Don’t let your dog get fat!

The internet is obsessed with chonky, fluffy, and thicc dogs. Sure, there’s more to love and more to squish. Who doesn’t like watching a chubby, wrinkly pug roll around the floor, perhaps even off the side of the couch when dozing off? If you’re the Instagram account administrator of the aforementioned pug, you probably get plenty of likes and a nice paycheck from Instagram too. It all seems well – you’re happy, your dog (seems) happy, and everyone gets a good laugh. But it must be said, these chubby internet famous pets are slowly dying inside.

To all pet owners, and even to myself who has a chonky dog, we must ask ourselves some important questions: is having a fat dog, ok? Is it bad? Is it inhumane? I unfortunately think it is, and here’s why.

Just like in their human counterparts, obesity predisposes dogs (and in reality, all pets) to many types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and a slew of orthopedic diseases like arthritis and joint pain. A recent multi-institutional study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine titled “Association between life span and body condition in neutered client-owned dogs” reported that the lifespan of overweight dogs was up to 2 ½ years shorter on average than the lifespan of dogs with a healthy body weight. This result is revealingly sad, and I see it as a call to do everything we can to help our dogs lose weight. There are plenty of ways to accomplish this with exercise, dietary management, and lifestyle modifications, but perhaps the simplest place to start is with a quick calculation using a standardized formula.

70(Bw).75

Here, Bw is your dog’s body weight in kilograms (you can take your dog’s body weight in pounds and divide by 2.2). Raise that to a power of 0.75 and then multiply by 70. This will give you the total number of kilocalories (or kcals for short) your chubby little dog needs in one day (treats included) to achieve a healthier body weight. You’re probably now asking, “what is my dog’s ideal body weight?” I say perform a quick google search of the typical body weight of whichever breed your dog may be and use that. Once you calculate the total number of kcals your dog needs in one day stick with it.

It may seem like a small amount of food. It may seem like your dog is starving. But it will be ok. Your dog will thank you when he or she lives a longer, leaner, and happier life. Get calculating!

Disease is one of the realest forms of the human-animal bond

photograph provided by Jasper Wilde

Disease comes from the old French word desaise meaning ‘lack of ease.’ In other words, the noticeable presence of pain, anxiety, concern, depravity, and as health professionals most commonly see it – illness. Illness - whether you define it as a malfunctioning organ, part of an organ, a specific body structure, or single body system - is caused by myriad stressors ranging from genetic mix-ups, to infectious microorganisms, to toxins, to bad nutrition, and to environmental imbalance. Regardless of the etiology and overall effect of disease, disease is seen in all forms of human, animal, and environmental life. One could even say computers plagued with a virus are diseased. 

However you choose to see it, disease connects all life on Earth. We all learn about it, we all see it, we all question it, we all try to manage it, we will all experience it, and at some point in our lives we will die from it. It may be difficult to fully accept, sure, but disease is normal. No matter how bad it can be, it is a natural part of life. No matter how much sadness, grief, and discomfort it may cause it is still a normal part of existence and it is not going anywhere. 

The normalcy of disease, to me, is made apparent when others share the load of disease together, but not in the sense of one person showing empathy towards another person with disease while not having that disease as well. I am talking about a much stronger connection, one that is created when two people have the same disease. Even further, when an animal and their human caretaker share the same disease, it seems much of the pain, anxiety, concern, and depravity is assuaged just enough so that life can be enjoyed. Although both experience “lack of ease” they are taking care of one another and finding comfort in their shared experience.    

As a veterinary student I have seen this sharing of disease, this special connection, between owners and their pets. I have met owners and their pets who have shared salmonella and E. coli infections. I have discussed diabetes management for a cat whose owner, too, was a diabetic. I have explained the process of cervical disc herniation in a dog whose owner suffered the same injury two years prior. I have spoken about degenerative myelopathy in dogs with an owner whose daughter was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I have met owners whose pets and family members have cancer.  

These experiences were humbling, and I am simply passing them on in writing as food for thought. Disease causes heartache, pain, confusion, and anything else you would like to fill in to finish this sentence. But it seems, after listening to and observing these scenarios and others like them in the hospital and clinic, being able to share the effects of disease engenders an understanding that leads to acceptance. And it is thisacceptance of disease that brings a comfort modern medicine cannot provide.   

Think about this idea the next time you are in an appointment, talking with peers about a case, or in the middle of a phone consult. Share your experiences with others and let me know. I am interested to hear your thoughts.