Last week I marvelled once again at the capacity of Pippa to expertly manipulate her owners and get exactly what she wants. And once again I heard the objection vets everywhere hear all the time: “...But my dog is always hungry!”
Greedy dogs are merely obeying their primal instinct for survival to eat as much food as they can because they don’t know when food will next become available again
Pippa is a four-year-old buff-coloured woolly cockapoo. The cockapoo is the offspring of an English cocker spaniel and a poodle. Although cockapoos have been around for over 60 years, they are not recognised as an official breed.
Nevertheless, the cockapoo can make a lovely pet since it is a naturally happy dog that lives to a ripe old age. Cockapoos are known to have a loving character, which is no surprise as it is a trait I have always found in the poodle crossbreeds I have come across.
This is coupled with the desirable low-shedding characteristic of poodles. Perhaps their biggest disadvantage from the point of view of their owners, but not from the dog’s, is that the cockapoo is as endearing as both the cocker spaniel and poodle put together; so refusing these dogs anything can be rather difficult.
The insatiable appetite of dogs and resulting obesity is certainly not an uncommon problem; yet, before we conclude that a dog simply loves eating, we need to determine whether it is a biological issue, a behavioural problem or a symptom of a medical condition.
From a biological perspective, experts theorise that greedy dogs are merely obeying their primal instinct for survival to eat as much food as they can because they don’t know when food will next become available. Other experts have suggested that dogs that have been rescued from starvation never forget what it was like to starve and therefore constantly crave food.
From a behavioural point of view, issues which may influence your dog’s appetite could be the introduction of a new pet in the house, which may result in a perceived competition for food, or a change in feeding routine as well as a simple change in diet.
It is also worth assessing whether your dog is getting enough exercise, or determining whether there has lately been a change in the amount of attention you have been giving your dog.
Medically speaking, there are a number of things you should look out for to determine whether you should take your dog to the vet:
Is it something that has started to occur only recently, or has your dog always had a big appetite?
What does your dog eat, and has there been any recent change in diet?
Is your dog healthy?
What is its weight?
Is there any vomiting or loose stools?
Is its water intake normal?
Is your dog regularly dewormed?
Is your dog on any medication?
All these questions, and possibly more, could give an indication as to whether there’s a medical reason for an increase in appetite, particularly if the increase is recent and there seems to be no obvious reason for it; in this case, you should take your dog to your vet for a check-up.
It’s also worth taking with you a urine sample. Try and determine the approximate amount of water your dog is drinking, as your vet will ask you this.
Your vet would look out for simple reasons, such as worms, that could be causing a big appetite, or other factors, such as possible side effects of medication (for example, cortico steroids), as well as possible hormonal conditions, such as diabetes and hyperthyroidism.
As for Pippa, having eliminated both behavioural and medical conditions, I could establish that she simply loves to eat and that she knows how to wheedle food from her owners.
In this case, it became important that her weight is kept in check, and after discussing her owner’s home and work lifestyle, we were able to come up with a suitable, reduced-calorie diet that will help her regain her ideal weight.
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com
Dr Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.