Animals in the wild do not become obese other than as a temporary measure to hibernate. Excess weight can only occur if food intake exceeds energy and growth demands. For carnivores in the wild, a tremendous amount of energy is required to catch prey. They struggle to maintain body weight. They are not going to struggle even harder in order to become obese and thus less able to catch prey.
Contrast this with the modern urban pet. They are confined and don't ever have to expend more energy to obtain food than to beg, if even that. For most pets an easy meal is right in front of their noses 24-7. So we have removed the work necessary for a meal and provided a bottomless bowl. How could we depart from nature more than that?
Making things even worse is the carbohydrate nature of processed pet foods. When carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are continually eaten, blood sugar levels are always replete. These sugars are metabolized into energy reserve stores in the form of body fat. Since low blood sugar levels are a signal to burn fats, the lack of such a signal keeps the body fat stores put where they are. The conversion of excess food into body fat and the turning off of the signal to burn body fat (by a continual supply of carbohydrates) is what causes obesity.
And obesity is not an inconsequential matter. It goes hand in hand with a host of chronic degenerative diseases including dental disease, diabetes, arthritis, organ failure, skin and coat abnormalities, cancer, and early death.
The solution is to return to nature's pattern. Cats and dogs need exercise and should get it daily or their food should be dramatically reduced. Even fasting for a day here and there is great for sedentary pets since this is exactly what they would do in the wild.
The best pet food should be predominantly protein and fat. Increasing fat in the diet trains the body to both assimilate and burn fat. Properly designed processed foods containing carbohydrates are fine, but only in rotation.
No, there is no special diet you can feed at every meal to circumvent the above causes of obesity. Singular feeding of anything can just set your dog or cat up for a host of other health problems.
The best pet food high in protein and fat, fed in rotation and variety with fresh foods, and exercise, is the key to maintaining your pet's healthy weight
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Thought for the day: "Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later." – Mary Bly
Word for the day: obesity - noun: disease characterized by the accumulation of body fat beyond normal body weight. Obesity is primarily a modern epidemic, encouraged by a stagnant lifestyle and excess consumption of carbohydrate (starch and sugar) laden diets. Obesity predisposes to and exacerbates virtually every other disease.
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