Weight Clinics
Put simply a pet's weight starts to increase when the amount of calories eaten is more than the amount of calories required.
Once a pet becomes 10% over his/her ideal weight he/she is classed as being overweight. When a pet is 20% or more over the ideal weight, he/she is classed as being obese.
Why Obesity is a Problem:
A pet that is overweight or obese is at serious risk of diseases such as:
- Joint disease / mobility problems.
- Heart disease.
- Diabetes.
- Breathing difficulties.
- Exercise intolerance.
- Fatty liver disease.
- Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD).
- Behavioural issues – when a pet is overweight he / she may become less confident and more withdrawn or more aggressive and defensive. This is because the pet may be unable to run away or confidently protect his/herself when he / she feels frightened.
What We Can Do To Help:
Our qualified nurses offer free weight clinics where together we can help your pet reach a healthier weight and reduce the risk of obesity related diseases. We help to achieve this by tailor-making a diet and exercise plan for you and your pet.
At your first appointment your nurse will weigh your pet, measure his/her waist and chest and talk about different weight loss foods that we offer. An initial target weight and an overall target weight will be set for your pet to reach. We will also take an initial photograph of your pet so we have something to look back at together.
After the first appointment, you will be asked to come back after two weeks. This is to ensure your pet isn't losing weight too quickly. From then on you will be asked to visit the surgery on a monthly basis to monitor your pet's progress. All of these appointments are free of charge.
A healthy rate of weight loss is 1% to 3% for dogs and 0.5% to 1% for cats per week. So on average, a cat should be losing 35g per week and a medium dog should lose 450g per week.
Diet Food:
We recommend Royal Canin Satiety Support or Obesity Management food to help your pet lose weight in the fastest but safest way possible. These foods are specifically designed to be reduced calorie foods, while your pet still receives all the other nutrients he/she needs for a balanced diet.
For a cat with a target weight of 4kg, a 3.5kg bag of obesity management would last for 87 days and would cost only 34p per day to feed.
For a dog with a target weight of 25kg, a 14kg bag of obesity management would last for 60 days and would cost only £1.09 per day to feed.
If your pet reaches his/her initial target within 5 weeks you will receive a free 1.5kg bag of food.
Both of the Royal Canin diets have a money back guarantee if your pet refuses eat them.
