The Overweight Pet

“Our pets are overweight??”

“How did he get fat??”

“She doesn’t eat that much, only a cup(can) or two a day!”

“Diabetes?! Well I won’t give him shots!”

We hear this all too often. The most common disease of dogs and cats is obesity. Over 25% of pets over 3 years old are overweight. Our pets are overweight because they eat more calories than they burn off. Obesity is associated with increased risk of many other diseases, such as Diabetes Mellitus, Arthritis, Liver Disease, Respiratory Problems, and Cancer. Obesity also causes reduced Life Expectancy and reduced Quality of Life.

We at the Family Pet Clinic have a Weight Loss Program for your pet. Obesity is approached as any medical problem – diagnosis and treatment. We will be using Body Scores to determine the extent of the problem in your pet. Body scoring diagrams are on the back of this sheet.

There are three important parts:

1. Diet – a prescription diet is often necessary. Feeding less of your pet’s regular diet can make them get less of the vitamins and minerals they need, too. It turns a balanced diet into an unbalanced one.

2. Exercise – any exercise is as important to our pet’s health as it is to our own.

3. Recheck visits – your commitment to your pet’s health.

If you lack one of these parts, chances are, your pet is NOT going to slim down. As part of the initial examination, we may recommend baseline blood tests, and we will collect a detailed history of your pet’s feeding habits and routines.

We need to get out of the habit of expressing affection to our pets by giving them treats. We recommend 2-3 smaller meals per day plus moderate exercise (20-30 minutes a day).

Maintaining your pet on a proper nutritional diet will insure good quality of life and longevity. If you have any questions about this program, or any concerns about your older pets’ health, please do not hesitate to contact us.