Weight reduction method for dogs and other pets

Abstract

A dog food composition containing a small but sufficient amount of simmondsin component to provide simmondsin within the range of 0.1% by weight of said dog food dry matter mix to about 1.5% by weight of said dog food dry matter mix. Also disclosed as part of the invention is a method of weight reduction of companion pets by adding to pet food the above-defined range of simmondsin, contributed by simmondsin, simmondsin analogues or mixtures thereof, such as derived from defatted jojoba seed meal, and thereafter feeding the pet food to a companion pet on a regular and sustained basis to achieve weight reduction then weight maintenance.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONObesity is the most common nutritional disease of companion pets such as dogs and cats in an affluent society. It in fact exceeds by far all deficiency diseases combined. Obesity generally is considered present when body weight of the companion pet is 15% or more greater than optimum, which is the point at which health problems begin increasing with increasing weight. It has, for example, been reported that in affluent societies from 24% to 44% of the dogs are obese. Generally speaking, the incidence of obesity in companion pets increases with the age of the pet. Similar to humans, as the animals age body fat increases, and the amount of lean body mass decreases. For dogs particularly, obesity is more common in females than males up to age 12 years.Because obesity develops gradually, the companion pet owner is often unaware of the overweight condition until it is called to his or her attention. Rarely is an animal presented to a veterinarian solely for the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

A dog food composition containing a small but effective amount of simmondsin component to provide a simmondsin activity within the range of 0.1% by weight of said dog food mix dry matter to about 1.5% by weight of said dog food mix dry matter. Also, part of the invention is a method of weight reduction and obesity prevention of companion pets by adding pet food that cont

Problems solved by technology

Generally speaking, the incidence of obesity in companion pets increases with the age of the pet.

However, the factors causing this are not quite so simple.

This complex psychological interdependency makes weight reduction in companion pets even more difficult than it otherwise might be.

None of the above have been generally effective.

They often cause side effects, and tests of most have shown that such drugs are not only expensive, but ineffective in that when free choice fed with food, the animals often tend to avoid the food that contains the drug.

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