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New Year, New You! by Dr Steph Gowing
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ant to help your pet lose those Christmas pounds? Noticed they’ve been creeping up the kilos on the scales the last few vet visits? Worried you’re adding in a few too many bedtime treats or dinnertime extras? What is the ideal weight for my pet? Though we do associate numbers with weight, when vets and nurses look at pets, we’re mainly looking and feeling to estimate ‘body condition score’, a 1-9 score assessing the amount of fat on their bodies. Ideally in cats and dogs, you should be able to feel their ribs similarly to how you can feel the bones over the back of your hand - with minimal fatty insulation! They should also have a visible waistline where their body curves inwards after their ribs when viewed from above. You can check this at home, or ask one of the staff next time you’re at the vets to help you score your pet and help give you an idea of what weight is their ideal adult one. How can I help my pet lose weight? First off, evaluate everything your pet gets to eat over an average day or week - how much in their daily meal(s), plus any treats, chews, toppers or tidbits they get. Measure out their meals and check that it isn’t more than they should be getting for their weight from the packet. Next, cut any treats or tidbits that you can, or exchange them for healthier alternatives below. If you can swap them to a ‘light’ or ‘neutered’ diet, that will also help. Increase their activity where you can, encouraging walks, runs, playing and puzzle feeding or search games. • • • • • • • •
Courgette - skin on or off, raw or steamed (cats especially love this) Cauliflower Celery Watermelon (you can freeze it too) Broccoli Green beans (trimmed or whole, raw or cooked) Royal Canin Educ treats (part of their weight loss range) Ice cubes (chasing them can also be fun!)
What if I’m trying, but they’re not losing? Often it can be really hard to reduce a pet’s food enough to get weight loss without restricting the nutrients they need. In these instances, we recommend specialist weight loss diets. These are created especially for rapid recommended weight loss and are significantly calorie restricted, while still providing correct daily nutrients, as well as helping pets feel full and stop them begging, which is something we can see more of when normal diets are restricted. Vets generally recommend diets by companies such as Royal Canin, Purina and Hill’s, not because we are commissioned to do so, but because these companies’ diets are scientifically researched to achieve their function, from controlling kidney disease to achieving safe effective weight loss. Speak to your veterinary team the next time you’re in or over the phone - you’re not alone! Weight loss is hard work and many vets run weight loss advice sessions and clinics to help your specific situation and challenges, and help you problem solve to keep them losing and maintaining a more ideal weight. Sometimes these can even be done remotely over phone & email.
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