Just weight

     Apologies for the short lapse in our blog posting.  The holidays sometimes get a little hectic!  One of the things I've been spending time discussing with clients lately is weight management.  We had an extremely hot summer, and many of our pets didn't get as much exercise as they might normally have gotten.  Subsequently, we are seeing more pets now that are struggling with a few extra pounds.  There are several recommendations we make to our pet owners with overweight pets.  The first thing is that we need to have an objectively obtained list of all food/treat/snack items the pet ingests on a daily basis as well as all individuals who may offer these food/treat/snack items to the pet.  This gives us a baseline for what type of caloric load the pet encounters.  Second, we suggest that the first level of moderation occur at the snack/treat level.  All snacks (unfortunately) have calories.  This includes milkbones, rawhides, and the like.  Just as in humans, it's not the first snack that gets you, but the accumulation through time of all the snacks eaten.  We don't want to eliminate this important bonding experience from your pet, but rather we'd like to change the type of snacks to something more healthy.  Typical recommendations are using vegetables such as carrots, or marshmallows, or even small pieces of rice cakes.  The key is to substitute a less calorie dense product for the current treat.  Additionally, we look to address portion control in pets.  This is done through measuring with a marked dry measuring cup the exact amount of food being offered.  We typically recommend feeding pets twice daily, and allow access to the food for approximately 30-45 minutes.  Any remaining food at the end of that time period is removed.  The third item we try to adjust is the amount of activity the pet is getting.  Exercise is just as important for our pets as it is for us.  The key is small amounts of consistent activity more frequently.  It is far better to take your pet for a short but brisk walk 3 times a day than one long walk once a week.  Weight management in pets is a complicated issue, and there are a multitude of factors that must be considered in addition to the above items.  Every pet should have an individualized weight management program.  If your pet is overweight, please call and schedule an appointment for a physical examination and consultation.