Obesity is a growing problem in pets and can quickly become an issue if it isn’t managed correctly. In fact, in the UK 81% of owners think their pets are the ideal weight, when in contrast, veterinary professionals estimate that 46% of pets are obese.*
It’s important your pet gets checked up regularly to make sure they are fighting fit, and living a healthy lifestyle, otherwise it can lead to a greater risk of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and respiratory distress, among many other things.
Weight can be impacted by many factors, but the main influencers to this are diet and exercise, and luckily these are both things that can be controlled.
Meet Merlo
Merlo is one of our patients who has been making use of our weight loss clinics, led by our registered veterinary nurses.
At the beginning of his journey, he weighed 35.5kg in March. He first visited us in April after his owner implemented a diet plan. He’d lost 2.5kg over the month but it was leaving him hungry still.
He attended our weight clinic, led by Louise who took Merlo’s measurements, went through the benefits of dietary food with his owner and completed a body condition score. This score looks at the overall shape of the animal and is an excellent indicator of whether your pet is carrying extra weight.
Merlo went onto Virbac weight loss food and a daily allowance was calculated to ensure he gets the correct amount of nutrients and maintains a healthy weight loss. Virbac weight loss food is formulated to make dogs feel fuller for longer which helps them stop searching for food in between meals.
Merlo’s stats before change in diet:
Merlo was around 30% overweight in April 2023 and was at a body condition score of 8/9, his measurements were as follows:
- Neck – 44cm
- Chest – 80cm
- Waist – 76cm
Merlo’s stats after 20 weeks:
In just 20 weeks Merlo is at just 8% over his ideal weight and is currently at a body condition score of 6/9, his current measurements have reduced to:
- Neck – 36cm (a total loss of 8cm)
- Chest – 69cm (a total loss of 11cm)
- Waist – 50cm (a total loss of 26cm)
Merlo’s stats after 24 weeks:
We’re pleased to report Merlo is very near his ideal weight now, at 25.85kg, with a total loss of an incredible 9.65kg.
- Neck 32cm (a total loss of 12cm)
- Chest 65cm (a total loss of 15cm)
- Waist 47cm (a total loss of 29cm)
Merlo’s owners state he has much more energy and is active and happy. Louise reports there is a huge difference in Merlo, he bounds into the consult room like a youngster which is great to see, and his owners have worked hard and stuck to his diet so well which has massively paid off.
Louise explains more about what the clinics offer “Our veterinary nurse-led weight clinics are designed to help our clients understand the benefits of weight loss and give practical tips as well as dietary advice to help on this weight loss journey with their pet together.
She added “We use a mixture of calculations of food amounts and body condition scoring to help us assess our patient’s needs, as just like humans there is no one size fits all, even within breeds there is a lot of variation. Regular follow-up appointments are there to help our clients on the journey which we often are a big part of and seeing their successes is just as rewarding for us too.”
Get in touch about our weight loss clinics
If you’d like to take advantage of our weight loss clinics led by our registered veterinary nurses, get in touch with either our Bridlington or Driffield practice to arrange your consultation.
*https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/pdsa-animal-wellbeing-report/paw-report-2023/dogs#:~:text=Diet%20and%20Obesity&text=In%20contrast%2C%20findings%20from%20our,overweight%20or%20have%20obesity15.
