Helping Your Pet Lose Weight

While losing weight is never easy, it is not impossible, even for you pets. Having a plan and sticking to it is key, and having medical support on your side can go a long way towards helping you reach your goal.

The steps to pet weight loss are the same for pets as for people: medical monitoring, healthy diet, exercise and realistic goals.

The Keys to Weight Loss:

Medical Monitoring: Before one begins any major weight loss plan, it is important to consult with a doctor. In the case of your pet, a visit to a veterinarian is in order. A thorough physical will help assess your pet's general health, and a blood test may help rule out any hidden ailments which may either be at the root of your pet's weight problem, or may make diet and exercise unsafe.

Your veterinarian can also help you set up a healthy diet plan for your pet, as well as reasonable exercise and weight loss goals. Regular trips to the veterinary hospital for weigh ins can help you monitor your pet's weight loss while providing encouragement and support.

Healthy Diet: Obviously excessive caloric intake is at the root of most weight problems. As such, reducing calories is key to pet weight loss.

Monitoring your pet's food intake is vital for any weight loss plan. It is normally recommended that you feed your pet a measured amount twice daily. This way, you know exactly how much food your pet is getting per day, while splitting the feedings allows your pet to utilize the calories more evenly throughout the day.

When helping a pet lose weight, most owners chose to start with store-bought low-calorie foods. This, along with exercise, may be enough to get your pet on the right track. Often, however, owners find that store bought foods don't help enough. In this case, a prescription weight loss diet may be necessary. All Pets Animal Hospital carries several prescription diets to help your dog or cat lose weight.

For overweight birds and rabbits and small mammals, changing in the types and quantities of different foods may be necessary. The doctors and staff of All Pets Animal Hospital can help you create a healthy weight loss diet for your exotic pet!

Exercise: Exercise burns calories and helps get the metabolism burning calories faster. For sedentary pets, it is important that an exercise program start slowly. Begin with short walks or exercise periods and increase over a matter of weeks and months.

Again, consultation with a veterinarian is important. A veterinarian can help create a realistic and safe exercise plan that, along with a good diet, can help your pet lose weight, become fit and help it stay healthy.

Realistic Goals: It is important that owners have realistic goals when trying to help their pet lose weight. For instance, a small dog who is overweight at 20lbs may only lose a few ounces per month, whereas a giant-breed dog may lose 2 pounds in that same time span.