Obesity - just one more Xmas treat?!

To try and manage or reduce your pets weight is not always going to be a simple process.

People in the veterinary profession recognise this and will be more than happy to discuss the best way for you to tackle it.

It is important to get other people involved.

To put it this into context, if you have a gym membership, you are much more likely to improve your fitness quicker and or lose weight if you go to classes or have a personal trainer to encourage and give advice on how to improve. This is similar with your pet, it can be very demoralising trying to get your pet to lose weight on your own, when nothing seems to be working.

Your personal vet will be more than happy to guide and advise you on how to manage your pets weight. Three key points to consider in managing your pets weight are:

- The quality of food you are feeding.

- The quantity of food (including treats!).

- The levels of exercise you manage with your pet.

All good pet foods will have guidelines on how much to feed on a daily basis, but these are merely guidelines. It doesn't take into account if you are giving any extras such as treats and chews. We are not saying there isn't a place for treats but by giving this in addition to the full daily amount may contribute to the weight gain your pet is struggling with.

Not all pets are particularly energetic either through the day or out on walks, if they aren't burning off the calories then they don't need as much to begin with.

Taking things into consideration such as if your pet is neutered also has a significant impact on your pets' weight. In general, they require less food than entire animals, and so even though they are getting fed the same as before they are neutered, they can put on significant weight in a short space of time.

Weight control can be a challenge, but we are always on hand to answer any further questions that you may have @ www.letzpet.com.

Merry Christmas!