Health Habits for Your Pet

          All humans and animals have an ideal body weight that will help keep us healthy and happy. Our beloved pets need help from their family and friends to achieve a healthy life style. Obesity, or excess weight, has been associated with respiratory disorders, renal dysfunctions, increase in metabolic disorders and some types of cancer. A thorough nutritional assessment by your practitioner is the first step. The guidelines used to formulate a weight loss plan for your pet follows the American Animal Hospital Association's (AAHA) Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for cats and dogs to get the basic plan set in motion.  Every pet has unique circumstances due to family, physical abilities and environment that will be assessed by your vet to help customize the plan so that your pet’s goals can be achieved. The main areas of focus to help increase the longevity of your pet will be gradual calorie restriction, positive diet selection, consistent exercise and most importantly help modifying you and your pet’s behavior and unhealthy tendencies. Frequent exams with your vet are highly recommended to help keep track of your pet’s progress and to make any adjustments to the health care plan. The majority of the effort and time spent toward the improvement of your pet’s health is spent at home. Having all members of the family involved, setting realistic goals and diligence will help extend the life of your pet.  

 

       West Ridge Animal Hospital has a team of veterinarians, technicians, assistants, and reception staff ready to help support you and your pet during their diet transition.  We use a tool called Hill's Healthy Weight Protocol that allows us to take morphometric measurements of your individual pet's body to determine their true ideal weight, because let's face it, one size does not fit all for people or our pets! We try to take into consideration your individual habits and daily activities so that the transition is as easy as possible for you and your pet.  We will help you select an appropriate food, whether prescription or not, and instruct you on how to switch foods if necessary.  Our staff is here late into the evening and on weekends if you have questions regarding feeding, or just need some tips to help your pet get used to their new diet.  If you feel your dog or cat could benefit from a new diet, or a weight loss plan; or if you would just like the peace of mind of knowing you’re doing a great job with your pet’s nutrition, take a pledge for them to be healthier and contact us today!