Paws on the scale

According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, more than 44 percent of dogs and 57 percent of cats are overweight or obese, and when taking into account how easy it is for your pet to gain weight, this statistic should come as no surprise.

***

Although a 1-ounce cube of cheddar cheese may seem like a tiny snack for your pet, studies have shown that feeding it to a 20-pound dog is equivalent to a human eating two and a half hamburgers on top of one and a half chocolate bars. For a 10-pound cat, that same 1-ounce cube of cheddar cheese is equal to three and a half hamburgers and four chocolate bars in human calories.

“A treat here and a treat there adds up,” said Rose Ippolito, owner of two Pomeranians, 12-year-old Ginger and 4-and-a-half-year-old Andy.

The CEDARCREST Animal Clinic is doing its part to combat this alarming trend with its first-ever Biggest Loser: Pet Edition Competition, in which owners can register their pets to lose the most weight by percentage over a two-month period.

Rounding out the field

Ginger and Andy are two of eight contestants in the current field. CEDARCREST clients have until Jan. 31 to enter their pets into the competition, as the animal clinic will be holding initial weigh-ins and performing body condition tests throughout the month of January. When it comes to the Body Condition System, a score of 4 or 5 is ideal, which indicates a thin layer of fat with no sign of ribs sticking out, as well as a tucked abdomen.

Lori McMillan, office coordinator at CEDARCREST, was quick to point out that because all of the registered participants are dogs so far, cats are much-needed.

Following the preliminary weigh-ins and body condition scoring, owners are given recommendations on how to improve their pets’ diet and exercise regiment by the technicians at CEDARCREST, and are then asked to come back every two weeks for additional weigh-ins. The clinic will make it a point to pair the same technicians with the same clients.

Keeping record

“We ask clients ‘what is realistic for you?’” said Anne Lynch, a licensed veterinary technician. “Not every pet will play fetch, so there are other options [for exercise] for pets that won’t play fetch.”

Owners are also asked to keep a record of their pets’ food and exercise in a Progress Packet, which they will bring to every weigh-in and in turn receive advice on what adjustments to make.

“We try to make target goals, so it’s not just ‘cut back on the food and we’ll see you next year,’” said Dr. Benjamin Bedore, veterinarian at CEDARCREST. “We try to do weigh-ins and try to keep up with it so that they know ‘we’re on the right track’ or ‘we need to make changes.’”

The actual contest will kick off the first day of February and wrap up March 31. The pet that loses the highest percentage of weight will be crowned the “Biggest Loser.”

Raising awareness

Awards will be given April 5, as the pet that loses the most weight will get their annual wellness paid off. This includes an annual wellness exam, any needed vaccinations, a heartworm test and an intestinal parasite screening. Second place will be awarded a health spa getaway at CEDARCREST’s on-site country club, while third place will receive a gift basket.

McMillan noted that the owners of the winning pets will get gift cards to Target for $50, $30 and $20 for first-, second- and third-place, respectively.

CEDARCREST will also post each contestant’s progress in the competition on its Facebook page, complete with before-and-after photos.

January is Obesity Awareness Month, and by serving as the prelude to the Biggest Loser: Pet Edition Competition, CEDARCREST hopes this month will raise even more awareness and cause owners to be proactive when its comes to their pet’s health.

“They’ve done studies where they feed two dogs – one gets all they want and one gets less – and on average, there’s about a two-year life difference,” Bedore said. “Diabetes, heart disease, joint problems are some of the big ones we see more often in overweight animals. So it’s two years of life that we can save just by keeping a healthy weight.”