Up to 40% of the dogs in the United Statesare considered overweight. In surveys conducted regarding pet body types (ideal, overweight, obese), about half of owners with obese pets said their pets were at an ideal body weight. Because we equate food with love, we're killing our pets with kindness. Research shows that losing just 20% percent of excess weight results in a 50% percent improvement in pet health and less arthritis. Also, pets kept at their ideal body weight have been shown to live 15% percent longer then their overweight counterparts, which is an average of two years. Unfortunately diet restriction and increased activity does not always work, especially in our post-operative orthopedic patients where exercise restriction is a must.
For the “nothing seems to work cases”, there is a new drug called Slentrol that has shown promise as a weight loss aid in dogs. It is a prescription drug, so it can only be obtained through a veterinarian. Slentrol should be used in conjunction with traditional weight loss plans and only after your dog has been examined by a veterinarian to rule out underlying illness. Slentrol is a once-a-day oral liquid that can be administered alone or with small amounts of food. Once ingested, Slentrol targets fat digestion in the small intestine. It keeps some of the fat from being absorbed into the body, so your pet senses that it’s full and eats less at each meal. A less-hungry dog takes in fewer calories, which leads to weight loss.
Slentrol is a very new drug, but preliminary work assessing safety has been extremely promising. In controlled clinical trials, the major side effect was mild vomiting, which usually only occurred at the beginning of treatment. In addition, some study subjects showed elevations of certain liver enzymes, but these elevations were not associated with clinical disease.
In addition to its safety, research also supports Slentrol’s effectiveness for weight loss. In two controlled, multi-site field studies using client owned dogs, almost all the dogs lost weight. In the one study, the average weight loss was 3% per month with over half of the study participants losing 11% or more of there starting body weight in 4 months.
