Tasty treats tack on plenty of pet pounds

Published 6:00 am Monday, December 11, 2006

The pleading eyes, plaintive whines and groveling tug atpeople’s hearts until they acquiesce, giving up a tasty treat totheir pets.

However, local veterinarians say they may not be doing theirpets any favors. Not only could the treats contribute to a weightproblem, but they could also cause mild to severe medicalcomplications.

“There’s a tendency to slip Fido that extra treat, typically ahuman treat. But that’s really not wise,” said Dr. William Kimble,a veterinarian at the Animal Medical Center. “We don’t see as muchof cats getting the extra food as we do dogs because they’re farmore finicky.”

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“We want our pets to enjoy Christmas with us, but let’s keep itin moderation,” he urged . “It is much easier to prevent obesitythan to treat obesity.”

Pets, like humans, tend to tack on the pounds during the holidayseason because of the treats. However, pets that put on worrisomepounds are generally already obese, Kimble said. That’s becausethey’re not just getting treats during the holidays.

“Obesity is not just external. It’s also an internal problem,but that’s not as obvious,” he said. “Fat gets deposited around theheart and other organs and that’s where many of their medicalproblems arise.”

Dr. Linda Farris-Guy, a veterinarian at the Animal HealthCenter, agreed.

“Most of the extra calories will come from the table scraps,”she said.

There are several ways people can help their pets shed thoseunwanted pounds and they will all be familiar to those who havedieted before.

Obviously, Kimble said, reducing the number of snacks to aminimum is the first step.

Playing with or walking the pet will also help.

“We need to promote exercise and encourage some activity,”Kimble said. “Anything that gets him moving.”

In addition, he said, weight reduction diets for pets can befound at most retailers.

It’s typically not the volume of the treats during the holidaysthat contribute to the weight, but the richness of the food and thechange of diet.

“It’s not so much that it was bad for them, but it’s the majorchange in diet that causes it. It changes the digestive processes,”Kimble said.

Major diet changes can sometimes cause pancreatitis, aninflammation of the pancreas.

“Once the pancreas gets inflamed they can get real sick andrequire hospitalization. They can even die,” Farris-Guy said.

Then there’s the temptation to treat the dog to those juicy hamor turkey bones, she said.

“If a dog can chew up a bone, they don’t need to eat it becauseit can cause serious problems,” Farris-Guy said. “Bone splinterscan cause internal bleeding or obstructions. We have had tosurgically go in and remove bone and bone fragments.”

Although any food in excess can become dangerous to pets,certain foods can be lethal in much smaller amounts, Farris-Guysaid.

Most people are aware chocolate is poisonous to dogs, shesaid.

“It really only takes a very small amount of that,” theveterinarian said. “Some dogs can die within 12 to 36 hours if theyconsume enough of it.”

Gastrointestinal upsets that cause vomiting or diarrhea canoccur within two to four hours after a dog consumes chocolate.Major consumption of chocolate leads to restlessness, stiffness andexcitement and could progress to seizures after 12 to 36 hours.

“The seizures are at the end stage. When they start havingseizures they’re in trouble and need a vet immediately,” Farris-Guysaid.

Pets are also drawn to alcoholic beverages and those should beplaced well out of reach of lapping tongues, she said. The smell ofbeer is especially attractive to dogs.

Even some holiday plants could pose a danger to pets, she said.Cats are especially attracted to new plants and susceptible totheir poisons.

“One leaf off of a poinsettia can kill a child or pet,”Farris-Guy said. “It’s part of the nightshade family. Mistletoe isalso bad.”