In the battle of the bulge for our pets, spaying and neutering play big roles.

After they’re fixed, so to speak, our pets don’t have the same energy requirements they had before. So, unless we lower their calorie intake, they risk gaining weight. In fact, after spaying or neutering, dogs are twice as likely to become obese and cats are three times more apt to pack on the pounds.

As soon as three days after surgery, a dog’s metabolism slows down by almost a third while its appetite shoots up about 60%. Cats experience a 20% shift, both in decreased metabolism and increased appetite.

All this isn’t to say that we shouldn’t have our dogs and cats fixed. That’s just as important for their health as keeping them slim and trim. Fortunately — with our veterinarians’ nutritional recommendations — we can have it both ways.