Laura Cooke is a veterinary student at UCD who was kind enough to give a very detailed interview. A transcript can be found below but the main points were:
1) Feed twice daily
2)Walk small dogs 25-30 mins
3) Large dogs 60mins
4)2014 53% of dogs were classed as obease
5)A target 1-2% weight loss a week
Full Interview:
Dog Project
- Categories of dog?
2 different ways to categorise dog breeds. First way is through the Kennel Club classification. Its more specific than the general day to day way we categorise dogs. Kennel club classification is split into groups based on what the breed was originally used for. They are as follows:
Gundog-Trained to hunt game. Example: Retrivers, spaniels, pointers, setters.
Hound-Used for hunting by scent/sight. Example: Whippet, greyhound
Pastoral-Herding dogs. Example: Collie (Border, Rough), Samoyeds.
Terrier-Hunting vermin. Example: Fox terrier, Airedale, Bedlington
Toy-Companions/lap dogs. Example: King Charles, maltese, bichon fries
Utility-Miscellaneous breeds, very varied and non-specific. Example: Dalmation, poodle, chow chow.
Working-Search and rescue, guard dogs. Example: St. Bernard, Newfoundland.
Many dogs are interchangeable between groups. Example: Shih Tzu technically falls under utility in KC classification but could be seen as a toy breed due to size/disposition.
Second more general way of classifying dogs is by their size. 4 caterogies.
Small- 2-10kg-Chihauhah, king Charles, maltese
Medium- 10-15kg- Cocker spaniel
Large- 15-50kg- Labrador
Giant- 50kg+ Great Dane, Leonberger, Newfoundland
Less specific but more commonly used because it’s straight forward. Important in practice because weight is used all the time to determine amounts of medication required.
- How often should you feed?
Twice daily is the rule of thumb. Puppies should be fed little and often so 3-4 times daily is suitable for young pups up to about 6 months old.
- How often should you walk dogs?
Generally size/breed/age health status dependent. Active breeds like huskys, akitas. Labradors should be walked for at least 1 hour daily. Sometimes more if extremely active. Smaller less active breeds, 25-30 minutes would suffice. That being said if a large active breed such as a lab is old or suffering any musculoskeletal abnormalities (Arthritis) then obviously the time should be adjusted to suit the dog’s needs. On the other hand, a small dog such as a jack Russell may be very active and able to walk for an hour without tiring. It’s difficult to give a straight answer because there is so many variables but the rule of thumb says 60 mins/day.
- What’s the most common health problem with dogs?
Again a lot of the time it comes down to the breed. Labradors are notorious for developing arthritis in later life. King Charles are famous for dodgy hearts and murmurs especially mitral valve regurgitation. Boxers and other dogs with brachycephalic skulls (king Charles, English bull dogs) are known for developing breathing issues associated with an elongated soft palette and stenotic nares (narrow nostril “holes”), called brachycephalic airway syndrome. Most commonly in practice it’s musculoskeletal issues (arthritis, luxations, breaks/fractures), gastrointestinal upsets (eating socks, breaking into a press full of food etc), cardiovascular (murmurs, disease), endocrine (diabetes mellitus), oncological issues (prostate/testicular neoplasia in unneutered males and mammary neoplasia in unneutered females). Again it’s very hard to pin down 1 specific thing, they’re the ones I’ve seen the most anyway in practice.
- Is obesity a major problem?
In recent years it has become a major issue. In 2014 53% of dogs were classified as overweight or obese. Obesity predisposes dogs to a whole load of medical issues and because of this should be treated as a form of malnutrition. Diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, osteoarthritis, skeletal and respiratory difficulties such as tracheal collapse. These are some of the conditions that can be caused or worsened by obesity. A study shows that on average obese pets live 2 years less than dogs of desired weight.
- Other Info
There are special obesity diets available for overweight dogs, eg Royal Canin obesity. The food reacts with the stomach acid so it “inflates” in the stomach in the hope that the dog will feel more full and eat less. They also provide all the nutrients required along with fewer calories. It is better to use these instead of just feeding a dog less of it normal food.
Carrots, apples and chicken are a good substitute for standard dog treats that are high in fat and sugar.
There are special bowls that you can buy that make it difficult for the dog to eat, they are forced to eat more slowly. The idea is that the message of fullness will ne sent to the brain before the dog gorges itself.
Neutered dogs should be fed 10% less food than they were fed before neutering. The reproductive organs are highly metabolically active and use a lot of energy to produce hormones, gonads etc.
For a dog to lose weight it is recommended that you feed the dog based on its goal weight. Example, a dog weighing 15kg needs to lose 5 kg, therefore you feed it like it already weighs 10kg.
A target weight loss of 1-2% per week is ideal.
Degree over obesity/malnutrition is determined by its body condition score. The table comes up on google images. The ideal for any dog breed is 3- although the “3” will obviously be different depending on the breed.
More forms of exercise than just walking. Hydrotherapy is great for older, overweight dogs that might also be suffering from arthritis.
Many practices run free weight clinics for overweight pets.
A dog being walked off the lead may cover almost double the distance than when on the lead.
Some breeds are more predisposed to overeating than others. Small lap dogs such as bichons are known to be picky whereas Labradors will basically eat all day everyday. It is thought that they lack the capacity to ever feel full.
3 types of food: Dry (3-11% moisture, 89-97% dry matter), Semi-moist (25-35% moisture, 65-75% dry matter), Moist (60-87%+ moisture, 13-40% dry matter).
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) - amount of energy expended by the animal at rest in a thermoneutral environment.
Resting metabolic rate (RER)- amount of energy required to maintain homeostasis (internal environment remains at a constant such as body temperature and ph) while at rest in calm, thermoneutral environment. Calculated with formula: RER=70 X (bodyweight in kg)0.75
Maintenance energy requirement (MER)- Energy requirement of moderately active adult in thermoneutral environment. Includes energy for digestion, absorption and spontaneous exercise.
Hope this helps, anything else you need don’t be afraid to give me a shout ☺
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