Dog anti-obesity drug is launched

[Demi]

:rolleyes:



BBC News Online
London, UK
1 March, 2007


The first weight loss drug for dogs in the UK has been launched.

Yarvitan is used as part of an eight-week treatment programme, during which time manufacturers say it can help dogs shed 8-10% of their weight.

Vet Grant Petrie said obesity was a problem for between 20-40% of the domestic canine population.

He added: "If owners knew that obese dogs die up to two years earlier than lean weight dogs, it would get people to sit up and think."

Unnecessary suffering

Mr Petrie said the most common reasons why they became overweight were lack of exercise and inappropriate feeding.

Yarvitan works by tying up fat molecules with in the lining of the bowel.

This prevents fat from being absorbed into the bloodstream.

In January, brothers David and Derek Benton from Cambridgeshire were convicted of causing unnecessary suffering after allowing their labrador Rusty to soar to more than 11 stone.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6406719.stm

[Jayppers]

IMO, the reason dogs are overweight is just the same reason humans get overweight - eating the wrong food. I don't believe that it is a lack of exercise first and foremost.

I currently hold the opinion that manufactured dog foods (like those purchased in bags and cans at the market) are mostly poison for dogs (and cat foods poison for cats, etc.). I think that all dogs should be fed a primarily raw meat diet, because they are a carnivorous animal. They thrive on this, and this medication to help dog obesity is a disappointment to me. It seems like just another way for the pharm. industry to make a money on a largely mis-informed/mislead public. Overweight dogs are not fat because they haven't had this weight loss medication, it is because their diet is not correctly matched with them.

I am sad to hear that the main mechanism of this drug is the inhibition of fat from being absorbed. This is dangerous for a fat eating animal by nature, because fat is what the dog needs more than aything. IMO, it's the carbs. and fiber that are making dogs overweight and unhealthy.

Just thought I'd share my perspecitive and opinions! :)

[Dodger]

Yarvitan works by tying up fat molecules with in the lining of the bowel.

This prevents fat from being absorbed into the bloodstream. This is what causes the problem known as anal leakage. I'm sure that the pet owners will be really happy cleaning up after their dogs.

[arc]

Really! Get ready for the "cosmic pizza grease" all over your clothes and carpet (and furniture and kids...).

[relliott1]

Oh..... my....... gosh.

:rolleyes:

How about simply not free-feeding your dogs? How about not feeding sugary canned foods??? How about getting them out in the yard and PLAYING with them?

I have three dogs, once of which was a bit plump for a while. He is not a very active boy... OK, he is LAZY.... and didn't get a lot of exercise. I fed a high quality kibble at the time. Several years ago I switched to a raw based diet consisting of meat, bones and some vegetable matter. He has dropped most if not all of his excess weight. In addition to that, none of my dogs have any teeth problems whatsoever thanks to the bones, and none of them have had any medical issues since the switch (including some skin allergies issues completely clearing up).

[Jayppers]

RElliott1... well done! :clap:

[Judynyc]

Oh..... my....... gosh.

:rolleyes:

How about simply not free-feeding your dogs? How about not feeding sugary canned foods??? How about getting them out in the yard and PLAYING with them?

I have three dogs, once of which was a bit plump for a while. He is not a very active boy... OK, he is LAZY.... and didn't get a lot of exercise. I fed a high quality kibble at the time. Several years ago I switched to a raw based diet consisting of meat, bones and some vegetable matter. He has dropped most if not all of his excess weight. In addition to that, none of my dogs have any teeth problems whatsoever thanks to the bones, and none of them have had any medical issues since the switch (including some skin allergies issues completely clearing up).


Good for you!! :thup:

I too, have 3 dogs and wish that I could feed raw but I cannot for various reasons. My dogs are not overweight as I watch how much they eat...very, very carefully!! I've become a very ingredient conscious consumer and do feed very little grain to my dogs. As a matter of fact, only one dog eats Calif Natural, which uses only brown rice, rice and lamb.....my other 2 are on grain free diets. :thup:

Thats a stupid pill to give a dog, IMO!! Give the owners a pill that will help them to learn how to feed their dogs...and themselves...properly!! ;)

[Mandra]

I'm another that would like to feed raw, or at least homemade, but can't at the moment. Of my 12 dogs, I have one that is very prone to obesity and controlling her weight is a struggle, but I limit her portions and control what she eats as much as possible. She gets 2/3 the amount of food her two sisters get, 1/2 the amount most of the others get. She is still the largest female in the place, although she does have a waistline now.

[jande2211]

Question: for those who got their dogs to lose wt, how did you determine how much to feed? I have 3 dogs. Two are fine, but one is still overweight and I have them on Innova Evo and rawmeaty. She just does not lose wt! So, OK, I incorporated more walks. Nada. So, if the LC is true (and it is), she should be dropping even without the exercise. I assume I'm still feeding her way too much. But I just don't know how to determine this. I feeding her some dried chicken strips in the morning (2 or 3), then either 3 or 4 chicken wings or a cup of the Evo. I've heard that I should make her fast for a day too but haven't tried that because she's mad about not eating more now as it is.

[Judynyc]

Question: for those who got their dogs to lose wt, how did you determine how much to feed? I have 3 dogs. Two are fine, but one is still overweight and I have them on Innova Evo and rawmeaty. She just does not lose wt! So, OK, I incorporated more walks. Nada. So, if the LC is true (and it is), she should be dropping even without the exercise. I assume I'm still feeding her way too much. But I just don't know how to determine this. I feeding her some dried chicken strips in the morning (2 or 3), then either 3 or 4 chicken wings or a cup of the Evo. I've heard that I should make her fast for a day too but haven't tried that because she's mad about not eating more now as it is.


I feed my 60 lbs cattle dog 1 cup of food, twice a day. The bag says she should be eating 4 cups! Yikes!! She'd be a tub if I fed her that much food!!

I also give her chicken, turkey and treats.

[Mandra]

I just judge by how they do. Every dog is an individual. In Lucy's case, she started out eating the same amount as everyone else, then she turned into a blimp and her sisters started getting a bit heavy too (I was calling Lucy "chunky monkey"....). So I reduced them by 1/2 scoop, Gabby and Ginger dropped to a better weight but Lucy remained fat. So I dropped her by another 1/2 scoop. All three of them have a stocky build, so they'll never be svelte, but they are now at a reasonable weight for their size and build. 65 lb Lucy is now getting 2 cups of food, vs. 45 lb Melody who is getting 4.


I hope to fence off more of my yard next year, so they have more room to run around in.

[jande2211]

Yeah, my bag warns that it's high-cal (all that protein, I guess), so I did the min 2 cups for Abbey. Recently I cut it to 1 cup. I'm wondering if she's got an insurance policy out on me because sometimes she just looks (so sweetly) like she wants to kill me. Poor thing.

So, how overweight were your dogs, and how long till you saw progress. Vet said dogs lose slowly. OK, but how slowly. Maybe I'm just not giving this enough time. (scratches head trying to remember when she started cutting servings) Guess I need to do a food diary for Abbey . . . Fitday's gonna love this.

[Wyvrn]

We've been feeding our two Pembroke Welsh Corgies raw meat/bones for several years and they've been mostly lean since we switched them off kibble (which they were fat on). This is a breed that is generally overweight. They are short and stocky with a thick double coat which makes it hard to see when they are packing it on until they've gotten quite fat. Not to mention, they're also champion beggars.

[jande2211]

Wyvrn, you know, until my Phoebe, I didn't know that there were dogs that didn't have the mooch gene. Phoebe might not, or might, whatever. Self-regulating. But Abbey . . . she cornered the market.

So, I see that your dogs were overweight: how long did it take for the lean eating to kick in and see results, if you can recall. Days, weeks, months? How did you determine how much to feed?

Can ya tell I'm so worried about my girl.

[Judynyc]

Wyvrn, you know, until my Phoebe, I didn't know that there were dogs that didn't have the mooch gene. Phoebe might not, or might, whatever. Self-regulating. But Abbey . . . she cornered the market.

So, I see that your dogs were overweight: how long did it take for the lean eating to kick in and see results, if you can recall. Days, weeks, months? How did you determine how much to feed?

Can ya tell I'm so worried about my girl.

I saw the loss over months but I only shaved about 20% off her meal so she did not miss the quantity. She has a nice little waist now and I can feel and see her ribs, which is what you want to look for.

How much does your overweight dog weigh and what do you think she should weigh?

Have you tried giving her 3/4 cup twice a day with some steamed string beans?

[jande2211]

OK, months, so maybe I'm overreacting. Well, not exactly since she's been overweight a while and trying different foods. Just need to dial it in.

Abbey's a Golden Lab/Lab Retriever mix. She's very short considering how big those dogs can get. She's very fine boned, small paws, narrow legs, small narrow face, yet her body is stocky -- wide chest, hips and shoulders. Granted, there's fat at the collarbone area, but when I press in I can tell. Not much presses in at her butt area. Actually, she just doesn't match: legs and face don't go with body.

Abbey currently weighs 60.8 lbs(only down from 63 -- taken months and months for this much!) and I think -- THINK -- she should be 40-45. DH sharply disagrees and thinks 50. Can't even pin the vet down on a number, so I don't know. Just know she's overweight.

[jande2211]

Judynyc, meant to ask about the greenbeans. Is there something special that I should be giving these to her? Fiber? Do you give fresh or canned, and if canned, do you rinse to get the salt out?

[Dodger]

I can easily feel the ribs of my dogs. They are getting along in years and don't seem to want to eat dry dog food like they used to. They want meat and bones and only grudgingly eat the dry stuff if I don't give them a nice piece of real food.
When chicken legs and thighs are on sale, I stock up and give them a raw piece once a day.

[dws1119]

I have been a LCer for years so when I got my new puppy I thought hey he is just like me---so why feed him all that processed foods---I don't eat processed stuff--so why should I give it to him....
I was given a diet to follow from the breeder---Pomeranians are suppose to have sensitive stomachs---but I did my own research and found the BARF website----I've had him for 2 months now and he is doing just fine----but boy do I ever get flack from my vet for this----seems vets are against LC just like human docs.....so sad

[jande2211]

My vet's pretty cool. She admitted she didn't know much about it but was OK with trying whatever would get the dog's wt down. She just advised caution, do plenty of research. I did and I agree, dogs shouldn't be eating that crud in the supermarkets.

Mike, how big are your dogs?

[Judynyc]

Judynyc, meant to ask about the greenbeans. Is there something special that I should be giving these to her? Fiber? Do you give fresh or canned, and if canned, do you rinse to get the salt out?


I use fresh or frozen and steam them....I give it to them for the fresh factor and fiber. I also give them broccoli sometimes. Many who feed raw also feed greens/lettuces with the raw meat. But the greens need to be partially cooked for them to digest it properly, thats why I steam them.

At 60.8 lbs, you can expect your pooch to see 55 lbs ....not below that!! Shes a big dog and 45 lbs sound way to low for her. Do you take her running or walking?

[Wyvrn]

So, I see that your dogs were overweight: how long did it take for the lean eating to kick in and see results, if you can recall. Days, weeks, months? How did you determine how much to feed?
We just used trial and error and it worked out fine (though if you asked them I'm sure they'd tell you we are starving them to death). IIRC the older one was maybe 5 pounds overweight when we started them on raw (the other was actually a puppy and not fat). 5 pounds is huge for a dog that size. It took several months for us to figure out how much to feed him and for him to trim down and then stabilize, but we weren't in a hurry to get the weight off him, as long as it came off eventually. We still have to tweak calories from time to time.

[kaypeeoh]

Not everyone has the time to prepare food for their dog or cat. I certainly don't. Looking on the back of the dog food sack--Science Diet--I see it's 30% protein, 30% fat, 20% moisture and the rest ash. I assume that's vitamins? Even if it's burned up carbs, that's still a moderately low-carb food.

The list of ingredients starts with chicken so that's the largest component of the food. IF using the diet pill, that 30% fat could lead to diarrhea, as someone suggested. Why not just feed less volume? Because most people can't tell how much to feed themselves, much less an animal.

[jande2211]

She's gone from 63 to 60.8. Can't tell. At all. So, we'll just have to eyeball her. Hey, if I just get her DOWN to 55, I'll be able to see where to go from there! She's really not a huge dog, except for her girth. Have to bend down to pet her. She didn't look out of balance when she was a baby.

So, I'll focus on one pound at a time.


Kaypeeoh, I've tried SciDi, Eukanuba (never again -- poor thing had the runs), something from a former vet (useless). So, then on this site I heard LCers talking about Innova Evo. Man, these dogs LOVE it! Even the picky one! Just have to nail down how much to give her to get her losing yet keep her safe.

Judynyc, I've tried running with her, but it's way too much for her at this point so I walk her when I can, weather permitting. I would love to run with her one day. Maybe HIIT for dogs? Or hill repeats? She'll hate it but it'll give her breaks in between, so that's something to consider.

[Judynyc]

She's gone from 63 to 60.8. Can't tell. At all. So, we'll just have to eyeball her. Hey, if I just get her DOWN to 55, I'll be able to see where to go from there! She's really not a huge dog, except for her girth. Have to bend down to pet her. She didn't look out of balance when she was a baby.

So, I'll focus on one pound at a time.


Kaypeeoh, I've tried SciDi, Eukanuba (never again -- poor thing had the runs), something from a former vet (useless). So, then on this site I heard LCers talking about Innova Evo. Man, these dogs LOVE it! Even the picky one! Just have to nail down how much to give her to get her losing yet keep her safe.

Judynyc, I've tried running with her, but it's way too much for her at this point so I walk her when I can, weather permitting. I would love to run with her one day. Maybe HIIT for dogs? Or hill repeats? She'll hate it but it'll give her breaks in between, so that's something to consider.

May I suggest that a nice paced walk 30 minutes daily will help in her weight loss. :idea:

Another thing is , are you feeding once a day or twice? Twice is better for metabolism, as we know from our own eating. :agree:

Does she like to retrieve a ball? Thats always good for some running!!

Being consistent with her food and exercise will help her to shed a few....exercise once in a while is not a good idea, IMO.

[Judynyc]

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

This is a link to the publication called The Whole Dog Journal.

This is a great publication as it takes no advertising money and only operates on its subscriptions. They do a food analysis each year and publish it. They tell us which foods are the best and which to avoid. They tell you how to read the ingredient labels on your animal's food.

Hills Science Diet makes some good Rx foods but I'd never feed my dogs their over the counter foods as they use a lot of fillers ie: corn.

Iams and Eukanuba, also are not recommeneded at all...and lets not even mention the crap Purina products!! :thdown:

If you see that they use corn starch or HFCS in the food, please don't buy it!! This is only part of why many dogs become obese, develop diabetes and so many now have cancer. :(

If we can become alert to our own food, we can do the same for our best friends. :)

[jande2211]

May I suggest that a nice paced walk 30 minutes daily will help in her weight loss. :idea:

Another thing is , are you feeding once a day or twice? Twice is better for metabolism, as we know from our own eating. :agree:

Does she like to retrieve a ball? Thats always good for some running!!

Being consistent with her food and exercise will help her to shed a few....exercise once in a while is not a good idea, IMO.


I totally agree that exercise must be consistent, and perhaps I hadn't come across that way. I don't exercise her once in a while but do back off when it's like recently, cold/wet. Cold I can handle, wet gets to me. I've done it, and can tolerate it when it's warmer. Yeah, when it's not raining (she and I both hate it) we go for 30-40 minutes. Like, today, it's dry and cool (not cold!) and it's perfect. And I like taking her to a park that has a lot of hills.

I've experimented with once and twice daily feedings. Right now, I've been giving her dried chicken strips (2 or 3) for a.m. and then either meat or the bag stuff at night.

She loves retrieving, but then mutinies and wants only to give it back for a treat. Game over. The treats are worse then the grocery bag food! Hey, I got it! (see, sometimes I can figure things out!) I could take the chicken strips, cut them up, and piece by piece give them to her for reward for retrieving. Gotta a plan now! Nothing gets by me. :p I should be able to get her going for 15-30 minutes with that. :cool:

[Judynyc]

She loves retrieving, but then mutinies and wants only to give it back for a treat. Game over. The treats are worse then the grocery bag food! Hey, I got it! (see, sometimes I can figure things out!) I could take the chicken strips, cut them up, and piece by piece give them to her for reward for retrieving. Gotta a plan now! Nothing gets by me. I should be able to get her going for 15-30 minutes with that.

Excellent!! :thup:

Thats a very good idea for a treat...here are a few others:
1-cheese- cut up into tiny pieces
2-freeze dried lamb lung( merrick pet care online sells this at a very good price) its doggie drugs!! :lol:
3-Natural Balance makes a meat roll that cuts into tiny pieces too and the dogs love it...the turkey is my dogs favorite.

Have fun tossing the ball!! :cool:

[Hybrid]

I wonder how many humans will use this? This could be... interesting.

[dws1119]

this is the same concept of the new drug they just approved for OTC--Xenical
if you eat too much fat---you get the runs and even have "accidents"

[jande2211]

Excellent!! :thup:

Thats a very good idea for a treat...here are a few others:
1-cheese- cut up into tiny pieces
2-freeze dried lamb lung( merrick pet care online sells this at a very good price) its doggie drugs!! :lol:
3-Natural Balance makes a meat roll that cuts into tiny pieces too and the dogs love it...the turkey is my dogs favorite.

Have fun tossing the ball!! :cool:


Man, I'm dense. I forgot about the cheese! I've been avoiding it myself because it blocks too much and gets me binging, so I just never thought of it. Good one! :thup:

Not familiar with Natural Balance. Where would I find it?

[Supermomm4]

My puppies love scrambled eggs in their food.
I also can't afford to feed the dogs fresh meat while trying to feed 4 kids.
I buy IAMS or Science Diet for them and they are extremely healthy. Dakota is almost 100 pounds and Rowdy is at 50.

[Kisal]

Question: for those who got their dogs to lose wt, how did you determine how much to feed?There is an actual mathematical formula to use to determine how much to feed an animal of any species. I had to use it during the years I worked as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. I no longer remember it, but I can spend some time and find it in my records. I caution you, though, that it's somewhat complex. If you aren't good at math, you might find it simpler just to ask your vet for advice. Take the dog food bag/can with you when you go to see your vet, because all the necessary information he/she will need to determine the proper amount to feed your specific pet is usually available on the label. (There were a couple of times, though, when I had to call the manufacturer to get the information I needed.)

[kebaldwin]

I would like to have a section on this forum for low carbing for animals? Who and how do we contact someone to set that up?

My dogs were getting really bad and one died. I thought about it and thought it was probably type 2 diabetes. I thought my success was so good with LCing -- why not put my other dog on it?

My other dog has had great success with it.

[Judynyc]

Man, I'm dense. I forgot about the cheese! I've been avoiding it myself because it blocks too much and gets me binging, so I just never thought of it. Good one! :thup:

Not familiar with Natural Balance. Where would I find it?


I've found Natural Balance at Petco and small pet stores. Also, http://petfooddirect.com sells all Natural Balance products and they also make a good dog food.

As far as I'm concerend, any pet food that is sold in a grocery store is not good enough for my dogs.

[jande2211]

There is an actual mathematical formula to use to determine how much to feed an animal of any species. I had to use it during the years I worked as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. I no longer remember it, but I can spend some time and find it in my records. I caution you, though, that it's somewhat complex. If you aren't good at math, you might find it simpler just to ask your vet for advice. Take the dog food bag/can with you when you go to see your vet, because all the necessary information he/she will need to determine the proper amount to feed your specific pet is usually available on the label. (There were a couple of times, though, when I had to call the manufacturer to get the information I needed.)


I am not the brains of my unit of 2. DH is a rocket scientist. So, if you happen upon the formula (don't go out of your way, seriously!) and can lay it out either here or message me, that'd be cool.

[jande2211]

I would like to have a section on this forum for low carbing for animals? Who and how do we contact someone to set that up?

My dogs were getting really bad and one died. I thought about it and thought it was probably type 2 diabetes. I thought my success was so good with LCing -- why not put my other dog on it?

My other dog has had great success with it.

This is a great idea. I wonder what I could've learn from others to have made the lives of two of my favorites people better:

Had a Cocker who died several years ago who was constantly bothered with skin problem, which Cockers tend to have I was told. Tried various stuff from Petsmart. Then vet food (lamb and rice). I just didn't know better. Didn't think.

Also, My cat Kato died in November and she was a diabetic. Never fat, but was told it happens. Had only fed her cat food that didn't have dyes (always had a weak stomach and yakked all the time). Switched her to Innova Evo for cats for about the last year of her life and her stomach settled down and we were able to lessen the insulin. So, now I'll always wonder if I helped by feeding her that crap.

[Wyvrn]

Not everyone has the time to prepare food for their dog or cat. I certainly don't.That's the beauty of raw - no preparation necessary unless you call taking the meat out of the freezer ahead of time "preparation". Most of the time, feeding the Corgies involves taking two chicken thighs out of the package, opening the back door and throwing one to each dog. It's even less trouble than feeding dog food since it doesn't even require a dish - they snatch it out of the air and run to opposite corners of the yard with it. The other 2-3 meals in a week involve breaking eggs and/or dropping a piece of raw liver, leftover meat or homemade pickle into their dishes. I figure food prep for the dogs, including shopping, takes about 15 minutes per week.

[relliott1]

That's the beauty of raw - no preparation necessary unless you call taking the meat out of the freezer ahead of time "preparation". Most of the time, feeding the Corgies involves taking two chicken thighs out of the package, opening the back door and throwing one to each dog. It's even less trouble than feeding dog food since it doesn't even require a dish - they snatch it out of the air and run to opposite corners of the yard with it. The other 2-3 meals in a week involve breaking eggs and/or dropping a piece of raw liver, leftover meat or homemade pickle into their dishes. I figure food prep for the dogs, including shopping, takes about 15 minutes per week.

Same here Wyvrn.. very fast, and very easy. I also find that it is LESS expensive for me than buying commercially prepared food. I can get a 10 lb bag of chicken hindquarters for .49 per pound, and less than that on sale. I get two meals per dog out of each hindquarter (I have smaller dogs).

The real upside of raw feeding, besides health for the doggies, is "clean up" duty for me... feeding raw means my dogs waste is smaller, dryer, and doesn't have the odor that dog waste can normally have. Makes yard duty MUCH more pleasant! :D :thup: