What are the differences between light dog food and a diet for obesity?

Although owners do not like to admit it, obesity is a disease in itself and should be treated with a specific veterinary plan. Pet owners often fall into the trap of believing that light dog food is enough to control their pet’s obesity.

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The vet’s duties when dealing with obesity include creating an individualised plan for each dog that takes into account different energy needs, variability in physiological resistance to weight loss and the likelihood of regaining weight that is lost.

However, a well-designed weight-loss plan is not enough, as veterinary surgeons must also ensure that the dog’s owner is motivated and that continuous monitoring and guidance is in place to encourage adherence to the programme.

Several programmes have been especially designed to meet these needs by calculating the target weight and ideal rate of weight loss, and how to achieve this step by step. Affinity Petcare offers Obesity Management, a free weight-loss programme with a nutritionist that is designed for weekly monitoring of multiple patients at the same time.

One of the determining factors when reducing a patient’s weight is the choice of a good diet that provides weight loss and maintenance. Let’s have a look at the essential characteristics.

What makes a good diet for obesity or overweight?

Dietary intervention with restriction of energy intake is the only effective means of reducing the dog’s weight. A restriction of 25% not only reduces weight and body mass, but also manages to lower serum triglycerides and triiodothyronine, insulin and glucose levels, all markers of ageing. Dietary intervention is more effective when combined with physical activity, so owners are encouraged to increase how much their dog exercises as part of the weight-loss programme.

However, in dietary interventions, simply reducing the amount of food is not good practice, as besides failing to satiate the pet and actually making it feel hungrier, it can lead to a deficiency in essential nutrients.

The ideal solution is to use a special veterinary diet that:

• Addresses the feeling of fullness: by increasing the protein and medium-chain fatty acid content
• Reduces the energy density: by increasing fibre and reducing fat intake.
• Is palatable.

“Not all “light dog foods” are able to control obesity. Correct management of the disease involves a veterinary diet and an individualized treatment plan.”

Which nutrients are important in a weight-loss diet?

Some of the nutritional strategies used in diets for obesity include:

Increase the water content and/or reduce the physical density of dry food.

Reduce the intake of high glycaemic index carbohydrates to avoid problems controlling blood glucose.

Increase protein intake; proteins improve body composition, by helping preserve lean mass. This is important in the long term as energy expenditure depends on muscle mass. Protein also increases satiety. No studies have found that increasing protein intake in dogs leads to kidney problems.

Omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids balance: a ratio of between 5 and 10 in dogs reduces the production of inflammatory mediators, typical of the proinflammatory state associated with obesity.

Medium-chain fatty acids such as coconut oil: these increase energy expenditure, improve the feeling of satiety and promote weight control if used to replace long-chain fatty acids.

Rich in fibre: lower energy density, delayed gastric emptying, slow nutrient absorption (soluble nutrients), larger food bolus (insoluble nutrients), helps reduce postprandial glycaemia in diabetes and blood lipids, increases satiety.

Antioxidants: counteract the oxidative stress caused by obesity which can provoke concomitant diseases.

L-carnitine: contributes to fatty acid oxidation in mitochondria, improving weight loss and reducing fat mass.