Happy New Year…… Pet Resolutions…
It’s 2019! This time of year we are all setting New Year resolutions and there’s no better time to get your pet involved.
We all get out of routine and start to wind down as the year comes to an end. There’s no better time to start a fresh for you and your pets!
After the excess of Christmas and New Year food most of us are finding ourselves trying to shift those extra mince pies and chocolate. Our four legged friends also fall victim to gaining these extra pounds whether that’s because we’ve fed them too much or been indulging with extra treats.
On top of the usual food we give to our pets we also tend to give little treats such as cheese, crackers and other Christmassy treats. These treats however do not have the same nutritional value to us and they do to our pets. Due to this it is easy to see how the pounds start creeping on.
e.g. 1oz of cheese for a dog = 2 and a half burgers or 1 and a half large chocolate bars for humans
1oz of cheese for a cat = 3 and a half burgers or 4 large chocolate bars for us humans.
It is also worth remembering that cheese isn't the only food that this applies to, all human foods are different, sausages, milk,
Obesity like in humans can cause a number of dangerous conditions these include:
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Heart Disease
- Breathing Problems
- Skin Disease
- Heat and exercise intolerance
- Greater risk under anesthetic
How do I know if my pet is overweight?
We are always more than happy to get one of our nurses to carry out a free weight check if you are concerned in anyway about your pets’ weight.
Below is a link that can help understand the "ideal" weight for cats and dogs.
https://www.royalcaninhealthyweight.co.uk/pet-obesity