What to Give that Picky Pet for Christmas?

Millionairecorner.com reports that Americans will spend about $55.5 billion on their pets this year and not just on necessities such as nutrition, veterinary care and grooming. Petsmart, for example, has reported it sold $1.9 million worth of goods and services in the fourth quarter alone suggesting holiday shopping for pets is big business. I am certainly not immune to the desire for my pooches and kitties to find a little something special under the Christmas tree. However, I will wait until the absolute last minute to hide the goodies under the tree for fear their excellent noses will sniff out the treats early and ruin the surprise!

What sorts of things do people buy for their pets? You needn't head to the pet store to find holiday-themed pet products. Major discount chains, department stores and on-line retailers also offer a wide variety of Christmas stockings for canine and feline family members, commemorative ornaments, festive clothing and holiday treats. Just as for my human kids, my furry family members are usually treated to things they need anyway: pet beds, new collars and leashes, chewy treats and toys.

Here are a few of my favorite things that my pets will enjoy this holiday season:

Cat playing with remote-controlled mouse

Cheeks checks out a remote-control mouse (RunawayRascal by SmartyKat) that we gave her earlier this month -- a St. Nick's present! This motorized mouse is so easy to control my preschooler can run it. 

Another favorite toy in our feline household is anything catnip. These toys get very ratty with love over time. A word of caution about homemade catnip toys, however. One feline patient of mine so adored a baby sock brimming with dried home-grown catnip he rubbed his chin positively raw!

Two examples of kibble-filled toys for dogs

My dogs go absolutely wild for this type of food-dispensing toy. The football drops pieces of kibble out as the dog rolls it around on the floor. Yellow Labrador EdGrrr obsessively carried his prized football everywhere and it has since been run over in the driveway. A replacement football (or similar toy) is on his Christmas wish list!

American Bulldog Guppy depends on his daily kibble-stuffed Kong (left) to keep him occupied while human family members are at work and school. Each night I plug the tiny hole on the bottom with peanut butter, place the Kong in a reusable cup and load it with his regular kibble. Next I drizzle the kibble with water and place the entire thing in the freezer overnight. By morning, Guppy has a frozen pup-sicle treat that he licks, chews and nibbles at all day long. Don't like peanut butter? Cheez Whiz, mashed banana or a variety of Kong Stuff'n flavors are also suitable for plugging the small hole. For pets with food allergies I recommend plugging the hole with a small amount of hypoallergenic or limited antigen canned food. 

Food puzzles are not just fun for the holidays. I regularly recommend that my clients invest in kibble-dispensing toys for their dogs and cats with obesity and behavioral problems. Naturally, for overweight pets, the food used in a puzzle toy should be part of the daily calorie allotment. For example, if your fat cat should eat no more than 1/3 cup of dry food per day, the puzzle's contents should be taken from the measuring cup before you place it in the bowl. Chasing a kibble-dispensing ball around the room provides physical and mental stimulation most indoor felines lack. You might have to demonstrate how to operate the toy for your kitty first. 

Dogs with more energy than you know what to do with can also benefit from puzzle toys. Physical activity is not the only way to burn off energy. Mental challenges such as training and puzzles also can tire out an overactive pup. An internet search for "puzzle toys for dogs" will yield an unbelievable array of creative products.

As you search for stocking stuffers and last-minute holiday gifts for your pets, please read labels and directions carefully. With recent recalls of jerky treats derived from China, I would carefully avoid any edible treat produced in China. Avoid giving your dog bones and hard nylon bones to chew, because these objects frequently cause painful and costly dental problems. Practice caution with animal-derived chewies such as pig ears and rawhides because they can carry pathogens like Salmonella that may make you or your pet ill. Although generally well-tolerated by pets, restrict their use to a designated, easily-cleaned area and wash your hands after handling the items. Monitor the use of any toy or treat and discard items that are becoming worn out. The label claim "indestructible" seems to be a challenge for some pets. The last thing you want for Christmas is an unexpected veterinary bill for a broken tooth or intestinal obstruction! 

Help! I turned my back for 3 months and my dog got FAT!

EdGrrr the Athlete, 2007

EdGrrr, my 6-yr-old Labrador retriever, used to have the body of an athlete. No. Not just an athlete. A marathon runner. He was lean and mean. He had a lovely hourglass figure and was he ripped! Some people thought he was too skinny because, unfortunately, the breed standard for Labradors has been a somewhat thick and chunky variety of dog. While I battled baby bulge myself, I was so proud of my young lab's fitness and physique.

Then this summer, while I was building my vet clinic, EdGrrr went and got fat. And not just fat, but I-finally-weighed-him-on-my-clinic-scale twenty pounds fat! I'm not sure how I missed it, but now that he is chubby it has been a true challenge to whittle away the pounds.

EdGrrr the Tub, 2011

Although I have always measured my dogs' food and fed twice daily meals, avoided people food and shied away from regular treats, EdGrrr had plenty of help in the additional calorie department. His chummy personality and eager expression earned him a sandwich (or two) a day from members of the clinic work crews. Of course, I didn't learn this until after the work was done. To be fair, they played more fetch with him in three months than he's had in the previous three years.

I can't blame the workers entirely for the obesity-fueling excesses. EdGrrr, a farm dog through and through, finds calories in the darnedest places: a little grain from the feedlot steers here, a few compost heap veggies there, and a dead deer for dessert. I'm starting to feel like EdGrrr will foil my best efforts at dieting him no matter what I do.

So in spite of my failure at keeping my own dog at a healthy weight, here are some tips for your pet's diet:

1. Feed your pet distinct meals each day rather than keeping the bowl full. Many pets just can't resist another trip to the all-you-can-eat buffet. (Sound familiar?)
2. Use a true 8-ounce measuring cup to feed a precise amount of food as directed on your pet food bag (or by your veterinarian). The range on the pet food bag is often quite broad (such as "For a 40-60 lb dog feed 3-5 cups per day") so you will have to use your best judgement. Remember the amount is the total daily amount and you will have to divide that by the number of meals you feed a day.
3. If your pet is on a diet, make sure that you are feeding an amount meant for her ideal or goal weight, not her current weight.
4. Make sure chubby is on an adult maintenance diet (see Nutrition 101 for help selecting a pet food). "All life stages" foods are essentially puppy/kitten diets and won't help an obese-prone pet lose weight.
5. Watch the people food. It's really hard to gauge how many extra calories are being consumed by pets that lick the plates clean after dinner or receive tasty tidbits from Mom, Dad or human siblings throughout the day. Some types of people food are outright toxic for pets, so best to avoid it altogether.
6. Go easy on the treats. Of course you can still give treats. But your pet loves receiving a gift from you not the gift itself! So, if you can break that Milkbone biscuit (a doggie "candy bar" incidentally) into smaller pieces do it. Or choose a low calorie treat; the pet stores are full of them! In the really hard cases, you should eliminate treats and just offer a few pieces of your pet's daily allotment of kibble (chances are he won't know or care it's just his regular food).
7. Exercise. Enough said.
8. Once you've made one or more changes to your pet's diet you can weigh her periodically (say, once a month) to monitor progress. If your pet is small enough and you have a bathroom scale at home you can weigh her by holding her and then subtracting your own weight. For bigger animals you may need to schedule a weight check at your veterinary clinic (there probably won't be a charge for this...just ask!)
9. If your pet is not losing weight and you've really -- and I mean, really -- implemented the above tips religiously, please have a chat with your veterinarian. There are several treatable medical conditions that cause unrelenting obesity that can be diagnosed with a thorough examination and blood tests.

As 2012 dawns and I make my own New Year's resolutions to eat better and exercise more, I vow to get EdGrrr to a healthy weight as well. I may not have his full cooperation, but I do know that if I go out jogging he will be my willing companion. Then I can at least cross #7 off the list!

Have a wonderful New Year!