We all love our animals and want to shower them with treats, food, love, and happiness. But we also want them to live long, pain-free lives! Let's see if we have our cake and eat it too!
If you believe your pet is overweight, or have been told so by your veterinarian (opinionated neighbors don't count!), we can help you make a plan for weight loss that stays off.
Step one: diet. We believe this is the biggest step. Write down everything that goes in your pet's mouth every day. Usually that's two categories: dog food and treats (including human food).
Exercise: My personal feeling is that exercise is great. For the muscles and for the brain. But it doesn't lead to much result in shedding weight. If your dog is young, add in a walk a day if it fits in your schedule. If you have an older or sometimes arthritic dog, keep the walks short and focus on the diet.
If your pet continues to gain weight, or refuses to lose weight despite sticking to a strict regimen, they may need some bloodwork! Hypothyroidism is a common disease that can cause weight gain or weight retention, as well as recurrent skin infections, symmetrical alopecia, and other symptoms.
Call us today and we can see you to help design a plan for your family to get those calories and pounds off your pet. It will lead to less arthritic pain, less medications commonly prescribed for arthritis, and will truly give your pet more years with you.
Last tip: put your plan (exercise, amount of food, number of treats) on the fridge! If it's in plain sight, it's more likely to happen!