Don’t be quick to smile if someone says you and your couch-potato dog look alike.
Fluffy may not have your eyes – but she might have your potbelly.
Too little exercise and the wrong kind of food lead to more than high obesity rates among people.
Their furry friends are getting fat too.
One out of every four dogs is overweight, according to a study released by the National Research Council. The same obesity-related diseases crippling dog owners, including Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are shortening the time pets get to spend with their people.
Veterinary science has been slow to study whether low-carb options might benefit animals in the same way they benefit humans. One doctor with experience treating both people and pets thinks it’s a valid option for managing doggy diets.
Steven Rosenblatt is a family practitionerspecializing in weight-loss issues. He co-wrote “Happy Healthy Dogs: Slim Dogs Live Longer” based on veterinarian-assisted research into low-carb options for dogs.
Rosenblatt is a proponent of a carbohydrate blocker called Phase 2, which is found in the canine weight-loss supplement VetSlim. When used in conjunction with healthier food and more exercise, Phase 2 inhibits the enzyme that converts starch to sugar, therefore helping heavy dogs slim down. A similar compound is common in human weight-loss products.
In their study, Rosenblatt and three veterinarians fed overweight dogs VetSlim, which is currently prescribed by holistic veterinarians. Out of the 17 dogs who completed the study, 15 lost an average of 3 pounds. Those that didn’t lose weight still lost inches off their abdomens.
We caught up to Rosenblatt to find out more:
Q: Is there a correlation between heavy humans and tubby dogs?
A: (People) are eating too many carbohydrates, and neither of us is doing enough exercise to burn it off. Our dogs were bred to be hunters, herders and farm animals, but we’ve got them living in little apartments. Humans were meant to be hunters and gatherers too, but we barely get enough exercise to burn off last night’s pizza or lasagna because we sit in front of computers all day.
Q: Most people don’t feed their dogs pizza and lasagna. Where are all those doggie carbs coming from?
A: People tend to buy the cheapest food available for their dogs, but feeding them the cheap stuff is like feeding them McDonald’s. Cheap pet food is made with fillers, grains, corn and wheat byproducts. You want to try to feed your dog food that is high in protein with as little carbohydrates as possible. The trade off is that it’s going to be more expensive.
Q: How do treats factor in?
A: Snacks shouldn’t be more than 10 percent of your dog’s daily diet.
Q: How do pet parents know if their dogs are overweight?
A: You have to be able to feel the ribs on your dog. If there’s a layer of fat over the ribs, it’s tending toward obesity. When you look at the dog from above, there should be a waist indentation. When you look at the dog from the side, it should have an abdominal tuck where the abdomen comes up toward the back of the legs. The dog shouldn’t have any fat deposits at the base of the tail. If you find two of these four signs, the dog is classified as overweight or obese.
Q: What if a family doesn’t have enough money for a Phase 2 supplement or premium food?
A: Everyone likes someone to exercise with, including dogs. I don’t consider exercise taking your dog out to relieve itself. Dogs, like people, have to raise their heart rate and breathing rate. Don’t allow them to stop and sniff at every corner. Keep them going – either chasing, catching, fetching or running. Start slow. Like humans, pets give up if the exercise is too hard on the first day.
Q: Does this apply to fat cats?
A: We are just beginning to try Phase 2 on cats. I think we’ll see something on the market for them in a year or so. The (starch blocking) mechanism works the same way, but cats are more finicky. We can get the dogs to take down Phase 2 because it’s liver-flavored. But getting the cats to eat it? Oh boy!
Staff writer Sheba R. Wheeler can be reached at 303-820-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com.
