Book Review: Chow Hounds by Ernie Ward, DVM

2010 at 9am     Posted by Rebecca Schinsky

Published March 2010 by HCI Books

I was planning to do a silly, fun review of this with Millie (my basset hound), but once she found out what the book was all about, she refused to have any part of it. Cutting back on treats and getting smarter about what she eats? No thank you, no sir. So I’m here on my own, and I have a lot to say about this fantastic book that gave me a much-needed wake-up call and left me running around the house telling my husband, “No, we really DO have to walk her three miles a day. Even when we’re tired. And have you SEEN how much sugar is in those ‘all natural’ treats we give her?”

Oy vey.

But that’s kind of the point.

From how veterinarians are taught and practice nutrition to manipulation on the part of pet-food manufacturers, from our society’s insatiable urge to include food into every act of life to a subtle shift in what we perceive as normal weight—all of these factors and more have created an epidemic of obese pets.

In Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter—A Vet’s Plan to Save Their Lives, Ernie Ward presents the knowledge he has gained in more than twenty years of veterinary practice and the plan he has created to help obese dogs lose weight and keep healthy dogs healthy. Ward goes straight to the heart of it and acknowledges that we humans want to make our dogs happy. “From our complementary senses to our nutrient requirements to our intelligence, dogs and humans are perfectly paired,” so it makes sense that we feel close to them, that we interact with them in ways we cannot with other animals (ever tried walking your cat?), and that we extend our own experiences of food-related emotion to them.

Ward is quick to point out that pet-food manufacturers know this. They conduct extensive research about “first-bite preference,” because they KNOW that people pay close attention to dogs’ initial response to a new food or treat and that WE want to see happiness, excitement, and wagging tails. Unfortunately, this need to see our dogs excited about their food and treats has led to a situation in which “many dog foods and treats are the equivalent of ‘Kibble Crack,’ addicting our nation’s dogs to added fat and sugar.”

So that thing Millie does where she sits at the base of the fridge, just pining after the treat jar on top, her big droopy eyes looking sad and adorable? It’s not so cute. It’s the doggy version of jonesing for a fix.

After explaining more of the techniques pet-food manufacturers use to make dog foods and treats appealing to the humans who buy them, he breaks down the difference between the fat content indicated on food labels and the ACTUAL fat content of dog foods and teaches readers how to calculate the actual content based on what the label says.  He also provides a chart with the actual fat content of many popular dog treats, and let me tell you, that’s an eye-opener.

Ward goes beyond diagnosing the problem to providing a detailed plan for how to help your dog lose weight or maintain its current healthy weight. (I’m thankful to be in the latter category, as Millie weights in at just 50 pounds—on the lighter side for a basset hound—which is happily near the low end of the 45-65 pound ideal weight for her breed.) The first step is to assess your dog’s weight by viewing her from the side, rear, and above, feeling for her ribs and spine, and calculating her Body Condition Score (BCS).  Then, you must rule out a medical problem. After all, dogs can have many of the same health problems humans can have, and it’s important to know that a weight problem isn’t caused by an underlying health issue like hyperthyroidism.

The third step in Ward’s plan is one that most pet owners likely do not know how to do on their own: calculate calories and set goals. Because most pet foods do not include calorie information on their labels (they’re not required to by law, so it’s no surprise that they’d prefer to keep us happily in the dark), pet owners (myself included) generally have no idea how many calories their dogs need in order to maintain or lose weight and how many calories their dogs’ food contains. Ward explains that the majority of pet owners are overfeeding their pets by 25 to 50% because they are following the feeding guidelines on pet food packaging, so he teaches his patients and readers how to calculate dogs’ basal metabolic rate (BMR) and provides a helpful chart of recommended caloric intake for various steps in the weight loss process.

Ward also stresses the importance of tracking calories (including treats!) and exercise to keep yourself on track, and as a bonus, he does the doggy version of that Today Show segment where they make comparisons between foods based on calorie content. As an example, check out these treat equivalents for a 40-pound dog:

• 1 Purina Busy Bone (small/medium) = 4 McDonald’s Egg McMuffins
• 1 Regular Greenies Dental Chew = 1 Hot Pockets Meatball & Mozzarella
• 1 premium pig ear = 6 12oz Coke Classics

And that’s just the beginning, folks!

Warn isn’t all doom and gloom. He goes on to provide extremely helpful information about how to choose the best commercial diet for your dog, how to tell that a food isn’t right for you dog (hint: look at the pooch’s poo), and how to integrate healthy home-cooked meals into your dog’s regimen.

I know what you’re thinking: I’m supposed to take the time to make home-cooked meals for my dog? I don’t even time to do that for myself! Within Chow Hounds, Ward gives a handful of quick, easy, healthy recipes for homemade dog treats.  I can’t wait to try out the recipe for Sweet Potato Cookies, which looks significantly simpler than most of the cooking I do.

Because health isn’t just about a good diet, Ward also includes a chapter called “Get Fido Fit,” in which he explains that humans and dogs are the only two species that interrelte by running, playing, and exercising together, likely because of the similarities he discusses earlier in the book. He breaks down the amount of exercise dogs need by breed and weight (I was very surprised to discover that the 30 minutes of fast walking I do with Millie each day isn’t enough—we cover about two miles, depending on how much sniffing she feels is necessary—but that she should be getting a minimum of three miles) and includes information about how to track your progress and make the move to diet and exercise gradually.

As a responsible vet, Ward reminds readers that they should never undertake a weight loss program for their dog without consulting a vet, and he emphasizes the importance of pet owners separating their own feelings about food, weight, and obesity from their attitudes about their dogs. He wraps up Chow Hounds with an exploration of doggy vitamins and supplements and the health problems that can ensue when we do not keep our dogs fit and healthy, and HOO BOY, is it motivation!

As much as I didn’t want to have the information Ward gives in Chow Hounds (because ignorance really is bliss sometimes), I’m very glad I read it so I can now cut through the B.S. on dog food packaging and understand how to make smarter choices for Millie. And what’s not to like about having real, solid research to provide me the motivation to take her for her walk even when I’m tired?  She’ll be four this Friday, and I’ve thoroughly convinced myself that she’s going to live forever, but if I want that to happen, I have to do my part. After all, when left to her own devices, she eats poop. So it’s not exactly like she can be trusted to make healthy decisions for herself.

Whether your dog is healthy or obese, you’ll find helpful information in Chow Hounds. 4 out of 5.

Hey, FTC: I received a copy of this book for participation in a blog tour with TLC Book Tours.

I am an IndieBound affiliate and will receive a small commission if you purchase Chow Hounds through a link in this review.