Why do you find it so hard to resist overfeeding your dog?

There is evidence to prove that the gaze of our pets releases the hormone oxytocin in both you AND in your dog.
Oxytocin is a powerful bonding hormone that is released by mothers soon after giving birth to allow the infant to suckle, as well as being produced when we fall in love and our pupils dilate out of our control as we fall into a state of utter happiness.
Being mammals, dogs also experience an oxytocin rush when they look at you whom they adore. You tend to then offer them what they love the most – their favourite food treats or some of what you are indulging in (I am guilty as charged here as a number one 'feeder' in our family!)
This then results in your dog subconsciously realising how powerful just their gaze is, so they stare a bit more and as the feel-good hormone is released in your body; you give in and reach for another treat – causing what is called an 'oxytocin gaze loop' (yes it's a real phenomenon!)
This theory has a deeper behavioural survival significance as evidence from human studies show that the quality and quantity of our relationship with our dogs is associated not only with better mental health but also with reduced mortality. Teresa Romero et al
Our dogs know they will survive and live longer happier lives with this ‘happy hormone’ flooding through their systems so they gaze at us as much as they can and we know too that this social interaction with something we love so much is going to help us lead happier lives, so the long gazes with ‘those adoring puppy eyes’ that all our dogs give us continues! Your dog has trained you exactly the way they want you!!
What about giving popcorn as a healthy snack?

I still feel guilty remembering how while working as a concerned GP vet during Covid, I gave advice to an elderly lady in the doorway of the veterinary practice (the way we used to work then), and I told her to give her very round Border Terrier popcorn - unsalted and unsweetened to help with weight loss!
I kick myself now for even thinking that was the right advice to give as it absolutely wasn't! Think of all the husks stuck in your teeth when you have a binge on popcorn - it's there to eat for days afterwards and thank goodness we can floss and brush to get those husks out.
Now think about your dog trying to get them out and obviously cannot, so the husks stay and can result in such deep gum infections and severe dental issues which is why I feel so terribly guilty with the advice that I gave to this dear elderly lady for her little dog!
WE HAVE A WONDERFUL SOLUTION TO TREAT YOUR DOGS
Just Be Kind are the only company in the UK to stock low calorie hypoallergenic and delicious 'snacks' or training treats for your dogs. We import them from VegDog in Germany where each puffed potato treat contains just 1 kCal, but is as crunchy and enticing to your dog as popcorn (without the husks!!)
What about overfeeding of our cats - is it your fault?

No overfeeding of your cat is absolutely not your fault! Cats play an enormously important role in our lives. There is a different form of communication that you will have with your dog compared to with your cat. As solitary hunters, they communicate with other hunters by staring which is why your cat is so good at making eye contact with you.
You also cherish the relationship that you have with your cat. They are there everyday in your most secretive times at home when you possibly 'offload' on them and tell them everything that worries you (if you don't do this, it is highly recommended and shown to be such an important 'natural stress release' to talk to anybody or anything, but your cat is the most attentive to you!)
How valuable is such a soft, warm little individual in your home who only gives you love and appreciation and listens to all your woes? It is only natural that when they look at you (remember, normal cat behaviour); you immediately will feel the need to reward their importance in your life and the best way of doing this, is to feed them.
It is a form of 'oxytocin gaze loop', but your cat has modified it to suit them whereas with our dogs, it is definitely a two-way process!
Is it your fault that the foods you are feeding your cat are not good for them?

The photo above shows a cat licking ethylene glycol or antifreeze left by a car's radiator. It is extremely toxic to cats and as a vet, I have had many an emergency rushing a cat through to be hospitalised for ethylene glycol toxicity where they have drunk some fluid left on the road and it is so often life-threatening. Cats have no receptors on their tongues to taste sweet things, only taste receptors for bitter to protect them from eating poisonous things, so why do they lick sweet anti-freeze?
They are very drawn to sweet smells and with their sensitivities to so many ingredients, they are very prone to becoming little 'sugar addicts' relying on the dopamine rush that we know sugar gives us!! Cats are extremely sensitive to medication, sugar and also to morphine (cats have been known to climb the walls given the smallest dose in a veterinary clinic, or they eat uncontrollably as is the effect of morphine on cats).
Could these reasons be why the most highly sold cat treat Dreamies (one of the top sellers of the corporate pet food giant by Mars Petcare) contain cheese....to keep your cats addicted? Cheese and dairy products should never be given to cats as cats would NEVER choose to drink the milk meant for the young of another mammal; and yet it is added to cat treats where it is known to contain casomorphin that is there to bond the calf with its mother and soothe it, but it is also highly addictive (in us and absolutely in cats!)
Who adds pure sugar to cat food that results in this 'sugar' addiction as cats absolutely should NOT be given pure sugar in their diet (don't even want to think of what it does to their teeth and metabolism)?!
Yet again, it is Mars Petcare who make Sheba and Whiskas - the top selling cat foods in the UK with pure sugar added to the food as shown in the images below.


So are you to blame for your cat's weight issues when maybe you too have weight issues caused by eating too many Skittles, or Mars bars, or Maltesers.....yes also all made by Mars!
Can you ask your vet for advice about your cat's weight? Very sadly all vets in the UK are being told how to feed our animals with advice from the BVA who are in partnership with Mars Petcare. Mars Petcare own the majority of the specialist veterinary practices in the UK as they bought out corporate vet group Linnaeus in 2018. No wonder the BVA oppose healthy pure vegan cat nutrition when Mars Petcare offers NO sustainable options, and ultraprocessed foods containing sugar and cheese!
They also fund an eye-watering 1 BILLION dollars on MARKETING their Sheba, Whiskas, Dreamies and Royal Canin online, so with all that advertising they are doing for their ultra-processed pet foods.....just remember it isn't your fault if your cat or dog (or you) is overweight!
WHICH HEALTHY PLANT-BASED 'TREAT' DO WE HIGHLY ADVISE FOR YOUR CAT?
We are so pleased to stock and sell the only vegan and vet recommended supplements available for cats. We stock PlaqueOff dental bites that are rich in Ascophyllum nodosum brown seaweed that is sustainably harvested from the swedish cold waters. It is shown to not only be beneficial to your cat's dental health, but it also contains high levels of Arachidonic acid in its pure form which cats need when having a plant-based diet.
Do you want to hear the easiest way to help your cat and dog lose weight?
Dr Arielle attended a Pet Obesity Conference in 2019 where over 3 days, she listened to vets and specialists give advice on how to feed cats and dogs so that they lose weight. She learnt some fascinating insights into why we overfeed our cats and what can be done about it.....and which vegetables can be fed to our cats that they will love!! You may be surprised which vegetables cat love in the webinar below from January 2025:)
