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Weight control dog foods evaluated

By Jennifer Viegas

Since 25 to 40 percent of dogs are considered overweight or obese, according to numerous university reports, there's a good chance you're living with a rotund Rover. If so, you've probably mulled over dog foods labeled with terms like "low calorie," "lite" and "weight control." New research, however, has determined that such diets vary widely beyond the packaging and labeling differences.

Tufts University Pet Food Study

Scientists from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University recently investigated nearly 100 commercially available pet food diets with weight management claims. "There is so much information -- and misinformation -- about pet foods, it's understandable that people are confused about what to feed their dogs and cats," says Dr. Lisa Freeman, a professor of nutrition at Cummings who holds a doctorate in nutrition and veterinary medicine.

Under federal guidelines, pet foods labeled with terms like "light" or "low calorie" must provide caloric content on their labels. The foods must also adhere to a maximum kilocalorie per kilogram restriction. But Freeman and her team found that more than half of the evaluated foods exceed this maximum. The researchers also discovered that if owners follow the feeding recommendations for many of the foods, their pets actually gain weight.

Dog Weight Problem

Overweight dogs live shorter lives, according to many studies, with a reduction in life span by two or more years.

Dr. Gail K. Smith, professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, worked on a 14-year study of canine diet. Smith and her colleagues found that "lean body conformation forestalls some chronic illnesses (in dogs), most notably osteoarthritis, and that diet can either mitigate or exacerbate the expression of genetic diseases." It's very important, therefore, for dog owners to keep their dogs lean, with palpable ribs and an obvious waistline.

Selecting an Appropriate Weight Control Dog Food

You should first "determine the number of calories your pet is currently consuming, including main meals, snacks, treats and toppers," says Dr. Amy Dicke, an Ohio-based veterinarian. Establish a goal weight with your veterinarian and then move on to selecting foods.

The foods should offer complete nutrition and contain special ingredients for weight loss, such as L-carnitine, an ingredient that helps burn fat while keeping your dog energized and feeling full.

In case you ever have a question about the food, quality manufacturers provide a toll-free number on the package. Feel free to call up and discuss your concerns with their pet specialists.

Overweight Versus Obese Dogs

Beyond these basics, you also have a choice now between "off the shelf" weight control dog foods and special veterinary formulas available through many veterinarians. Also called "therapeutic diets," these veterinary formula diets are generally designed for the obese pet. Obese dogs and cats are 20 percent over their ideal weight. Therapeutic diets are often the most restricted in fat and calorie content.

5 Steps to Follow

As you work with your dog on its new weight management plan, Dicke advises that you do the following:

Step 1: Approach weight loss in a holistic manner. Often, this means starting with a change in habits.
Step 2: Accurately measure the food, and if you are giving any treats or biscuits, consider the calories added to your pet's daily intake.
Step 3: If possible, feed the daily food allotment in multiple small meals throughout the day.
Step 4: Increase daily exercise.
Step 5: Any human interaction or attention tends to increase activity. If you show interest in your dog and what it's doing, chances are, your dog will be more energetic and engaged.

While it's essential to select the right weight loss diet, your companionship cannot be packaged or replaced. As Dicke points out, your dog's "activity level, the home environment and (your) vigilance" are essential to helping your dog lose the excess pounds and keep them off for good.

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How to select a dog groomer

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Snowball is going home to Oregon

By GLORIA CAMPISI
Philadelphia Daily News

Snowball gets around.

The pet cat, who was born in Elizabethtown, Ky., got lost from his owners in Syracuse, N.Y., last summer.

He was found on the street in Syracuse by a young woman coming to Philadelphia to college.

She brought him with her but couldn't keep him after the move and gave him to a friend here.

The friend also decided to move and had to surrender Snowball to the Morris Animal Refuge in Center City.

Now, thanks to the shelter and the modern miracle of microchipping, Snowball is flying off in his cat carrier Friday to Portland, Ore., to be reunited with his original owner, a 10-year-old girl named Raven with whom Snowball used to sleep every night.

Snowball now has the coloring common to his breeding as a flame point-Siamese mix, according to shelter adoption manager Kerri Taylor, but the cat was snow white when he was born.

Raven's mother, Laura Hartley, of Corvallis, Ore., said Snowball was one of a litter born to the pet cat of the Hartley children's nanny's mother.

Raven doesn't know Snowball is coming home and will be "over the moon" when he steps out of his cat carrier at the airport, Hartley said.

Raven and Snowball were "made for each other," Hartley said.

"He goes where she goes. He follows her like a dog."

The Hartleys are still missing Snowball's sidekick, Shaggy, with whom Snowball disappeared last August while the family was in the midst of moving from New York state to Oregon.

Kerri Taylor said all cats and dogs coming into the shelter, on Lombard Street near 13th, are scanned for microchips.

Thankfully, Hartley had updated Snowball's contact information with one of the microchip tracking companies, Home Again.

Snowball was brought in and scanned on March 31.

Taylor contacted Home Again, which put her in touch, that day, with Laura Hartley.

Snowball has to fly in his carrier as "animal cargo" and the Hartleys weren't able to find the right flight for Snowball until Friday.

He is being taken in his carrier to Philadelphia International Airport by shelter assistant manager Leslye Lambert.

They'll miss Snowball at the shelter.

"He's sweet as pumpkin pie," Taylor said.

But amid all the sad stories of animal abuse and abandonment, "once in awhile you get these miracle-type stories where people are reunited and it really makes our jobs worth it," she said.

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Studies Reveal Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Dogs with Osteoarthritis

(NaturalNews) Osteoarthritis is a painful degenerative joint disease that affects many canines, especially geriatric dogs. Studies published in the January 2010 and March 2010 issues of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), report the possible benefits of feeding foods high in omega-3 fatty acid concentrations to dogs with osteoarthritis. Dogs that were fed the foods experienced less pain associated with the disease and greater mobility.

A contributing author and director of research at a leading pet food company said: "Many of us write off mobility problems in dogs as a part of the aging process. These studies demonstrate that feeding a food containing omega-3 fatty acids to a dog with osteoarthritis significantly improves mobility and quality of life. All three studies showed significant mobility improvement as assessed by either pet owners, veterinarians, or both."

274 dogs with osteoarthritis took part in clinical studies at a number of privately owned veterinary clinics and two university veterinary clinics.
The three areas of focus were:
1. The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on clinical signs of osteoarthritis in dogs.
2. The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on weight bearing in dogs with the disease.
3. The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) dosage in dogs with osteoarthritis.

In the first study, dogs with chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis showed improvements in their ability to play and get up from rest at six weeks after being switched to a diet containing high concentrations of fish oil omega-3 fatty acids. The second study showed that limb strength in dogs improved with omega-3 dietary intervention.

In the third study, veterinarians were able to reduce the dosage of a common NSAID used for pain relief in dogs with osteoarthritis. This was possible while still maintaining pain relief in dogs that were fed food supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids.

Osteoarthritis is caused by the progressive inflammation and deterioration of the cartilage, bone, and soft tissue of one or more joints. It is often mistaken in its early stages as "slowing down" due to old age. Canine osteoarthritis can be a silent and unrecognised problem that affects both the pet`s and the owner`s quality of life.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to increase joint mobility and control pain in severe cases. The down side is that long-term use can result in side-effects such as kidney damage, ulcers, etc.

The relevance of the findings in this study is important because complications that may arise from pain relief medications could be reduced when the medications are used in combination with proper nutrition.

Other Health Benefits Of Omega 3 Oils For Dogs

Omega 3 oil is very effective in controlling allergies and skin disease.
Maintain mental alertness in older dogs
Maintain a healthy, shiny coat.
Controls the growth of Malassezia pachydermatis which causes yeast infections in both cats and dogs.

Other natural treatments that can help control the progression of osteoarthritis are:

Weight control - excess weight can cause additional pain and increased damage to dogs` joints.
Regular gentle exercise - Improves strength and mobility of joints
Hydrotherapy - some dogs are very fond of swimming; this is a low impact exercise that promotes joint movement without aggravating joint pain.
Nutritional supplements - some are specifically designed to reduce pain and inflammation as well as for prevention and treatment of disease.

Article Written By: Katherine Eas

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House soiling deserves attention

No one likes to come home or wake up to a mess. Urinary problems are a large source of frustration for many pet owners. Many dog and cat owners begin to resent their pets when they lose their house-training, calling it spite, anger or simply “getting old.”

Unfortunately, many pet owners do not realize that many of these issues may be related to underlying diseases or metabolic conditions, many of which are fixable or manageable.

Urine is produced by the kidneys, where the liquid part of the blood is filtered to remove waste products, as well as conserve or remove excess water. From the two kidneys, the urine is collected into the bladder, where it is stored. The urinary sphincter holds the urine in the bladder, until the time when pets consciously release this sphincter and urinate.

Some dogs begin to lose strength in the sphincter, usually leading to leaking of urine while asleep or resting. This syndrome typically responds well to medication or hormonal therapy. Other dogs may drink excessively, which may prevent them from being able to hold their urine for long, or even short, periods of time as their bladder becomes overly full. Metabolic diseases, such as a thyroid deficiency, diabetes, liver problems, or many other possibilities, often have as a symptom an increase in water consumption.

Bladder infections are a common cause of sudden loss of house training. Inflammation of the bladder brings on a sense of urgency, and an inability to hold the urine for any length of time.

Bladder stones can also cause inflammation, as well as some parasites, and in cats the inflammation can be spontaneous. Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) is a condition in cats where the bladder becomes sensitive and inflamed, sometimes even bleeding, without an underlying infection. These cats show symptoms of urinating outside the litter box, often in odd places such as sinks and in tubs. Diet and stress control can help many of these affected kitties, and medication usually helps the others.

In male dogs, prostate problems can cause difficulty with urination, often leading to house soiling or leaking. In un-neutered dogs, prostate swelling is very common, and infections can occur as well.

Kidney problems can be serious; many pet owners assume that if their pet is able to produce urine, the kidneys must be functioning well. To the contrary, in early kidney failure, the kidneys lose the ability to conserve water, often leading to excessive drinking and an over full bladder. The sooner kidney disease is detected the better, as sometimes simple diet changes can greatly prolong kidney function if caught early.

Urine on the floor is no fun for the person who has to clean it up, but may be an indication of a more serious health problem as well. Don’t assume your pet has just lost its house training; make absolutely sure there are no health issues simmering in the background as well.

Article Written by: DR. MICHAEL J. RUMORE

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