Madison
Abbotsford, BC, Canada

Maine Coons are known for being large. I have known plenty of healthy Maine Coons who weighed in at 15 pounds or more. And, in the course of my career, I have met two healthy cats who weighed more than 20 pounds. They were both Maine Coons.

To answer your question, a 22 pound cat is not normal. It is exceptional. Very few cats weigh that much.

However, it does not matter whether your cat is normal. What matters is whether his weight is healthy.

A 22 pound cat is roughly equivalent to a 250 pound person. Most 22 pound cats, and most 250 pound people, are overweight. But there are exceptions. For a very tall person, 250 pounds could be a healthy weight. And for a very large-framed cat, 22 pounds could be fine.

Remember that obesity in cats is linked to a number of serious medical conditions such as diabetes, kidney failure and bladder inflammation. I recommend that you have a vet assess your cat’s weight. If his weight is fine, then don’t worry. If he is overweight, discuss weight control measures with your vet.

Photo: Chloe’s weight looks fine to me.

Dolores
Kingstown

An old adage holds that one can lead a horse to water but one can’t make it drink. Cats are not horses. One can neither lead them to water (or food) nor make them drink (or eat).

Some cats develop strong food preferences. These cats may resist diet changes. In my experience, the best way to transition cats from one food to another is to do it very gradually. Dolores, try mixing a small amount of dry food in with the wet. If your cat eats the mixture, you can increase the proportion of dry food a bit each day. After several days, you may have switched him to dry food without him realizing it.

Or, you may not have. Some cats don’t fall for the trick. If your cat is in this group, you may want to try other brands of dry food. Or, you could continue to feed wet food and dedicate a few minutes of each day to brushing his teeth to combat dental disease (wet food promotes dental problems more rapidly than dry food).

I should point out that in the case of the health benefits and risks of dry food v. wet food, the jury is still out. Wet food has been linked to dental disease and hyperthyroidism (so have home made diets). Dry food may be linked to obesity.

Jude
Union Springs

I suspect that your dog is suffering from demodicosis, or puppy mange. You can find out all about it on my new website.

http://drbarchas.com/demodex

What can be causing my dog to constantly lick her
paws and backside?

Jessica
Woodbridge, NJ

Excessive licking usually is caused by itching. What you ask, causes itching in pets? That information is available on my new website. Check it out!

http://drbarchas.com/itching

My nine-year-old mixed breed dog Panda has for the
last couple of years developed a sort of facial
tic – her lower jaw will jerk up and down as if
she was cold and chattering her teeth. She does it
more and more frequently and I’ve even noticed
her doing it in her sleep. Should I be concerned?

Terry
Chattanooga, TN

I don’t think you should be concerned. Jaw chattering usually is a form of trembling. Read all about it on my new website.

http://drbarchas.com/trembling

Dear Dr. Barchas,
I have two miniature Dachshunds. They are mates,
and they are both 10 years old. They are obese.
The male, George, weighs 20 pounds, and the
female, Gracie, weighs 19 pounds. They are both
trained to relieve themselves outside. They very
rarely ever make a mess inside the house unless
we have to leave them home alone for some reason,
although we always try to take them with us when
we go somewhere as much as possible. I have
noticed in the last couple of weeks that Gracie
has begun to urinate in the house, and in our
vehicle. She has NEVER done this before! Both
George and Gracie sleep with us at night, in our
bed. I have had to wash our sheets about four times
in the last two weeks because she has urinated on
our sheets and covers. Do you know what would be
making her do this? Should I be alarmed and take
her to her vet, or is it just because she is
getting older? Thank you so very much!
Sincerely,

Sherry
Louisville, Tenn.

Do I even need to say it? Read about inappropriate canine urination here:

http://drbarchas.com/canine_housesoiling

And read about canine obesity here:

http://drbarchas.com/canine_obesity

Please always feel welcome to search my website for answers to your pet-related questions. It’s completely free! Everyone is also welcome to enjoy the photo galleries, and to submit photos of your own to

petpeoplephotos@yahoo.com

for publication on the site. By submitting photos you grant me the right to publish them.

Feline diabetes is similar to type 2 (adult onset) diabetes in humans. Obesity is a known risk factor for the disease.

Many people, including many veterinarians, have speculated that commercial cat foods, especially dry foods, also contribute to the development of diabetes in cats.

In the wild, cats eat a diet that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Commercial foods, especially dry foods, have high levels of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are readily converted to sugar in the body. Therefore, chronically high levels of carbohydrates in feline diets may contribute to the development of diabetes.

In theory, this makes sense. However, theories like this are easy to test. Take two groups of cats: one that eats dry food, another that eats wet food. Control for confounding variables such as obesity, age and breed. Compare rates of diabetes.

The April, 2008 NAVC Clinician’s Brief contains a summary of just such a study. From the summary:

Analysis of data . . . showed no significant correlation between dry food consumption and development of [diabetes mellitus]. Since dry cat food has a much greater carbohydrate content than canned, high carbohydrate intake also did not appear to be a risk factor.

In my opinion the conclusion that carbohydrate consumption is not linked to diabetes may be a bit of a stretch (I feel that the study was not comprehensive enough to draw such a broad conclusion). However, the study does provide solid evidence that dry food is not specifically linked to increased risk of diabetes.

Lauren and the majorly obese Lucy
Elwood, IN

Getting weight off a pet is never fun or easy. It requires dedication and persistence. Many people with overweight pets simply don’t make an effort to do something about the problem.

But you don’t sound like one of those people. You are feeding Lucy diet food, and it sounds like she is getting plenty of exercise. What is going on here?

You may be over-feeding her. If a dog eats too much of any food (even diet food), she will gain weight. Also, Lucy could be tapping into other sources of food. Children and elderly family members sometimes feed the dog on the sly. So do neighbors. Also, Lucy might be stealing your other dog’s food, so be sure to feed them separately.

Lucy also may not be getting as much exercise as it seems. She has access to a lot of land, and most Cattle Dogs love physical activity. But, are you certain that she’s not spending her days lounging rather than playing? If she is, you may need to engage in more physical activities with her.

Finally, I am suspicious that Lucy may have a medical issue that is contributing to her weight problem. Six-year-old dogs are at risk for a problem with the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) that can cause serious weight gain. If she has this problem, it will be almost impossible for her to lose weight. However, hypothyroidism is easy to treat.

I recommend that you have a vet take a look at Lucy and run some blood tests. Otherwise, you may never get her weight under control.

America’s obesity epidemic is spreading to the nation’s zoos. Veterinary nutritionists report that gorillas, lions, and other zoo dwellers have been packing on the pounds, prompting many zoos to bring in diet and fitness experts to help them create a healthier lifestyle for their captives.

Wild animals are almost never overweight. They spend most of their waking hours searching for food, and that consumes energy. As well, food in the wild is scarce. These factors combine to make obesity almost unknown in the wild.

However, captive animals become unwilling metaphorical couch potatoes. They get much less exercise, and their food is provided regularly.

I have worked with and visited many zoos, and I know that they are doing their best with limited space, money, and resources. Zoos are vital for helping humans connect with and respect animals, and for maintaining genetic diversity in species whose habitats are threatened or gone. It is not possible for a zoo to provide a tiger with the space that the big cat truly needs. The tiger exhibit would take up many square miles, and no visitors would ever see the tiger in such a large habitat.

So, what can the zoos do? They are attempting to reduce the calories that are offered, and to increase the exercise that each inhabitant gets. As well, they are modifying their training protocols. From the article:

Zoo trainers who have traditionally used treats such as molasses and granola bars to coax or reward animals are starting to rely instead on low-calorie offerings such as sugar-free Jell-O and alfalfa biscuits.

As well, Gregroy K Ogilvie, DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine, Oncology) points out in an article in the January/February issue of California Veterinarian that fit pets are less likely to suffer from cancer. The following quote is from the article.

[M]aintenance of lifelong lean body mass has been shown to delay the onset of cancer.

“Delaying the onset” is another way of saying preventing.

I realize that in many cases keeping your pet thin is easier said than done. But this article points out one more reason why it’s worth trying.