Facts
About Pet Obesity:
Over
feeding, lifestyle changes and lack of exercise are all reasons why 50% of pets
are overweight.
Health
risks of obesity include diabetes, mobility disorders, heart disease, high
blood pressure and skin disorders.
A
healthy dog can outlive an overweight dog by two years. A Body Condition
Score (BCS) is a means of assessing a pet's need for weight management. The BCS
is scored out of 5, 1 being too thin and 5 being obese. The ideal score is 3 where there is slight fat
cover over the ribs, a nice abdominal tuck with a well pronounced waist.
Unfortunately a large majority of pets fall into the body score of 4 and this
has shifted the perceptions of what a normal healthy pet should look like.
Signs
of an overweight dog:
-
Often
appear tired and lazy and
lag
behind on walks.
-
-
Need
help getting in the car.
Three
Steps to a slimmer more active and healthy pet:
1) Book a free
consultation with a nurse for advice and support on how to best start the
weight loss programme. You will be provided with a record book to track your
pets success.
2) It is likely that a
weight controlled diet will be advised. These are clinically proven and deigned
for weight loss. Canine r/d works by switching the metabolism from fat storage
to fat burning. Feline r/d works with fibre technology to reduce weight and
keep away hunger.
3) An exercise plan is
a good start for weight loss. Regular physical activity will burn calories and
maintain muscle strength. This can be tailored to the individual pet and will
take into account their mobility and fitness level. Exercise should varied and
include - resistance walking using terrain such as sand, fallen leaves and
rough ground. Hide and seek, obstacle courses and the simple fetch are great
ways to exercise you dog. For cats 'catch the lights' using a white light torch
on the walls and floors and let your cat play (do not use red laser as this can
damage your cats eyes).
Online
support is available, you can be registered onto the Vet Nutrition Academy
website www.myhillspet.com/VNA. This provides, a
ll
you need to know about weight issues,
regular
emails and support,
feeding tips,
exercise
advice and an
on-line
weight tracker.
Did
you know? Feeding
your cat 2 crisps or your dog a small plain biscuit is the equivalent to a human eating a hamburger!
Feeding
your cat a cup of milk is the equivalent to a human eating 4 ½ hamburgers
.
Facts
About Pet Obesity:
Map