Foo - Fat Cats & Dumpy Dogs; What's In Your Pet's Bowl Today & Yesterday?

"....America’s obesity crisis is spreading – to our pets.....About 53% of the nation’s cats and 55% of dogs are overweight. And more than one in five of those fat animals is clinically obese, meaning at least 30% above normal weight...."
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-obese-pets-big-veterinary-bills-20120209,0,3038837.story (http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-obese-pets-big-veterinary-bills-20120209,0,3038837.story)

But...but. They are always so HUNGRY..... All they want is Fooooood.

My cats have been eating vast quantities of Hill's Science Diet for years.

They only get theoretically full and keep coming back to retest the hypothesis over and over.

All that science hasn't made them any smarter either.

They have been ridiculed by Fox News and denounced by the Christian Right, though.

Well, when lazy fat americans feed their dogs/cats the same food they eat, and then leave a bowl of food that is never allowed past half empty, what do you expect? Dogs/cats simply don't need as much food as most feed them. Cats can get away with it more as they tend to be more active (at least the cats I have known are) but dogs kept indoors should be fed no more than what they need for their size/breed. Owners need to put their feelings aside, animals, JUST like humans, don't need to be fed constantly...

The only reason they beg for food is because humans keep feeding them. My aunt feeds her dogs twice a day, on a schedule, and they don't beg. They do, however, come running when they hear the dishes being filled :)

My cat is bulimic. We have to be careful how much food we put in her bowl at a time because she will eat until she throws up. She's very skinny and even adding extra feeding times doesn't seem to help.

We have three dogs. The oldest one has always been relatively slim, but in her old age has put on a few pounds. I wouldn't call her fat. The next one is fat. Not quite sure how that happened, but she is. Once the vet pointed out the obvious to us, we've limited her food intake and give her diet food, and she's lost a lot of weight, but her build seems naturally barrel-chested and I don't think she'll ever be what you describe as skinny. The youngest (and largest) still has the energy of youth. He fancies himself the alpha among the dogs and makes a point of licking the other dogs' bowls after they walk away, but sometimes he leaves food in his own bowl. He doesn't have a ravenous appetite. We have to keep an eye on him though because he does have hip dysplasia and he'll feel it if he gains too much weight.

All three animals get fed dry food mixed with wet. We used to feed them dry only and used the wet food as a treat, but the oldest dog developed digestive problems and the vet recommended wet food (which she can keep down). We kind of felt if she was getting the good stuff, we could give it to the other animals as well.

Well, when lazy fat americans feed their dogs/cats the same food they eat, and then leave a bowl of food that is never allowed past half empty, what do you expect? Dogs/cats simply don't need as much food as most feed them. Cats can get away with it more as they tend to be more active (at least the cats I have known are) but dogs kept indoors should be fed no more than what they need for their size/breed. Owners need to put their feelings aside, animals, JUST like humans, don't need to be fed constantly...

The only reason they beg for food is because humans keep feeding them. My aunt feeds her dogs twice a day, on a schedule, and they don't beg. They do, however, come running when they hear the dishes being filled :)

My dogs get fed once a day at dinner time like the rest of the family. My coyote/lab (65 lbs) gets 1.5 cup of dry food. The Newfie/lab and Dutch Shepherd/Belgian Malinois get 2 cups. Both are over 120 lbs.

The cats get fed in the morning, one full cat bowl for all three to share. The kitten is fat, but she was underweight when we got her.

To see what the quality of the food you are feeding your dog is, check out Dogfoodanalysis.com. Remember dogs are like computers in one sense, garbage in garbage out! http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

My dogs get fed once a day at dinner time like the rest of the family. My coyote/lab (65 lbs) gets 1.5 cup of dry food. The Newfie/lab and Dutch Shepherd/Belgian Malinois get 2 cups. Both are over 120 lbs.

The cats get fed in the morning, one full cat bowl for all three to share. The kitten is fat, but she was underweight when we got her.

Just a thought. You might want to talk to your vet about splitting up the meals for the big dogs. I split my dogs' food into 2 meals. One in the morning and one at night. My vet suggested this because my big one (lab/great dane) like many big deep-chested dogs could be susceptible to bloat. That and never exercise them within an hour after eating. It seems to work.

To see what the quality of the food you are feeding your dog is, check out Dogfoodanalysis.com. Remember dogs are like computers in one sense, garbage in garbage out! http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

They seem to be fond of boutique dog food brands I've never heard of, but no Science Diet? Also, their analyses seem to be very subject, saying things like "some think this is a good ingredient but we disagree." Kind of arbitrary.

My cat is bulimic. We have to be careful how much food we put in her bowl at a time because she will eat until she throws up. She's very skinny and even adding extra feeding times doesn't seem to help.

Have you had her thyroid levels tested? Our kitteh was like this for a long time until we discovered that she had an overactive thyroid. We started giving her thyroid medicine twice a day and she started gaining weight and throwing up less.

I am owned by two three year old Rat Terriers, one slender and one chubby. I have restricted their food to one bowl of Blue Buffalo a day, and am watching them carefully to see if it is having any effect. The thin one is much more aggressive than the other, so I don't think she will suffer. It has only been two weeks, so too soon to tell if it is working. I wish I could feed them separately, but I don't see how this is possible.

One in one room and the other in another.

I feed my cat this:

http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/product/organix-adult-cat-food

He is insane and too smart for his own good but he is not overweight. :)

My dogs get fed once a day at dinner time like the rest of the family. My coyote/lab (65 lbs) gets 1.5 cup of dry food. The Newfie/lab and Dutch Shepherd/Belgian Malinois get 2 cups. Both are over 120 lbs.

The cats get fed in the morning, one full cat bowl for all three to share. The kitten is fat, but she was underweight when we got her.

That must be some kickass food. I give 4C to my 75lb labradoodle and almost 3C to my 42lb Aussie-Lab once a day. It's decent food (http://www.diamondpet.com/products/diamond_naturals/dogs/dry_food/extreme_athlete/) and they are fairly active.

I feed my dogs Pedigree Small Breed Nutrition dog food. Each dog gets one scoop which has roughly 1 1/2 cups. In about 3 hours I clear the bowls and throw away any leftover food 'cause the oldest one, will park himself in front of any bowl that still has food and eat until he's close to busting.
Ernest

One of my cats, a large Maine Coon type boy cat was overweight most of his life, even on the "indoor fat cat food" (Neutro brand). We finally changed his food to dry Science Diet "indoor fat cat" food and restrict his portions to one meal per day in the evening. He meows loudly for the hour before he is fed. He wants to make sure we don't forget to feed him. But he has lost a few pounds and is much healthier now. His coat is much nicer since he can clean himself better and other health problems he has had have cleared up. He is doing well at 12 years old.

We used to feed him part of his food in the morning but then he caught on that we feed him when we get up. Then he decided that if we happen to get up at 4am roused by a cat meowing in our face that he might get fed then. We decided that it was not best for him to associate mornings with getting fed.