Love your pet ... love your vet Can you pinch an inch?
It’s that time of year again where we jump on the scales with a sense of trepidation – and it’s often no different for our pets!
However, even without the scales you can easily check your pet’s body condition score at home. An ideal condition score for dogs and cats is described as: “Outline of ribs can be easily felt through a slight fat cover. Waist can be observed behind the ribs when viewed from above. Abdominal tuck is present.”
It can be very challenging for pets to lose weight, so stopping the scales going up in the first place is the key objective! Advice is to measure their meals out every day, feeding a diet designed for their lifestyle (for example, neutered pets and older pets need fewer calories), keeping treats to a minimum and absolutely no table scraps!
However, if your best friend is already looking a little broad in the beam, your vet can help you. Why not book in for a weight clinic to get advice
tailored to your pet and their lifestyle.
Top tips include: choosing a lower calorie diet, feeding from puzzle bowls rather than boring, ordinary ones and cutting back on treats.
Carrying extra weight will leave pets prone to arthritis and diabetes, amongst other things, and may shorten their lifespan. So, if you are worried about your pet’s weight, do contact your vet and discuss the options available.
Keith Moore, BVSc MRCVS Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Hillside Veterinary Centre
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