Managing Your Pet’s Overall Health Takes Planning & Support

 Wow, it’s been an exciting week at Pawsitively Fit Camp 2014. Our campers are an active group of terrific dogs. Managing the eating habits of our pets and finding time for exercise can be challenging, but the long-term benefits to the health and wellness of our pets are worth the effort.
 
For us, programs like Weight Watchers are successful because they offer the planning and support tools needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle for lasting results. Our pets rely on us for the same loving care and support.
 
Let’s review easy steps for helping your dog or cat reach a healthy weight and stay active:
•    Consult with your veterinarian to discuss weight, body condition score, nutrition and addressing underlying medical conditions.
•    Seek nutritional counseling and ask the veterinarian to create a plan that’s easy to follow.
•    Encourage the support of the entire family—it takes a village to stick to a plan and reach goals!
•    Discover easy activities you can do with your pet for daily exercise and fun like starting with easy leash walks around the neighborhood or a short game of fetch in the backyard.
•    Keep a food log so you can track daily intake and overall progress.
•    Swap table scraps and too many dog treats for healthier food choices that fit with their nutritional plan.
•    Enroll your pet in fitness camps, daycare or other activity programs that meet their exercise needs.
•    Schedule follow-up appointments with your veterinarian for weight checks and measurements, review of food logs, and adjustments to diet and exercise plans.

Does Massage Benefit Pets?

The practice of holistic and integrative veterinary medicine has increased over the years as more veterinarians and pet owners shift their focus from the treatment of disease to overall health and wellness.
 
The benefits of massage to humans has been studied and documented, but do those benefits apply to cats and dogs? For people, the benefits include: stress reduction, increased circulation and mobility, better digestion, lower blood pressure, and a boost in immunity. There have been few clinical studies including animals, and the medical evidence, so far, is not conclusive. However, that has not deterred an increasing population of veterinarians, pet care professionals, and pet owners from offering alternative therapies as part of pet wellness—massage being a popular form of therapy.
 
The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) classifies massage as a rehabilitation therapy, which also includes acupuncture, chiropractic and therapeutic exercise, and defines these therapies as “being used to return a patient to normal function following surgery or trauma, or as part of a long-term strategy to manage pain.
 
Comprehensive pet wellness has long been a primary objective of the medical team at Doylestown Veterinary Hospital with special interest in pet nutrition and a veterinarian certified in acupuncture on staff. When the focus is lifelong wellness, pets tend to happily live longer, healthier lives.
 
Pet wellness is important at Holiday House Pet Resort with blueberry facials offered as a spa service and daycare clients participating in various wellness events, such as fitness camp and occasional massage sessions complete with soothing music and aromatherapy.

For animals, the power of touch provides physical and emotional benefits. Although the medical benefits in small animals are not well documented, massage certainly showers the pet with lavish attention and affection. The special time spent relaxing with your pet can also help strengthen the bond between you both.

Partner with Your Pup for Exercise

Exercise and play keep your pet’s mind sharp and its body fit. Benefits of being active include help with:
•    Weight control
•    Being limber and agile
•    Digestive health
•    Unwanted behaviors like digging, chewing and excessive barking
•    Building confidence and trust
•    Restful sleep
 
Your dog or cat loves to spend time with you. The best activity is the one you can easily do together. Finding activities that are easy and convenient for your lifestyle will help with consistency and success. Exercise is good for you and good for your dog or cat!
 

Agility training exercises the body and mind.

Here are some ideas to get you moving and keep your dog or cat fit:
•    Daily (leash) walks – get out for a nice walk and meet your neighbors
•    Nature walks or hiking trails – discover a new park or trail around the lake
•    Pull toys – work those muscles with a tug-o-war rope
•    Fetch – all you need is a good stick or ball
•    Chase – if your dog steals your sneaker, turn frustration into fun
•    Hide-N-Seek – make your dog work for treats by hiding healthy foods to find
•    Swimming – do a doggie paddle lap (or two) across your pool or in the lake; if neither are available, then purchase a baby pool or sprinkler for a splashing good time
•    Social play – playing with other dogs at a daycare program or dog park provides free play
•    Sports and training – enroll in agility training, Frisbee contests or herding programs
•    Cat toys – keep kitty jumping and running with a supply of feathers, small balls and fuzzy mice; add some catnip for extra crazy

Proper Nutrition for a Healthier Life

Weight management is a delicate issue to discuss, but the fact of the matter is there is an obesity crisis affecting our pets. Nearly 60% of dogs and cats are overweight, making obesity the most common nutritional disorder identified across veterinary practices.
 
“Proper nutrition, physical exercise and comprehensive exams are vital in preventing pet obesity. A focus on your pet’s overall wellness, starting with nutritional counseling, goes a long way in thwarting the types of diseases and medical conditions which impact the quality and length of your pet’s life. Food quality and nutrient content definitely influence weight gain and should be carefully considered early on,” said Dr. Laura Weis, co-owner of Doylestown Veterinary Hospital.
 

Rex is fit after losing 50lbs.

Obesity is much more than a number on the scale.
The health effects associated with obesity are a top concern for pets today and can have an impact on the cost of healthcare over the lifetime of your pet.
•    Obese pets are more likely to experience heart and liver disease, diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis and chronic joint pain.
•    Obesity can shorten the lifespan of your pet.
 
However, proper nutrition through a lifetime provides many benefits to your cat or dog:
•    Weight and disease management
•    Good muscle tone
•    A strong immune system
•    Ease of digestion
•    A healthy skin and coat
•    Better quality of life and more healthy years to enjoy
 
Quality pet foods are formulated for the various stages of your pet’s life and management of various medical conditions such as diabetes, urinary conditions and allergies. Nutritional needs change during your pet’s life due to growth and development, the aging process, and management of various medical conditions. The breed, size, energy level and environment of your pet are also factors in determining proper nutritional needs such as calorie intake and frequency of feeding.

What Does a Healthy Dog Look Like?

The Body Condition Score chart, usually found hanging somewhere in the veterinary practice you visit with your dog, provides an overall view of the range of body types from very thin to obese. Veterinarians use this system—a scale from 1 – 9, with 1 being very underweight and 9 being very overweight—to help ensure that everyone who examines animals uses the same criteria to determine physical condition and assigns scores consistently.
 
The chart gives pet owners a starting point for discussing nutrition and wellness with their veterinarian who can explain the pet’s score and design an action plan.
 
“The first step toward reversing pet obesity is helping pet parents recognize how pets at a healthy weight should look. The Body Condition Score chart helps our veterinarians communicate that information,” said Dr. Laura Weis, co-owner of Doylestown Veterinary Hospital.
 

Body Condition Score Chart and Descriptions
What’s your pet’s score? Consult with your veterinarian to better understand your pet’s body condition and how professional nutritional counseling and exercise for your pet can help reach an ideal condition.
 

VERY THIN
RIBS: Easily felt
TAIL BASE: Bones are raised
SIDE VIEW: Severe abdominal tuck
OVERHEAD VIEW: Accentuated hourglass shape
UNDERWEIGHT
RIBS: Easily felt
TAIL BASE: Bones are raised with slight fat cover
SIDE VIEW: Abdominal tuck
OVERHEAD VIEW: Marked hourglass shape
IDEAL
RIBS: Easily felt with slight fat cover
TAIL BASE: Smooth contour with slight fat cover
SIDE VIEW: Abdominal tuck
OVERHEAD VIEW: Well-proportioned waist 
OVERWEIGHT
RIBS: Difficult to feel under moderate fat cover
TAIL BASE: Some thickening, bones palpable under moderate fat cover
SIDE VIEW: No abdominal tuck
OVERHEAD VIEW: Back is slightly broadened at waist
OBESE
RIBS: Difficult to feel under thick fat cover
TAIL BASE: Thickened and difficult to feel under thick fat cover
SIDE VIEW: No waist, fat hangs from abdomen
OVERHEAD VIEW: Back is markedly broadened

Small Steps for Lasting Results

Whether we are caring for ourselves, our families or our pets, we know that leading a healthy, active lifestyle takes dedication, support and time. If weight loss and increased physical activity were easy, then we’d be one fit nation of people and pets without the challenges of losing weight and medical concerns associated with obesity.
 
Leading a healthier lifestyle is easier when changes are managed in small, achievable steps. Too many changes at once may stress your pet, and a dramatic change in activity and weight loss is not healthy for your dog or cat either.
 
Not sure where to start? Let us help you with small steps for lasting results.

•    Consult with your veterinarian first. Before making any changes to your pet’s diet or activity level, schedule an examination with your veterinarian to discuss weight, body condition scores and possible underlying medical conditions.
•    Create a plan for changes in diet and exercise. Your veterinarian can provide nutritional counseling to determine the right food, calorie intake, and goal weight based on your dog or cat’s age, size and breed. Ask for a custom plan that is easy to understand and to follow for maximum success.
•    Encourage family support. The greatest success happens when the entire family shows support and involvement in reaching the goal. If treats are eliminated and Uncle Joe continues to give Fido biscuits, then your efforts are compromised.
•    Eliminate table scraps. As humans, there’s nothing we love more than getting together and sharing food—it’s a symbol of love and happiness. However, table scraps increase your pet’s intake of unhealthy fats and calories.

•    Replace unhealthy treats with healthy choices. Depending on the nutritional guidelines your veterinarian has recommended, switch to healthier treats like apple chunks or raw green beans to share with your pet.
•    Start moving slowly. Walking on a leash for a few minutes each day is a good start. Increase the distance and activity level over time as your dog begins to lose weight and gain strength and stamina. Supervised swimming is also recommended because it puts less stress on joints. Ask your veterinarian about doggie daycare and fitness camps to help your dog stay active. Cats don’t have the same stamina as dogs so short durations of play with toys like a feather, fuzzy mouse or catnip-filled ball is recommended.
•    Track your changes and progress. Keep a daily log of food and exercise to review with your veterinarian or fitness counselor.
•    Follow up with your veterinarian. Schedule follow-up appointments with your veterinarian for a weight check, basic exam and adjustments to your plan.