Overweight animals… Many animals are unfortunately overweight and with it comes series of health issues but I’m also seeing a lot of people go the opposite direction with some of their animals…especially some raw food feeders believe that skinny is the new healthy. Yes we want our animals LEAN…muscular but not under-fed and skinny.
Just like it is not good for an animal to be too fat…too thin isn’t good either. Those animals end up burning their own muscles/protein for energy.
So here’s my take on it…
A healthy looking pet whether it’s a cat, dog or horse should look like this…
1. You should be able to slightly see or feel ribs (short haired animals you may see ribs UPON TURNING OR MOVEMENT, NOT long haired ones as there should be full coverage so ribs should only be felt.
1. There should be no visible vertebrae/spine or hip bone – some breeds are bred leaner like a Greyhound so there may be a bit more PARTIAL visibility of the spine but not much…if you can count the bones your pet is too skinny no matter what the breed!
2. There should be some tucking in of the abdomen – not sausage like – but more like an hour glass when you look from the top. Too much tucking of the abdomen isn’t good either…balance is key!
3. Loss of muscle – mass…I see this often where the pet is so thin that they start to later lose the muscle. Not a good sign.
So, healthy weight is important…too fat not good but neither is too skinny. Animals should be fed 2-3% of their body weight – if the animal needs more due to age, activity level or illness that should be adjusted.Animals are better off a bit leaner than too much over but it is a fine line.
Also it is important to note it is very NORMAL for their to be small weight fluctuations here and there dependent on activity, food supply, stress etc. However, if you notice a big change all of a sudden have a vet take a closer look at is could mean serious disease.
As for the horses…they should go into winter a bit plumper so they can stay warmer and use these reserves through out those cold days…