Q: My wife and I own a black lab, Millie. She is about a year
old. My wife gives her about 10 treats a day and says her vet
recommends this. This seems likea lot to me. Can you advise on the
proper amount of treats per day?
Q: My wife and I own a black lab, Millie. She is about a year old. My wife gives her about 10 treats a day and says her vet recommends this. This seems likea lot to me. Can you advise on the proper amount of treats per day?
A: No one can tell you how many treats to give Millie because there are too many variables to consider. If the treats you give her are small, 8-10 may not be a problem. But if each treat is a large dog cookie, your wife may be too generous with her rewards. All of this depends on Millie’s size, her activity level, and the type of treats you give her. Watch her weight. If she is puts on a few extra pounds, she is getting too much. And if she refuses to eat her regular meals, you know she is getting too many goodies. We all like to give our dog a treat now and then. Here are a few guidelines to follow so that you don’t end up with a chubby pooch.
Always use treats that are low in fat. Dog biscuits are best, but fresh fruit and vegetables are okay, too. (Our dogs especially love bananas!) But other “people food” is not a good idea, particularly if you like hot dogs or pizza. These fatty foods can lead to some serious health problems.
Many pet owners have trouble deciding how much food to feed their dog. They follow guidelines on the side of the bag and their pet ends up eating too much or too little. Manufacturer’s recommendations are for the “average” dog, and your dog may not be average. Needless to say, each dog has a different daily requirement for food. So if she gains or loses weight, you will need to adjust her diet accordingly.
So how many treats should Millie get every day? There probably isn’t a right or wrong answer. Just remember her regular diet should be a high quality food. Extra treats are fine, just as long as they don’t take the place of her meals and they don’t make her gain extra weight. Keep her slim and trim. A chubby dog isn’t as active, happy or healthy.
Q: I just got a 10 week old kitten from a shelter. The shelter spayed her already and I was wondering if 10 weeks is too young to spay a kitten and are there any health problems that can arise from spaying too early?
A: Early spay and neuter is the new hot topic amongst many animal shelters these days. Traditionally, kittens and puppies were left intact until at least 5-months-old before they were subject to sterilization. But oftentimes, these pets went home to a new family and were never returned for their scheduled surgery. Shelters would require a monetary deposit to pay for spay or neuter, but still, some new owners never returned for their pet’s surgery. It became clear that it was necessary to spay or neuter adoptable pets before they went to their new home.
I have to tell you, at first many of us thought this might be a bad idea. Young kittens and pups have immature immune systems, and we thought they would have a higher risk for disease if they were subjected to surgery. We were concerned how well they would handle the stress of anesthesia and surgery.
But for the most part, these concerns have never been substantiated. Early spay and neuter has been a successful program. As long as the shelter screens its patients and takes care of the needs of its very young ones, problems are almost non-existent. And there’s no doubt that this program has greatly reduced the population explosion that exists in the dog and cat world.
Your kitten very likely had no problems with this early procedure. Better still, she won’t have to go back to the clinic, other than to get her vaccination boosters. So enjoy your new companion as she grows to be a part of your family.
Pete Keesling is a veterinarian at San Martin Veterinary Hospital and co-hosts Petpourri, a weekly show about pet health on KTEH in San Jose and a bi-weekly column for The Times. If you have any questions about pet care, please mail them to The Times, Attn: Vets, 30 E. Third St., Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
