Small Talk - Winter 2016

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Pet Obesity
One of the commonest
questions we are asked
is why should you
bring your pet to an obesity
clinic? Well we want you to
have healthy happy pets and
enjoy your time with them
for as long as possible, and
obesity can increase the risk
of health conditions such as
osteoarthritis and diabetes,
leading to a shorter lifespan
and a reduction in the quality
of life of the pet.
Some practices have specific
weight management clinics,
run by qualified nurses, which
aim to manage the increasing
number of pets suffering from
obesity. The initial consultation
usually involves the preparation
of a weight management plan
and a hands-on consultation.
These clinics aim to assist a pet
with a medical condition in a
similar way to treating other
medical conditions, such as
heart disease, which would
require regular appointments
with a veterinary surgeon.
After the initial consultation,
follow up consultations may be
recommended every 2 weeks.
They serve as opportunities to
review how the programme is
going, adjust any aspects as
necessary, with guidance from
the nurse, and to answer any
questions or concerns a client
may have. Some practices
may offer discounted rates on
purchases of a specific weight
management range of food.
During the programme the
practice will teach you how
to use weight management
tools. The most important
of these being:
Nutrition
In weight management clinics a
specific food will be recommend
for your pet. These diets are
specifically designed to induce
weight loss and formulated to
provide all nutrients required
whilst promoting weight loss
safely.
Exercise
Almost as important as diet,
appropriate exercise can be
an essential part of the
programme. Exercise can
incorporate anything from
walks, to playing with a friend,
to activity feeders where the
pet has to work for their food.
Body condition score
This type of scoring is used to
help identify and keep track
of weight issues and losses.
It is one of the first steps in
a weight management
programme. At your clinic we
can show you how your pet’s
body condition is scored and
also what you should look for
as your pet’s body reaches
optimal condition.
Nutrition is fundamental to
health and disease prevention
and a balanced diet is
therefore essential in the
management of obesity.
Weight management clinics
can make the difference
between a successful weight
loss programme and an
unsuccessful one.
So if your pet’s weight
gain has been mentioned
to you, we are here to
help. Enrol today.