13012 VHPM OnboardingManual ProductDetailPages-PRINT FLIPBOOK - Flipbook - Page 9
W hy S pay & N e u t e r N u t r i t i o n ?
Pet populations have changed over the years. Breed preferences, advances in healthcare and
humanization have all played a large role in these shifts. In many cases pet nutrition has evolved
as well with the launch of foods designed for life stages, breed sizes and even disease states.
Unfortunately, one need has gone largely unmet.
While spaying and neutering are routine procedures for veterinarians, the changes are far
from “routine” for the pet. Cats and dogs experience powerful changes to their hormones as
a result of these procedures.
Today nearly 90% of our U.S. pet population is spayed or neutered.1 Without the sex
hormones that act to suppress appetite, pets feel like they need to eat more. For dogs this
increased appetite can lead up to a 60% increase in food intake,2 and for cats up to a 20%
increase.3 Unfortunately they not only experience an increase in appetite, the hormone shifts
also result in slower metabolism, meaning pets now require fewer daily calories than they did
before the procedure. These changes can start as early as three days after spay or neuter.3
Changes that can occur in spayed and neutered pets:
Post-Spay/Neuter
% Change in Dogs2,4,5
% Change in Cats3,4
Increase in spontaneous food intake
+60%
+20%
Reduction of basal metabolism
-30%
-24%
Experts have acknowledged the significant impact that spaying and neutering have on the
daily calorie requirements of dogs and cats, citing these procedures as a significant risk
factors6 for the development of obesity.
In fact, research indicates that spayed and neutered dogs and cats are at a two-to-threefold
increase in risk vs intact pets.
• Dogs have 2 times the risk of becoming obese4
• Cats have 3.4 times the risk of becoming obese7
What We’re Doing Today Isn’t Working
Today an estimated 60% of dogs and 56% of cats in the U.S. are overweight.8 Although
veterinary healthcare teams work hard to advise clients in weight management strategies,
once a pet gains excess weight, it is difficult to successfully lose it. Regardless of a pet’s age,
less than 10% of pets will successfully lose weight following diagnosis; and of those that do,
roughly 40% of them will resume their overweight status within 12 months.9
Spay and neuter are more than routine procedures; the nutritional needs of spayed and
neutered pets change for the rest of their lives following these procedures.
When reducing calories for pets, it matters how we do it. Diets with similar calorie content
will not necessarily leave a pet with the same level of satiety. “Feeding less” or using a
“weight control” food can leave pets feeling hungry, which is difficult for pet owners to see,
and impacts compliance with veterinary recommendations. Without the right macronutrient
balance and fiber inclusion, a pet will still feel hungry, even when consuming the appropriate
daily energy requirement.
