Weight Loss Program

Is your pet overweight?

In today's affluent society, the most common nutritional disorder we see in our pets is simply being overweight. A little bit of extra "padding" may seem harmless, but many of our pets are more than 15% above their ideal bodyweight. This is called obesity, and can have serious implications on their health.

Obese pets are much less active. They have a reduced quality of life and usually a shortened lifespan. They are more likely to get joint problems (including arthritis), heart disease, pancreatitis, diabetes, heat stress and many other diseases.

Here at Ingleburn Veterinary Hospital, we prefer to work with you to prevent problems before they occur. It's all part of providing high quality health care. With this in mind, we offer you our Weight Loss Program.

So how do you know if your pet is overweight?

It may be difficult for you to tell. You see them everyday and don't notice the gradual weight gain.

• Run your hand gently over the sides of their chest, and the middle of their lower back. You should be able to feel the ribs and the spine without applying any pressure. If you can feel a layer of "padding", then they are probably overweight, and they may even be obese.
• We would like to encourage everyone to come in and weigh their pet. It's free and can be done any time during office hours without an appointment. Our staff will happily let you know whether or not your pet is overweight.

We would highly recommend that all overweight pets participate in our weight loss program. Our staff will initially give you a weight loss questionnaire to fill in at home (also available on our web site). This contains questions on your pet's current diet and exercise habits. They will then arrange a consultation with a vet (or experienced nurse if appropriate).

During the initial Weight Loss Program visit we will:

• review your responses to the weight loss questionnaire
• check for any medical reasons for your pet being overweight
  (unless already done in their annual health check)
• assess your pet's current weight and body condition score.
• take a "before" photograph
• discuss diet and exercise
• determine your pet's target bodyweight
• formulate an individual weight loss program to help you achieve this.

All this for a standard consultation fee (or less if your pet has just had their annual health check).

Your Weight Loss Program file contains further information and charts for you to record your pet's progress.

After 2 weeks we would recommend that you see one of our staff for a short consult to discuss any problems or questions that you may have. Subsequent free weigh-ins every 2 weeks will help us to monitor your pet's progress. Once your pet's target weight is achieved we will schedule another short consult to discuss a diet to maintain your pet's bodyweight. We will also take an "after" photograph.

We may recommend that your pet temporarily go on a special diet food (eg. Hill's Prescription Diet r/d). Because these foods are much lower in fat and calories than normal foods, they allow your pet to eat the same amount that they do now (sometimes more) and still lose weight! This makes the whole process much easier.

So don't keep thinking that weight loss is too hard. Remember that all it takes to get started is a trip down to our hospital for a free weigh-in. You might be surprised at the difference that losing those extra kilos could make to your pet's health!