- November 4, 2022
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- 9 minutes read
Weight management in a shelter environment – Hometown Focus
Staff
Animal shelters provide transitional housing for animals that are needing forever homes.
It is very easy for an animal living in a shelter for any length of time to gain unhealthy amounts of weight. It is not any one person’s fault that some of these animals gain weight. Unfortunately for some of these animals, their stay in shelters is longer than others.
Shelter pets come in for a variety of reasons. Some people don’t get them spay/neutered and large litters come in. Some are abandoned, some have medical needs and, unfortunately, there are some that come in because of the death of their person and no other family members want to take on the chore of caring for them.
Some animals who make their way into shelters can go through a depression bout and lose their desire to interact with their people. Some may find food as a comfort just as some humans do.
We just need to be mindful of their individual stories. Some animals come to the shelter in obese conditions and others can be near starvation. Either condition requires special care where the shelter and a veterinary clinic work together in order to provide the right treatment.
The large number of animals currently living in shelters is increasing daily. The animals being cared for by staff and volunteers get the basic care and some exercise/ play time. However, most don’t get the one-on-one time to help keep them active and stimulated as they would in a home.
Quality exercise time can be overlooked but is so very important for a healthy life. Taking dogs on daily walks is the easiest way to maintain an exercise regimen. Each dog is different, but meeting their exercise requirement is the most important aspect.
Where possible, animal shelters have fenced in areas to throw a ball or play to burn off energy and interact as a way of socializing dogs. With winter approaching, staff and volunteers may find it less desirable to take these animals for a long walk.
Most animals in shelters get about 15 to 30 minutes daily interacting with the staff or volunteers. Shelters tend to the basic needs of providing food, water, a clean cage and then move on to the next.
Most times the dogs are put outside in a kenneled area to play while their area is being cleaned. A quick walk, toss of a ball and then back into their area. There are times when shelter staff or volunteers are busy, and some may just give more food/treats than needed out of guilt for not spending more quality time with them or because they feel sorry for them being at the shelter. Over feeding is the easiest way to promote overweight pets.
Cats nap frequently. Between naps, cats still need short periods of interactive play. Great tools to have on hand are toys, cat towers, or lasers. Having a room or area set aside for interactions with people through play will help promote weight control as well as socialization.
Overweight animals are sometimes considered as cute and are often associated with familiar breeds. The reality is that for many of our overweight pets, there is a list of health issues that can and will occur.
Extra weight puts stress on their bodies and can cause issues such as ruptured ligaments, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), diabetes, some cancers, liver and kidney disease, arthritis, increased surgery risk, and heart disease.
Here are a few easy tips to keep your pet happy and healthy in addition to those mentioned above:
• Treats and snacks are an easy trap to fall into with the variety offered in stores. Probably the most difficult part of keeping your pet’s weight reasonable is not giving in to the begging or constant showering of snacks as a reward for good behavior.
Choosing healthy treats is a simple and quick fix! Just like in people, pet treats contain sugar and additives. Consider an apple slice, carrots, or green beans. These healthy treats are often well received and can be added to meals as well. The healthier the option, the more your pet can have without worrying about health concerns.
• Meal choices. Vets recommend purchasing well-balanced, reliable food that has
been researched and tested before getting put on store shelves. Most brands provide charts on the back of the bag for how much to feed per weight or age. It is easy to just scoop a bowl full not realizing we are overfeeding.
• Some pet owners can’t afford to purchase the highest quality of foods. Review the packaging for the fat and caloric daily amounts as a guideline for feeding your pet.
Fostering programs provided by a shelter until these animals can find their forever homes or volunteering even just to take local shelter dogs for walks or for brushing a cat can help the mental well-being of these animals. Any effort to encourage play or exercise is a plus.
Our local shelters make every attempt to get their animals into home environments as soon as they can. Having a good fostering program set in place gives these animals the best chance to find their forever homes at a quicker rate.
The home environment is less stressful for these animals, and they are apt to have a more routinely balanced diet. They get more human interaction in a home and are more apt to socialize quicker.
Please consider becoming part of a local shelter’s fostering program or volunteer as a dog walker. The benefits can be so rewarding in so many ways.
Tina Rotness lives in Chisholm and is a volunteer at Precious Paws. For more information on Precious Paws, call 218-254-3300, or visit their website at www.pphsc.com.
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