Your dog's a little hefty? Ship it off to a doggy fat camp
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Shelby, a 2-year-old pug from Pleasanton, California after one too many Scooby snacks. Owner Winnie Wong put Shelby on a diet after three strangers commented that she had "such a cute, little, fat dog." (Courtesy of Winnie Wong)
Shelby, a 2-year-old pug from Pleasanton, California models her new body after losing a few pounds, a couple of weeks after owner Winnie Wong began her new low-cal diet. (Courtesy of Winnie Wong)
Beagles romp about behind Arden and Sue Bartlett's Erie, Pennsylvania home. The couple raises show-bound hunting beagles and recently lost their favorite family member -- Molly -- who had long suffered from weight problems. (Courtesy of Janeen Bedard)
Arden Bartlett holds one of his beagles. Bartlett and his wife Sue raise the show-bound hunting dogs at their home in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Courtesy of Janeen Bedard)
Todd Morrison relaxes with his new puppy Sugar at their home in West Virginia. Today, the 12-year-old beagle mix is ghastly overweight and finds it difficult to find the energy to play. (Courtesy of Todd Morrison)
Sugar, a 12-year-old beagle mix, spends most of her time sleeping. Hefty by way of a few too many snacks from grandma, Sugar lacks energy and when tossed on her back, can't roll over without a little help. (Courtesy of Todd Morrison)
Sugar, a 12-year-old beagle mix hangs out in her West Virginian backyard. Though his best friend has been overweight for several years, owner Todd Morrison said he wasn't sure any form of diet dog food or heavy exercise would really help. (Courtesy of Todd Morrison)
Sugar relaxes by the window of her West Virginian home. Owner Todd Morrison said the 12-year-old beagle mix has become extremely lethargic as she grows older and gains more weight. (Courtesy of Todd Morrison)
Sugar by the window of her West Virginian home. Owner Todd Morrison noticed his canine companion's weight problems a few years ago and said he wasn't sure how best to help out his family pet who now finds it difficult to roll over. (Courtesy of Todd Morrison)
Sugar poses in the light of her West Virginian home. She used to love romping around her family's backyard but is now a much loved, "lazy, fat thing in the corner," said owner T odd Morrison. (Courtesy of Todd Morrison)
Even if you could teach an old dog new tricks, Sugar wouldn’t be able to learn. The 12-year-old beagle mix used to love running around owner Todd Morrison’s backyard in West Virginia. But now, when the once lean Sugar lies on her back with all four paws in the air, she struggles to roll back onto her feet.
Sugar is not the only dog that cannot roll over. As the number of obese Americans rises, so does the number of their obese canine companions. With about 25 percent to 40 percent of American dogs overweight and owners too busy to attend to the activity needs of their pets, doggy fitness camps have popped up around the nation to tone up man’s best friend.
With a strict diet and streamlined exercise program, these dog spas and exercise camps try to get dogs and their owners into the groove of healthy eating and regular exercise.
Morrison said Sugar’s girth increased as she aged and ate too many snacks offered by loved ones like Morrison’s grandmother, who lives next door. Morrison said he was concerned about his dog's weight, but said it was difficult to resist throwing his best friend a snack or two during the day.
"She’s just kind of a fat thing that sits in the corner, but we still love her,” Morrison said. Though he has considered trotting Sugar off to one of several new doggy fitness camps, Morrison said he felt uncomfortable watching her struggle athletically.
Dr. Munir Kureshi, a veterinarian in Cupertino, Calif., estimated that 80 percent of his canine patients were overweight or obese. Those conditions can cause severe joint problems, like arthritis.
Most dogs gain weight after being spayed or neutered. But by the time a dog reaches age 6, the equivalent of age 40 in humans, the owners need to deal with any weight issues, veterinarians and animal experts say. Kureshi said the dogs’ habits mirror those of their owners and the owners can be in denial about their pets’ weight issues.
Ilene Robbins began her doggy day care service, Camp Ilene, in the early 1990s. The rise of obesity in dogs has increased her business and caused her to change some of her exercise techniques. With overweight or obese dogs, she is cautious about overexertion and exercises that can damage a dog's joints.
Robbins said owners can be reluctant to acknowledge their dogs' problems. After noticing one client’s dog was a bit chunky, she said the woman claimed her dog was “just a big girl” with “a lot of hair.”
“Oh my God, your dog is overweight,” Robbins recalled thinking. “It’s not the hair.”
Winnie Wong, a Web designer from Pleasanton, Calif., said she had grown concerned about her 2-year-old pug Shelby when three separate strangers approached her and remarked about what a “cute and fat dog” she had.
“I’m not fat, but my first reaction was, ‘How did I not see this?'” Wong said. “It was like if someone told me my kid was fat. It was like, ‘Hey, how dare you.’ It took a few times before we came full circle from denial to anger.”
With a special diet and stricter exercise regime-–much like Shelby would receive at a doggy fitness camp--the pug shed the three extra pounds and became much more spunky, Wong said.
Ami Moore, founder of Chicago’s Doggy Do Right 911, said she started a dog spa because “dogs mirror obesity in people.” Moore added that if an owner eats junk food the dog probably does, too.
Moore, who eats only raw meat and dairy products herself, said her 31-day program to help dogs shed extra pounds includes three walks a day on a treadmill and a special diet--the recipe is a company secret. All dogs must have a note from a veterinarian certifying the dog as overweight or obese. While Moore claims her dog clients lose all the weight they need to in a month, she said it was up to the owners to maintain the dog’s lifestyle.
Sue Bartlett and her husband, who raise hunting and show beagles at their home in Erie, Pa., lost a beagle named Molly five years ago, in part because of her weight problem. The 45-pound beagle-–an average beagle weighs 16 to 21 pounds--was often confused for the droopier and heavier set Bassett hound. When Bartlett tried weaning Molly off her favorite snack--bologna--Molly noshed on rat poison instead.
Low-carb and low-calorie food abounds in pet stores, but Robbins says it is particularly important for dog owners to be careful at snack time. “In America, people see food as a physical manifestation of love, and instead of saying, ‘I love you,’ they say, ‘Here, have a cookie,’” Robbins said. “‘I love you, here, have a doughnut.’”
E-mail: mhc2111@columbia.edu