A healthy weight

What if we told you that there was one thing that you could do to help keep your pet healthy, reduce their risk of many common diseases, and maximise their lifespan?

The answer? Keep them in a slim, healthy body condition!

Unfortunately, being overweight can have many negative effects on your pet’s health. Obese pets are at a much higher risk of developing heat stress in summer, which can be a potentially fatal condition. This is due to their increased heat retention, and because being overweight often worsens any pre-existing respiratory issues (such as collapsing trachea, or brachycephalic airway disease in flat-faced dogs).

Being overweight can also increase your dog’s risk of developing joint damage, which can lead to painful arthritis later in life. This is the case in both obese adult dogs (who are more likely to rupture their cruciate ligaments or develop bulging spinal discs), and overweight growing pups (who are more likely to develop significant symptoms of hip or elbow dysplasia if they are already a predisposed breed).

Lastly, recent research has indicated that rather than just “sitting around”, fatty tissue is actually biologically active, and releases inflammatory hormones that can contribute to your pet developing certain cancers, or diseases such as diabetes.

Long-term studies have indicated that, sadly, obese dogs can have a shorter lifespan compared to lean, healthy dogs by an average of six months to two years!

How can I help my pet?

If you’re unsure about your pet’s healthiest weight, book a consultation with our helpful team. We can assess your pet’s body condition and, if they’re overweight, advise accordingly on a safe and effective weight loss regime.

Let us help tip the scales in your pet’s favour. Why “weight” to help your pet become happier, healthier and able to stay with you as long as possible?