DENISE FLAIM

January 29, 2007

If your dog is among the estimated 5 percent of American canines that are obese - or the 20 to 30 percent that are merely overweight - the Food and Drug Administration has just announced your magic bullet: the cleverly named Slentrol, a prescription drug that reduces appetite and fat absorption.

A “selective microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor” - say that three times fast - Slentrol should not be used in cats because of the potential for liver damage. And we humans shouldn’t take it, either. Side effects in dogs can include vomiting, loose stools, diarrhea and lethargy.

Manufactured by Pfizer, which originally was studying its ability to lower cholesterol in humans, Slentrol is expected to cost $1 to $2 a day. Technically, the FDA approved the drug for dogs that are obese, weighing at least 20 percent more than their ideal body weight, though vets are free to prescribe it for any dog fighting the battle of the bulge. After two weeks on the drug, the dog is assessed by the vet, who adjusts the dose if necessary, then re-checks monthly. After the weight-loss goal is met, Pfizer recommends another three months of use while appropriate food-intake and exercise levels are established.

For those who want a cheap, natural, long-term method for weight loss in their pudgy pooches, I am offering it here as a public service, free of charge:

Feed your dog less.

As anyone who has left a Labrador retriever unattended in a room with an Entenmann’s cake knows, dogs have no willpower. They eat what they are given, and sometimes what they are not. But they require opportunity - something their owners control.

Unlike humans, dogs do not eat out of emotion. They don’t reach for Häagen-Dazs during breakups, or crinkle-cut potato chips out of boredom. Most cannot open the refrigerator (though a crafty few can, leading their owners to learn the true versatility of the bungee cord). None can dial Domino’s.

If you have ruled out an underlying medical cause for unexplained weight gain, such as hypothyroidism or Addison’s, you need only look in the mirror to see the reason for your dog’s health-threatening layer of subcutaneous fat.

The common-sense approach - less food, more exercise - “is still going to be the first line of defense,” says veterinarian Joseph Wakshlag, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in Ithaca, who is the first to admit that fat dogs are a people problem: “Dogs beg, and people can’t resist the little brown eyes. Food is love in our society.”

Even “diet” dog foods, Wakshlag notes, are manufactured to have more volume than regular foods so the owner doesn’t feel as if the dog is deprived.

Arguably, this is more than just slick marketing: It points to a dysfunction in our interactions with our animals.

“There seems to be an inverse relationship between the amount of emotion people associate with their dog and the amount of concrete knowledge they have about his physical and behavioral needs,” says veterinarian Myrna Milani, who has written extensively on the human-animal bond. “Dogs, cats and other companion animals function as a blank slate on to which people can project what emotions they want - including the belief that sharing food with their pet is a form of communion.”

Milani sees parallels between the use of Slentrol for canine obesity and the use of psychotropic drugs for aggression before behavioral modification is tried. “By reducing it to a ‘medical’ problem, that then relieves the owner of responsibility.”

Part of the problem for veterinarians, Milani says, is that “dealing with obese animals requires major communication skills. And the reality is that veterinarians are trained in science and technology, not counseling. If the client is overweight and so is the dog, there are deep issues there.”

Instead, the vet’s approach, Milani says, “is to lay on a guilt trip: ‘Hey, you’re killing your dog,’” because of the stress that extra weight places on the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and endrocrine systems, paving the way for chronic diseases such as arthritis and diabetes.

While it may be a hassle-free shortcut, “pharmaceutical enabling” with a drug such as Slentrol raises ethical and moral considerations: Just because you have an unhealthy, dysfunctional attitude toward food, why should your animal pay the price?

Calling prevention “the key,” Wakshlag says that feeding directions on bags and cans “are just guidelines, and are probably in excess” of what a dog needs. Instead, owners should learn what a fit dog looks and feels like: “You should always be able to feel the backbone, the two points on the hip, and the ribs, with minimal fat.”

“In all animals, the lesson is the same, and that is moderation,” Milani concludes, noting that applies to weight loss as well. Making common-sense lifestyle changes - namely, gradually reducing intake and increasing exercise - will ensure slow, steady weight loss. Without that, no pill will do the trick - at least not permanently.