Combating Pet Obesity

Humans aren't the only ones who pack on the pounds over the holidays and sedentary winter months.

Veterinarians may notice an uptick in weight gain for their less active canine and feline patients as well.

According to the 2015 U.S. pet obesity survey, almost 54% of dogs and approximately 58% of cats were overweight or obese. The 2015 survey confirms a consistent, seven-year trend toward obese pets.1

BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet WU Weight Management + Urinary Care from pet food manufacturer, Blue Buffalo,® is an efficacious, clinically effective diet for dogs and cats that can reduce body weight and fat loss while maintaining lean muscle mass during weight loss. It also supports a healthy weight in dogs and cats after they lose the pounds.

BLUE WU Weight Management + Urinary Care is formulated with natural ingredients plus added vitamins, minerals and wholesome fruits like blueberries and cranberries.  It also contains ingredients that support healthy weight loss, such as:

• L-carnitine, which helps facilitate weight loss and maintain lean body mass2

• Betaine, which supports fat oxidation and may protect against hepatic lipidosis during weight

  loss3

• Moderate levels of fat and calories to maintain weight loss and prevent weight gain

• Increased dietary fiber to promote satiety and support weight loss

Clinically proven weight loss

BLUE WU Weight Management + Urinary Care has been clinically proven to reduce body fat by 39.6% in dogs and 36.8% in cats after two months.

The study comprised two groups of overweight or obese adult dogs and cats. All animals selected were otherwise clinically healthy and had a minimum body condition score (BCS) of 3.5/5 and a total body fat of at least 28%. Both males and females were included in the study groups.

Overall, dogs and cats fed BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet WU food lost significant body weight during the weight loss portion of the study. Animals achieved a BCS between 2.5 and 3.5 (with 3 considered ideal) by four months of feeding.

Throughout the study, physical examinations indicated that the animals remained in good general health and blood values remained within historical normal ranges.4

As the dogs and cats that were fed BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet WU diet lost weight, their insulin and IGF-1 decreased, indicating more normalized glucose levels as well. Also, the protein leptin manufactured by fat cells and a key biomarker for fat loss decreased with their lower body fat mass.

Pet-Owner Preferred

These clinical study findings support that BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet WU food provides an ideal approach to nutritionally manage pets during and after weight loss while satisfying pet owner preferences for quality, natural ingredients.

In fact, 300 pet owners who were surveyed stated they preferred the ingredients in BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet WU 5 to 1 over the ingredients in the leading metabolic or weight management pet diets.5  

This support from clients encourages increased compliance which is critical during and after the pet patient's weight loss. Plus, BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet WU supports urinary health in dogs and cats as well.

Expanding a natural therapeutic lineBlue Buffalo has a full portfolio of natural therapeutic diets including GI Gastrointestinal Support, HF Hydrolyzed for Food Intolerance, KS Kidney Support for Dogs and KM Kidney Support for Cats, that can expand veterinarians' client base through increased compliance, simply by feeding the wholesome ingredients pet owners seek. 

Learn more about all the diets at www.BlueVetDiets.com.

1Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. http://www. petobesityprevention.org/. Accessed June 26, 2016

2 Toll PW, et al. Obesity. In: Hand M, et al. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 5th ed. Topeka, KS: Mark Morris Institute, 2010; 501-542.

3Verbrugghe A, et al. Peculiarities of one-carbon metabolism in the strict carnivorous cat and the role in feline hepatic lipidosis. Nutrients 2013; 5: 2811-2835.

4Blue Buffalo Co., Ltd., data on file, 2015.

5Blue Buffalo Co., Ltd., Consumer Studies, July and December 2015.

About Blue Buffalo

Blue Buffalo, based in Wilton, CT, is the nation's leading natural pet food company with a dedicated team of Veterinary Clinic Specialists and Technical Services Veterinarians across the country.