Have you ever walked into a pet food aisle and felt overwhelmed by the different options? We can offer expert advice to help you negotiate the complicated array of diet choices. From the very first day you bring a new pet home through the final days of its life, nutrition plays a critical role in your pet’s overall health and well-being. While there are many excellent choices of diets available, we can help you avoid some of the common pitfalls of picking foods. We are also happy to discuss when and if you should change your pet’s diet as they advance through different life stages. If your pet is overweight, we are here to create personalized weight loss plans. Thinking about adding in a supplement? We can help you pick the products that have the most research backing them! If your pet has a medical condition, we can help you select the most appropriate diet to suit your pet’s needs. We may even recommend specially formulated prescription diets for management of certain medical conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, bladder stones and heart disease.

Whether your pet has special dietary needs or simply needs to shed a few pounds, our doctors can help you accomplish your goals and keep your pet in good health.

Obesity is a problem not just limited to humans. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention states that in 2017 an estimated 56% of dogs and 60% of cats in the United States were overweight or obese. Having an overweight pet can put them at increased risk for diseases such as arthritis, cranial cruciate ligament injury, high blood pressure, diabetes and overall reduce life expectancy. We are happy to help you assess your pet’s weight but here are some things to look for at home:

Does your pet have a waistline? Pets should have an hourglass shape with a narrowing of their frame in front of their hips when looking from above.

Can you feel your pet’s ribs? While very visible ribs can be a sign of an underweight animal, you should easily be able to feel the ribs when you run your fingers over your pet’s sides.

Here’s a link to the pet obesity prevention website with more information about pet obesity, weight loss, and a visual body condition score chart:
https://petobesityprevention.org/pet-weight-check

We are happy to help assess your pet and come up with a goal weight. Our scale is always available for weigh-ins to help monitor progress.

Weight loss tips:

• Measure, measure, measure! The key to regulating your pet’s weight is to know how many calories they are eating.

• Treats should make up less than 10% of your pet’s daily calorie intake. See the link below for some low calorie treat options

• If you have a hard time not giving your pet treats, reserve a portion of their dry food to feed as treats throughout the day

• Remember dental chews and rawhides have calories too and should be calculated into your pet’s daily calorie consumption

• Pets can be sneaky, especially when they are hungry! Make sure your dog isn’t helping himself to the cat’s food…or vice versa!
  
  

Looking for more information? Schedule an appointment with us! Or check out this blog written by veterinary nutritionists: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/petfoodology/

If you are looking to order your Purina prescription diet online, please follow the link below:

https://www.proplanvetdirect.com/customer/account/create/?to=clinic&clinic-id=4LUFS