SA Management of Obesity Flashcards
What is obesity?
A disease in which excess body fat has accumulated
such that health may be adversely affected
What are health consequences of obesity
- Functional Impairment: Musculoskeletal, respiratory
- Comorbidities: Diabetes, ortho disease, neoplasia, pancreatitis, hepatic lipidosis
- Shorter lifespan: 6months-2yrs shorter
- Poorer quality of life due to the previous consequences
What BCS do we want our dogs and cats?
4-5
- ribs (easily) palpable with minimal fat covering
waist easily notes when viewed from above
abdominal tuck evident
How do we diagnose obesity?
BCS
simple metric for body fat mass based on visual and physical assessment. (look and feel for sub cut fat over ribs, shape of abdomen etc) and helps you to set weight.
How do we manage obesity?
- Diagnose = BCS above 5
- Estimate ideal weight target: calculate normal body fat mass
- weight reduction phase - reduce energy intake, increase expenditure
- Weight management phase - prevent any rebound/relapse
How should you feed your obese animal?
For the weight it SHOULD be rather than what they are
6 mark exam question:
State the rules for how you managing obesity
- Reduce energy intake is far more important than increasing expenditure
- Its not what you feed by how much you feed (twinkle diet still lost weight) - calculate energy intake for weight loss
Then calculate maintenance energy requirement at ideal weight - Type of food is still very important
- Accuracy is critical when measuring food portions: WEIGH ONLY
- HOW you feed: dogs are contrafeedloaders = prefer to work for food
- Avoid extra food
- Benefit of exercise goes beyond burning calories
- Monitor weight loss programme closely
- Success is more about keeping weight off than losing it in the first place
What calculations you need to know:
- Calculate energy intake for weight loss:
2. Calculate maintenance energy intake
What are characteristics of food for optimal weight loss?
Ultimately therapeutic diets
Diets with:
- Decreased energy content
- Nutrients in balance for weight loss
- Lean tissue preservation
- Diet changes to reduce intake
How is food manufactured to reduce intake?
- Increasing water content in diet
- Expanding food with air or fibre
o Makes animal feel fuller - Changing shape of food (will eat slower)
o Cross shaped kibble takes longer for dog to consumer - Increasing protein and fibre
o As improve satiety (feeling full)
How is exercise beneficial?
- Burns (some) calories
- May preserve lean tissue
- Positive reward: Enjoyable for the pet Strengthens the owner-pet bond
- Health benefits
- Good for owner too!!!
How is exercise for cats different?
Activity for cats
• Regular sessions
• Short rapid periods
• Vary toys used – owner participation +/-
• Encourage play
• Food based exercise
• Cats are sprinters vs marathon runners – 2 play sessions for 1min to 2 per day
How should monitoring weight loss be?
- weight every 2 weeks to start then 4 weeks
- use the same set of scales
- troubleshoot and counsel owner as necessary
- Reduce the intake by 5-10% if weight loss slows
- Proactive client management: always make the next appointment, chase up clients that don’t arrive
What methods of monitoring can be used?
- Photographs – visual changes, every 2 weeks
- Tape measure – weighing most precise but tape around chest and abdomen also useful to correlate weight change to owners
- Diaries – day-to-day progress monitoring
Once dog is at maintenance weight then what?
You are In the maintenance phase
Transition to maintenance feeding
gradually increase food intakes 5-10% every 2 weeks
Reweight at regular intervals
2 weekly, 4 weekly, 12 weekly
then continue to weight every 6 months
