uxbridge said she also has seen a significant increase in pet obesity in the last 10 years. About 60 percent of the cats and dogs she sees are overweight, she said.
For a cat, even three pounds can cause problems, including diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
A cat who is three pounds overweight is carrying around another 10 to 30 percent of its body weight, she said.
Overweight dogs that jump the wrong way can rupture their anterior cruciate ligament, a common knee injury in athletes. She said one Labrador retriever she treated for the injury had a bill of $5,000.
Veterinarians have had success with treating pet obesity with new appetite suppressants on the market and prescription diet foods, Dr. Guay said, but she cautioned against falling for pet food companies weight loss claims. People need to count their pets calories and call their vet to see how much they should be eating.
Each dog biscuit has calories, she said. Five milk biscuits equals one cup of food. I tell them to give their dog a carrot, not a cookie. Its people, not pets, that are the problem.
For Kirsten S. Derienze of Leominster, pet obesity meant operations on the knees of her Welsh Pembroke Corgi, costing $4,600. Josie, 6, has since lost more than half her body weight, dropping from 52 pounds to 23 in about 16 months.
She was so overweight, both her knees went, Mrs. Derienze said. I love my dog and I am not going to end her life over $4,600.
She is paying for the operation and related costs totaling another $2,000 on credit from the clinic with no interest.
Taco the Chihuahuas vet told the Read family that Tacos legs could break from his obesity if he jumped the wrong way. We would have to cut back or take out a private loan if he needed knee operations, Mrs. Read said.
So, to lessen the risk, the family put Taco on a special diet that costs $25 a month. Mrs. Read takes him once a month for a weigh-in and blood work costing from $75 to $250. The family also pays for special medication to help with his digestion and curb his appetite.
If more serious treatment were required, the family wouldnt hesitate, she said.
It would put a dent in our budget, but you have to fix what happens, she said. He is like one of the kids."
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090418/NEWS/904180332/1116
"Plump pets health woes keep vets busy
By Paula J. Owen CORRESPONDENT
Taco is a spoiled, fat Chihuahua who has spent most of his days riding in a car, with stops at Dairy Queen and McDonalds, and lying on his Betty Boop boogie board while family members pull him around the pool.
His life of leisure, his owners admit, has left him looking more like a football than a dog.
Obesity is becoming as much a problem for beloved pets as it is with human beings in America, and experts say people should love their pets with hugs and kisses and skip the burgers and milkshakes.
Taco is barely 11 inches tall and 18 inches long, but he weighs nearly 12 pounds twice his expected weight. His owner, Robin M.M. Read of Westboro, has been taking him to the Holden Veterinary Clinic regularly to keep him on a new weight-loss program.
Theres no mystery about why Taco, 5, is overweight.
When my son first bought him, he took him to get chicken nuggets, Mrs. Read said. He eats the scraps off our plates, and my kids take him to Dairy Queen. He is a conversation piece, so the family just plumped him up.
The family has tried to get him some exercise by walking him in the spring and fall and swimming in the pool in the summer.
We try to get him to do a lap or two, but he sits on the board and wont move and just gets dragged around by the rope by the kids, she said. Hes spoiled. Hes just like the little brother that never grows up.
Taco has lost half a pound in the last few months, but he hates his healthier diet.
He looks at us with his chocolate brown eyes and the kids say, But, hes hungry. I tell them, No. Hes going to blow up, but they will still give him a spoonful of whipped cream, Mrs. Read said. He knows how to work everybody.
According to a study by the American Journal of Veterinary Research, 40 percent of dogs and cats in the United States are overweight or obese, and it is costing Americans tens of millions of dollars a year in obesity-related veterinary expenses.
Some 7.2 million dogs are estimated to be obese and 26 million are overweight, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Journal of Nutrition, and the number among cats is higher 15.7 million obese and 35 million overweight.
In pets older than 7, 52 percent of dogs and 55 percent of cats are overweight or obese, the study concludes.
Dr. Liz J. Ruark of Lancaster Animal Hospital said obesity is one of the most common health issues veterinarians see. It is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in dogs and cats, yet it continues to rise.
People think food is love and more is better, but it is not, she said. Dog food is a complete and balanced food for a dog. They love it and it is appropriate to give a dog all it needs.
Exercise is also important. While keeping cats indoors can increase their life span statistically, she said, they end up sedentary and gain weight. That can lead to diabetes and other obesity-related problems.
Diabetes in cats can lead to huge costs, she said. Insulin, which needs to be given twice a day, can cost $100 for four to six months. Blood work and other tests must be done, and an emergency room visit for a feline diabetic emergency could cost $1,500 or more.
Obesity in dogs can lead to metabolic diseases and arthritis. Some animals are put to sleep at the end of their lives because they cannot walk anymore, which can be from being overweight most of their lives, she said.
Dr. Kelly Wolfenson Guay of the Blackstone Valley Animal Hospital in Uxbridge said she also has seen a significant increase in pet obesity in the last 10 years. About 60 percent of the cats and dogs she sees are overweight, she said.
For a cat, even three pounds can cause problems, including diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
A cat who is three pounds overweight is carrying around another 10 to 30 percent of its body weight, she said.
Overweight dogs that jump the wrong way can rupture their anterior cruciate ligament, a common knee injury in athletes. She said one Labrador retriever she treated for the injury had a bill of $5,000.
Veterinarians have had success with treating pet obesity with new appetite suppressants on the market and prescription diet foods, Dr. Guay said, but she cautioned against falling for pet food companies weight loss claims. People need to count their pets calories and call their vet to see how much they should be eating.
Each dog biscuit has calories, she said. Five milk biscuits equals one cup of food. I tell them to give their dog a carrot, not a cookie. Its people, not pets, that are the problem.
For Kirsten S. Derienze of Leominster, pet obesity meant operations on the knees of her Welsh Pembroke Corgi, costing $4,600. Josie, 6, has since lost more than half her body weight, dropping from 52 pounds to 23 in about 16 months.
She was so overweight, both her knees went, Mrs. Derienze said. I love my dog and I am not going to end her life over $4,600.
She is paying for the operation and related costs totaling another $2,000 on credit from the clinic with no interest.
Taco the Chihuahuas vet told the Read family that Tacos legs could break from his obesity if he jumped the wrong way. We would have to cut back or take out a private loan if he needed knee operations, Mrs. Read said.
So, to lessen the risk, the family put Taco on a special diet that costs $25 a month. Mrs. Read takes him once a month for a weigh-in and blood work costing from $75 to $250. The family also pays for special medication to help with his digestion and curb his appetite.
If more serious treatment were required, the family wouldnt hesitate, she said.
It would put a dent in our budget, but you have to fix what happens, she said. He is like one of the kids."
