Obesity in Pets

Obesity has become an epidemic in the US, not only for people but for animals as well. A recent study suggests that over half of dogs and cats in America are overweight or obese. Those extra pounds may seem cute, but they can increase the risk for many health problems such as arthritis, breathing problems, diabetes, cancer, and more. Ultimately, being overweight can shorten your pet’s life. In a recent study, slim labrador retrievers lived an average of 2 ½ years longer than their chubbier counterparts.

How can you tell if your pet is overweight? Run your hands over the animal’s ribs: you should be able to feel them easily. If you cannot feel them, or if you need to sink your fingers through a layer of fat in order to feel them, your pet is overweight. Also, look at your pet from above and from the side: there should be a definite waist, or “abdominal tuck.” If your pet has lost his waist, he is overweight.

Many people express their affection for their pets by giving them treats and table scraps. Unfortunately this extra food can contribute significant calories, especially in cats or smaller dogs. For an overweight pet, your vet recommends cutting out treats altogether or giving your dog or cat pieces of kibble as treats. Vegetables such as green beans or carrots are low in calories when given in moderation, and many dogs like them. For cats, you can give them the juice from water-packed tuna. This is low in calories and also can help increase your cat’s water consumption, which can improve bladder health.

Getting your pet to lose weight may be harder than it sounds. If your pet is slightly overweight you may be able to get him to slim down by simply increasing exercise (daily walks) and cutting out treats. If you pet is very overweight, or if increasing exercise and cutting out treats is not enough, you will need to decrease the amount of food your pet is getting. In order for a pet to lose weight, you must measure each of its meal to make sure the calorie intake is appropriate for healthy weight loss. (Treats should be taken into account too.) Make sure that you use an accurate measuring cup rather than an unmarked cup from your kitchen cupboard, since some mugs or cups may hold 2-3 cups or more. Talk with your veterinarian at Linwood to figure out how many calories your pet needs for healthy weight loss. Your veterinary team may recommend a special weight loss diet to help your pet lose weight without feeling deprived. If you are having trouble getting weight off your pet, blood tests may be needed. Some pets have medical problems such as a thyroid disorder that need to be treated before they can lose weight.

It may seem like a lot of work, but in the end keeping your pet trim will help him live a longer and healthier life. If you need help getting your pet to lose weight, contact your veterinarian for advice.

Bloodwork: Behind the Curtain

Linwood Animal Clinic features on-site laboratory analysis for most routine bloodwork and urine analysis, which means that our doctors get results faster, and therefore that our patients get treated without the frustrating delays caused by outsourcing lab work.

Does this mean that there are flasks and beakers filled with fluorescent, bubbling chemicals? Are Linwood employees required by their job descriptions to wear white lab coats and cackle maniacally while mixing these chemicals together? Sadly no. Our laboratory hardly represents a supervillain’s lair in any way. What we have in place of this array of typical mad scientists’ fare are several high-tech and efficient machines with very complex functions governed by easy-to-use interfaces. Take, for example, the process of analyzing bloodwork for a typical elderly animal.

PCV and Total Protein

The first and most basic blood analysis we perform is a test for the packed cell volume (PCV) and total protein of a patient’s blood. The sample is placed into tiny tubes and spun in a centrifuge, where the centrifugal force causes the heavier, solid blood cells to separate from the lighter, liquid plasma. The packed cell volume is determined by measuring the resulting separated blood by percentage of volume. So, if the spun tube is 45% plasma and 55% blood cells, then the PCV is 55%. The separated plasma can then be dropped onto a device known as a refractometer and measured for a total plasma protein value, which might indicate infection if it’s too low, or cancer if too high.

Blood Chemistries

To further analyze blood by testing levels of various proteins and enzymes produced by the different organs within the body (which indicate the health of those specific organs), Linwood uses its IDEXX CatalystDx Chemistry Analyzer. Testing for each chemical individually would be a time-consuming, complicated mess, but the CatalystDx simplifies the process hugely by making it a matter of selecting the proper test kit and inserting it, along with the blood sample, into an extended arm from within the machine, then prompting the laboratory software to instruct the machine on how to run the tests. Ten minutes later, the doctor has a long list of chemistry values from which she can design a treatment plan.

Complete Blood Count

To analyze the blood itself, the components within it, and the overall health or presence of disease in a patient, a test known as a complete blood count, or CBC, is run. A CBC tests the ratio of white blood cells to red blood cells to platelets, as well as the presence of subcomponents such as the protein hemoglobin. Like testing chemistries, the process of running a CBC is tremendously simplified through the use of an IDEXX LaserCyte Hematology Analyzer: the blood, collected in a special non-clotting tube, is placed in the machine along with three tubes full of various analytical chemicals, some data is entered into the computer controlling the LaserCyte, and the inner workings hum a mechanical arpeggio (seriously, it’s a very melodic machine) as they test the blood.

When all is said and done, it probably takes longer to read this description of what goes into a blood test than it takes to actually run one. This means, quite simply, fast and accurate results to help our doctors treat our patients in a timely and well-informed manner.

Arthritis In Pets

Could your pet have arthritis? Many animals - both dogs and cats - will develop arthritis as they age. Early signs can be subtle and may easily be missed, especially in cats. Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disease of the joints. Any joint can be affected but it is commonly found in the hips, knees, shoulders, elbows and the spine. Arthritis develops following trauma to a joint, or over a longer term, after years of wear and tear to the cartilage in the joint.

Signs of arthritis can include: reluctance to exercise; lameness; stiffness; difficulty rising from the ground or climbing stairs; difficulty jumping short heights, such as into a car or onto furniture; pain when touched; or, rarely, aggression when touched.

The good news is that there are many options we can use to help slow the progression of arthritis and control the patient's pain. Diet and exercise play an important role in treatment: overweight pets likely need to lose weight; and low-impact, controlled exercise is a vital activity for maintaining strength in muscles so they can support arthritic joints.

Supplements such as glucosamine/chondroitin, Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants are beneficial to many animals because they support cartilage and reduce inflammation. Several pet food companies have developed joint health formulas with these supplements incorporated into the food (e.g., Hill’s "J/D" and Royal Canin "Mobility Support"). These foods have been shown to be quite effective in many pets. Chondroprotective injectable agents such as Adequan help many animals by preserving the cartilage within the joints.

There are prescription drugs available to help with both inflammation and pain, and although side effects can be seen with these medications, regular blood work monitoring can minimize them. It is crucial that you never give human medications to your pet. Hardly any human medications are safe for animals; no medical treatment should be pursued without first talking to a veterinarian.

There are also many alternative therapies that can be used for arthritic pets to minimize pain and also help decrease the amount of prescription medicated needed. These therapies include cold laser therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, and massage.

If you have any questions regarding arthritis and your pet, please call us at 503-774-3363.