Giving your dog or a cat a tasty piece of cheese or maybe even a small, yet very delicious biscuit can seem harmless; however, 25g of cheddar cheese may be around 124 calories for us, but to our furry family members it can mean a lot more and doing this regularly could be increasing their weight.
According to Hills, one cookie fed to a 20lb (9kg) dog (e.g. a Border Terrier) is around 50 – 60 calories, which seems like nothing; nevertheless, to the dog this is equivalent to an average sized women eating a beef burger in a bun with salad and sauce, which equates to around 500 – 700 calories; or in other words, a whole meal entirely!
If a cup of milk (230 – 240ml) was fed to a cat weighing 10lb (4.5kg), this would cost a human around 140 calories out of their daily allowance; nevertheless this scrummy treat for your cat can equate to the average sized woman eating 3 beef burgers, in a bun with salad and sauce; or in other words 1,500 – 2,100 calories, which goes over a woman’s daily food allowance in calories.
Click here to watch the short video which Hills have put together which shows other human to pet calorie ratios.
A dog’s daily calorie allowance is dependent on the breed of dog; however you can weigh your dog for free in our surgery and book in a nurse weight watcher clinic if you have any concerns about your dog’s weight. In fact, we offer this service with all our animals and will be able to sit down and chat with you about feeding habits, treats allowances and exercise. When your pet reaches their goal weight, they will also receive a certificate as congratulations!
If your pet is overweight, this can lead to a number of issues your pet may have in the future. These types of diseases include; heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. There are lots of factors to why your pet may be overweight; some dogs may put weight on due to it being winter and too cold, however, with increased exercise as the weather gets warmer, this weight should go back down to normal. Other reasons could include someone in the household giving naughty extras whilst cooking, or the leftover food causing the family pet to put on the pounds.
We have had some phenomenal results from some of our patients and some owners like to join in too and have a weigh day for themselves and their pet to see who has lost the most! We find this works well for people and their pets as the owner is exercising with their furry friend and they’re all eating healthy, well balanced foods.
If you are into making your own pet treats, take a look at this video by the RSPCA who have their own cat treat recipe! Click here to view.
If you would like any information on our range of complete and balanced foods for pets, please give us a call and we will be able to talk you through them.
