Veterinary Medicine - September 2007 - (Page S4)

CANINE OBESITY more stools. I also use water as a diluent on top of the high fiber. For dogs that eat their meal in 30 seconds, the water slows them down, and they experience a transient satiety effect. As a rule of thumb, our nutritional goal would be to provide one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. For extremely obese patients, it can be impossible to meet this protein level using the patient’s current “overweight” status. Therefore the minimum amount of protein the diet should provide is 1 g/lb body weight using the estimated healthy lean weight, or target body weight. This would probably mean 35% or more of the calories are from dietary protein, or about 30% protein in a low calorie food. Laflamme: If the diet for weight loss has insufficient protein, can you physically see the loss of muscle without a comparable loss of body fat? Churchill: Yes, we call it “overcoat syndrome,” a loss of lean mass with excess body fat. Remillard: They may weigh less on the scale, but the wrong tissue (i.e., muscle mass) is being lost. Buzhardt: We tell clients that we want the pets to lose fat, not muscle. Churchill: Especially orthopedic cases. Laflamme: What about carbohydrate restriction? Is there a benefit when we are talking about weight management for dogs? Remillard: The carbohydrate can be broken down into two categories. One is fiber, which we prefer to see increased. The other is the more digestible carbohydrate. But, the only way to effectively reduce the caloric density of a food is to decrease fat, so carbohydrate has to increase as a percentage. Dr. Julie Churchill “Obesity is like having chronic low-level inflammation, which may contribute to many of the chronic diseases we see in overweight or obese dogs.” Laflamme: Why is protein so critical? All essential nutrients are important. Is protein more important in weight-management diets than other nutrients? Remillard: If you restrict intake of a maintenance diet based on calories, the first nutrient deficiency you would see is protein according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the National Research Council. Laflamme: So calorie restriction with a standard maintenance diet might not be appropriate for weight loss because it offers insufficient protein? Remillard: Oh, definitely. Churchill: You see it as lean muscle wasting. In addition to body condition scoring, I am starting to use muscle condition scoring. We do it intuitively, but you can see the temporal muscles start to atrophy if protein needs aren’t met. The fat mass is maintained and lean muscle underneath depletes. Laflamme: So if I can summarize, an ideal weightloss diet for most animals is low in fat and high in protein and fiber. If an animal cannot tolerate a high-fiber diet then using water to dilute calories is another alternative. New weight-management drugs Laflamme: Let's shift gears and talk about the new drugs coming on the market. One is approved, but others are in development. These are the first weight management drugs for use in dogs. Their main effect is a satiety effect. They decrease food intake. Under what conditions would you use one of these drugs? Buzhardt: I would change the diet and increase exercise before I'd recommend using the drug. I'd depend on the diligent efforts of the client to reduce the dog's weight through conventional means first. But if those efforts weren't successful in an obese animal, I'd consider using the drug. I think it is an excellent jump start to a weight-loss program for a frustrated owner and an animal that is in dire need of weight loss. Laflamme: Why wouldn't you start treatment with the drug? 4

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - September 2007

Contents Letters Leading Off The Veterinary Medicine Interview: Dr. William J. Kay Idea Exchange Practical Matters Salivary Mucoceles in Cates: A Retropspective Study of Seven Cases Hyperlipidemia in Dogs and Cats Purina Insert The Latest Management Recommendations for Cats and Dogs with Nonketotic Diabetes Mellitus CE Form Product Preview Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - September 2007

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