Fat dogs are a big problem A twofold problem we see repeatedly with IN THIS ISSUE dog owners, including some of our Fat dogs are all the rage in customers, relates not to obedience or field America, but shouldn t be. training, but to nutrition and weight. Many Americans feed too much Of the dogs, not the owners. good food to their dogs, Weight first: apparently unaware of the dangers. Too many Americans keep their dogs too fat, and their dogs health suffers as a result. Learn how to tell whether your dog is overweight. As a breeder, this causes us great concern, because problems that afflict our customers Study says some hip problems dogs ultimately affect us. in Labs might be tied to overfeeding. More than that, keeping one s dog at a proper weight should be considered an ethical or moral issue. Case in point: Most people would think it wrong to feed a slow-acting poison to their dog. Yet many people do just that when they keep their dogs too fat. Begin this discussion with two assertions: Americans generally feed too much food to their dogs. And the food they feed is oftentimes too good meaning better than most working dogs have eaten during their evolution. Consequently, many dogs are too fat. Think about the changes to dog food that have happened just in our lifetimes. BritishRetrieverTraining.com Newsletter / January 13, 2004 / Volume I, Number 10 Page 1
It wasn t that long ago, for instance, that Purina Dog Chow was considered the standard of the dog food industry. Many people fed it. And many more aspired to feed it, but didn t either because they couldn t afford it, or because they had an aversion to paying what was at the time considered a high price for dog food. This last issue commonly called price point aversion is nothing new to economists. But seen from afar (or up close) it s almost weird when it surfaces among dog owners: Example: A guy walks into a pet food store and sees row upon row of quality dog foods. These might be Science Diet products, or Eukanuba, or Iams or Purina High Pro or any of the other excellent foods on the market today. The guy knows these foods are good, and knows also they probably would be good for his dog. To keep feeding amounts consistent, use a measuring cup to allot food to your dog. Typically, two cups morning and night of a premium food is about the right amount for a working Labrador or other retriever that is being exercised frequently. The amount might have to be increased if the dog is hunted hard. Yet what does he do? He passes up the good stuff, and instead keeps looking until he finds the cheapest dog food he can buy and loads it into his cart. As he does, he rationalizes that the cheap stuff is just as good as the premium stuff. But it s not as good. That s why it s cheaper. At some level, the guy knows this. But he buys the cheaper stuff anyway because he can t muster the courage (or whatever) to fork over the money to buy a better product. BritishRetrieverTraining.com Newsletter / January 13, 2004 / Volume I, Number 10 Page 2
Purchase decisions made by these types of people are framed by selfinterest, and it s unlikely they ll ever change even if it means feeding a poor quality food to their dogs. Such people aren t the only dog owners who make weird dog-food purchasing decisions. By far the bigger group are those who are the mirror image of cheapskates people who are so in love with the idea of pampering their dogs they spend the most money they can possibly spend on dog food. And feed it to excess. Call these people Yuppies, Baby Boomers or whatever. Apparently, the more they pay for dog food, the better they feel. Is this bad? To judge whether a dog is of an appropriate weight, run your fingers along his rib cage. The ribs should be No. easily distinguished by the fingers. If instead a layer of fat covers the ribs, the dog is too heavy. Fat dogs But consider: are unhealthy dogs and can't be expected to work in The willingness of these people to so the field up to their potential. willingly purchase premium foods for their dogs has changed the dog food market entirely and probably irrevocably. Example: What once was a premium dog-food market dominated by Science Diet and a few others, now is a market that includes every possible food concoction dreamed up. These include all natural foods, foods with venison rather than chicken, etc., etc., etc. To re-iterate: The good news is that many of these products are very good for dogs. BritishRetrieverTraining.com Newsletter / January 13, 2004 / Volume I, Number 10 Page 3
The bad news is that today s premium dog food market is very confused so confused it s difficult in many instances to determine whether the premium food a dog owner is purchasing (for an arm and a leg) is worth the money or whether it s a rip-off whose manufacturer places more emphasis on marketing than nutrition. Still, the biggest problem associated with today s premium dog food market is that people simply feed their dogs too much of the good food they purchase. Thus America s fat-dog problem. What to do? First, understand how to determine whether your dog is the proper weight. It s easy. Simply run your fingers alongside the dog s rib cage. If you can readily feel the dog s ribs, his/her weight is about right. This yellow Lab bitch Indie is her name is of an excellent weight. Notice around her rib cage there is no fat, only muscle. Typically, Americans keep their dogs too heavy, a result of the animals being overfed and lacking enough exercise. If instead you feel a layer of fat, the dog is too heavy. Meaning you will have to cut back on the food you feed and/or increase the dog s activity level. As with humans, the amount of food required by a dog varies from animal to animal. As a general rule, at our kennel we feed our adult dogs two cups of Science Diet Maintenance morning and late afternoon for a total of four cups daily. This regimen keeps most of our dogs at or about the correct weight. But dogs differ, one to another. BritishRetrieverTraining.com Newsletter / January 13, 2004 / Volume I, Number 10 Page 4
Jason, for instance, one of our primary breeding dogs, has to be kept a little heavy because he will go off his food for days at a time while he s breeding, during which he sheds weight quickly. Sage, on the other hand, one of Jason s sons, is a bigger dog that requires three cups morning and late afternoon to maintain his weight. Ditto with Griffen, who is also a large-framed dog. (When I say cup, I mean a level measuring cup full of food.) Some of our smaller female Labradors, on the other hand, can handle only 1.5 cups of food twice daily without gaining weight. Feed once or twice daily? Let s talk about feeding twice a day This dog Trooper carries his weight well. In vs. once. good shape, he is well muscled and very athletic. In my opinion, twice daily is Keeping him at a proper weight allows the dog to work to its fullest in the field when asked. Also, a better for a lot of reasons. physically fit dog is a healthy dog. One, it spreads out a dog s digestive activity over a longer period. Common sense (in my view) suggests this is better for a dog just as it would be for a human. Additionally, spreading a dog s food intake over a longer period reduces the chance he ll ever be afflicted with twisted stomach, which can kill. On the other hand, people who feed their dogs only once a day rarely can defend their action except to say it s more convenient for them. Iowa study ties overfeeding to hip problems A study not long ago at Iowa State University looked at incidences of hip dysplasia in Labradors. BritishRetrieverTraining.com Newsletter / January 13, 2004 / Volume I, Number 10 Page 5
It was a simple test in which a large group of Labrador puppies was divided in half. Each was fed the same type of food for two years, with one exception. One was fed quantity X, and the other was fed quantity X minus 25 percent. Result? The group fed less food had a significantly lower incidence of hip problems at 2 years of age than the group fed the larger amount. The short explanation for this is that diet makes a difference in the likelihood your dog will display a problem he/she might not otherwise display. Bottom line: Do yourself and your dog a favor and feed a premium food, but feed it sparingly until you determine the proper amount needed for him/her to stay fit. This does not mean you should hold food back from a puppy or growing dog. It does mean if you own a Labrador (and keeping in mind the Iowa study outlined above), you should be feeding one of the For Large Breed foods that were formulated specifically to keep Labs and other, similar breeds from growing too fast. Finally Opinions differ on whether to feed a dog table scraps. I say no. Others do it, seemingly with no or few problems. I think at least some dogs that have sensitive stomachs are made to have them because their owners are constantly switching foods and/or feeding various human foods. Based on my experience, I also think dogs with sensitive stomachs are rarely treated consistently or correctly, and as a result the problem tends to compound itself. Loose and running stools are the big issue here, and the best approach when this occurs (as it will from time to time with all dogs) is to remove all food from the dog for at least a day or even 36 hours. Meantime, take the dog to see a vet, who will check a fecal sample for parasites, etc., and perhaps run a blood test. Be careful in these instances to watch for dehydration, and when you begin feeding again, do so sparingly. Best to start in those instances with Science Diet ID or another very mild food, and/or rice that you prepare yourself. BritishRetrieverTraining.com Newsletter / January 13, 2004 / Volume I, Number 10 Page 6
My view is that dogs that are on consistent diets, meaning diets of the same premium food, day to day, fed in the same quantities, are quicker to respond to problems such as sensitive stomachs than are dogs fed table scraps and/or a mix of dog and human food. As always, forward your emails with concerns, questions, and issues you d like addressed. We even take complaints. Happy New Year! Best, Dennis Anderson Editor BritishRetrieverTraining.com This message and its attachments are the property of BritishLabradors.com TM and BritishRetrieverTraining.com TM and are intended only for the use of their subscribers. Its contents and attachments are protected by U.S. and international law, Copyright 2003, and are intended only for the private use of subscribers. No addressee may forward, print, copy or otherwise reproduce this message in any manner that would allow it to be viewed by any individual not originally listed as a recipient. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender and delete this message. BritishRetrieverTraining.com Newsletter / January 13, 2004 / Volume I, Number 10 Page 7