The summer months can be very hard for our canine and feline friends, especially if they are overweight. Helping your pet’s lose weight is a slow but rewarding process and we are here to support you and your fur babies!
Obesity in our pets can be warning signs or put them at risk for certain diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism (dogs), arthritis/joint pain, and skin issues from not being able to groom themselves (cats).
We have a lot of options for weight loss diets, treats, and exercise tips to help get/keep your pet in shape.
Diet is the number 1 component to a lean and healthy lifestyle. Come in and talk to one of our RVT's to find the best weight loss/maintenance diet for your pet. Some helpful tips for low calorie treats are:
Apple slices, banana slices, carrots, green beans, lean cooked meats, melon chunks, and pear slices.
Regular exercise can have a tremendous impact on your pet’s overall well-being. Animals that get regular workouts usually have a higher metabolism, smaller appetite, better muscle tone, calmer temperament and even better temperature regulation.
Walking, swimming, hiking, running, playing with toys, and treat/food balls are all great ways to help your dog be active. Cats are a little more difficult to encourage activity, below are some tips to help get your cat active:
- Leave out paper bags, tissue paper, and cardboard boxes to encourage play.
- Provide fresh catnip.
- Encourage your cat to chase toys, balls, sticks with feathers, or flashlight pointers. Be careful not to shine the pointer in your pet’s eyes – or anyone else’s.
- Inspire climbing with a cat tree or cat condo.
- Provide a scratching post or pad.
- Encourage play with other pets. Set up play-dates with a friend or relative’s pet. You may even want to consider adopting another cat.
- Train your cat to perform tricks for low-calorie treats. For example, teach your cat to run to you from across the house, or climb up her cat tree when you shake the box of treats.
- Get your cat a food puzzle. Specially designed cat toys require your cat to work to remove treats inside.
· Be sure to choose toys for your cat carefully, avoiding toys with string or small pieces that your cat may try to swallow, and don’t leave toys out for cats to play with unattended.
Keeping your pet at a lean healthy weight is one of the many ways to help improve their quality of life. We are here to help with any questions you may have and are happy to help get your pets in their best shape for summer!
**CONTEST**
Please submit or tag us in before & after photos of your pets weight loss journey or of them enjoying an activity to be entered into our summer contest ending August 31. They will be entered for a chance to win a bag of yummy low calorie treats and a toy to help encourage activity! Contact the clinic @ 905-294-7387 or markham@vet905.com for more information :)
Please submit or tag us in before & after photos of your pets weight loss journey or of them enjoying an activity to be entered into our summer contest ending August 31. They will be entered for a chance to win a bag of yummy low calorie treats and a toy to help encourage activity! Contact the clinic @ 905-294-7387 or markham@vet905.com for more information :)