Obesity

Telephone 01603 426310

Avoiding Obesity

More than a quarter of the pets in the UK are overweight. Dogs and many cats will regularly over-eat if given the chance. This can lead to medical problems such as:

	arthritis
	Ruptured joint ligaments
	Prolapsed (slipped) discs
	diabetes
	heart, liver and breathing problems
	anaesthetic and surgical complications

Most pets will tolerate being overweight when they are young. The problems are only seen in middle to old age when the damage is already done. This is especially true with lively breeds such as Labradors where their love of exercise wears their joints out faster because of additional weight carried.

Signs that your pet is above it's ideal weight:

	loss of an obvious waist
	ribs can't be easily felt
	sleeps a lot
	breathlessness
	exercise intolerance
	heat intolerance

We strongly advise that you check your pets weight every three months and record it on the chart provided. We will be happy to guide you as to your pets ideal weight.

I think my pet is overweight: So what's next?

After an initial consultation with the Vet to rule out any underlying health problems your pet will be referred to a nurse and placed on a high fibre/low calorie diet. Their weight is checked by a nurse at 2 - 4 weekly intervals until the target is reached. At this point advice is given on a suitable long term maintenance diet.

If you are concerned about your pet's weight, or if the Vet has mentioned that your pet's weight is not ideal, please contact us for an appointment.

See the section on "Pet slimmer of the year" for some success stories!

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