Nutrition for Overweight Animals

Question 1

T/F: obesity rates are increasing in the dog/cat population over time

Answer 1

true

from 44% (2008) to 61% (2022)

Question 2

What are some consequences of obesity in dogs/cats?

Answer 2

1. cancer
2. insulin/glucose dysregulation
3. joint and mobility issues
4. less active
5. less social
6. reduced quality of life
7. higher risk for UTIs
8. hypertriglyceridemia
9. altered cardiorespiratory function
10. potentially liver dysfunction

Question 3

T/F: the biggest risk factor for overweightness in dog/cats is energy being consumed is greater than energy being expended.

Answer 3

true

this can be causes by too much energy being taken in (food, treats, etc,) or not enough energy being expended (spay/neuter, reduced mobility, inadeq environmental enrichment, hypothyroidism)

Question 4

Give the target BCS for the following situations:
- Normal animal
- Animal with ortho disease
- Animal with chronic dz (CKD, cardiac)

Answer 4

• Normal animal: 5/9
• Ortho disease: 4/9
• Chronic dz (CKD, cardiac): 6/9

Question 5

How do you calculate estimated target body weight?

Answer 5

1. Determine ideal BCS: 5/9
2. Subtract ideal BCS from current BCS: ex. 8/9 - 5/9 = 3 = 30% above ideal = 130% of ideal BW
3. Current body weight lb / 1.3 = ideal body weight

Question 6

How can you calculate the target daily calories for an overweight animal?

Answer 6

RERi x 0.8 for cats
ex. 0.8 x (70 x ideal body weight^0.75)

RERi x 1 for dogs
ex. 1 x (70 x ideal body weight^0.75)

note: ideal body weight must be in kg

Question 7

How do you calculate target weight loss rate (%)?

Answer 7

0.5-2% of current BWkg per week for cats
ex. 0.005 x 14.8 lbs = 0.07 lb
0.02 x 14.8 lbs = 0.3 lb
so this cat can lose 0.07-0.3 lb/week

1-2% of current BWkg per week for dogs
ex. 0.01 x 128 lbs = 1.28 lbs
0.02 x 128 lbs = 2.56 lbs
so this dog can lose 1.3-2.6 lbs/week

Question 8

What should you do if you’ve set a weight loss plan for your patient and the return having no weight loss or their weight loss plateaus?

Answer 8

1. check diet compliance
2. if they are not compliant, troubleshoot barriers
3. if compliant, further restrict calories by 20%

Question 9

Why are veterinary weight loss diets better than other diets during weight loss plans?

Answer 9

they contain higher protein and fiber amounts compared to OTC weight management or adult maintenance diets.

Question 10

T/F: canned diets are higher in water but not necessarily lower in calories on an as-fed basis

Answer 10

false they are lower in calories, lower in digestible carbs, higher in fat, and higher in soluble fiber.

Question 11

How should owners respond to food-seeking behavior during dieting?

Answer 11

play, walks, grooming, pets/rubs, high-fiber snacks/treats between meals or with meals (veggies), feed smaller, more frequent meals per day, food toys/puzzles, using automatic feeders to dissociate the pet from owner

Question 12

Treats should be less than ___% of the total daily calories

Answer 12

10

Question 13

How often should you monitor a patient on a diet plan?

Answer 13

every 2-4 weeks

if losing too fast (>2% BW per week), check compliance and add 20% calories

if losing too slow (<0.5-1% BW per week), then check compliance, address barriers, and reduce calories by 20%