We also run a Pet Fit Club which is especially important if your dog or cat is prone to a disappearing waistline!! Our staff will offer advice and suggestions to help your pet keep in good health.
Membership of our Club is free and we are here to give support to both you and your pet. Like many Vets across the country, the Vets and Nurses at Abbeyfields know that a slim pet leads a far healthier and more active life.
We also have pet weighing scales and you are welcome to check your pets weight at anytime during surgery opening times and we will happily keep a note of this on their records.
Or, if you are serious about your Pet's health and waist line, or perhaps the Vets have recommended weight loss, then Sign Up to Pet Fit Club proper!
Membership of the Club is free; simply call in or tell us of your interest and we will help with the rest!
At Abbeyfields Vets in Rocester, Rosie, our senior trainee Veterinary Nurse and Lindsey, our Veterinary Surgeon are the coordinators of Fit Club and available to start your plan.
Want to Join in?
Call us and arrange a free Appointment for your pet. At the Surgery in Rocester. Between 2pm and 4 pm is good, but we can help at any time.
Our staff will weigh your Pet and Body Condition Score him. What's this you ask? BCS has a scale of 5 to 1, where 5 is severely over weight, and 1 is severely under weight. BCS 3 is ideal.
With the help of Hills Pet Foods weight loss programme, we can use all their expertise to calculate not only your Pet's weight, but its ideal weight also.
We look at Body Condition Score. Just as with people, weight is not the only factor to consider in health and fitness. The BCS system helps adjust for pets that are larger than breed averages, or perhaps of mixed breeding.
So together we work out where your Pet starts, where he should ideally be in the fitness plan, how long it will take to achieve weight loss and finish.
If you choose to use Hills RD food, which we find a well proven diet food, we can calculate daily feeding allowance and support you all the way.
Pets on our Scheme tend to visit us every 2 weeks. We chart your success and support you and your Pet all the way.
We keep a chart of your Pet's progress, and if you throw yourself whole heartedly into the scheme with Hills pet foods, then they reward your goals and success along the way, with vouchers and bags of free food.
But what of the benefits to your pets when they lose weight?
- well a fitter pet, often keener to walk and run further.
- A fitter you bringing up the rear
- Easing of arthritis pain since less weight on sore joints
- Less snoring and respiratory signs so a better nights sleep all round
- Less fat inside around all your pets major organs
- Healthier coat and less odour since self grooming is much easier
- A more attractive appearance in many cases
- Less risk of overheating in hot or humid conditions
- The "10 years younger" anti ageing effect of weight loss
- Less medications if only due to lighter body weight, let alone direct health benefits
- Savings on the costs of food, wormers, flea treatments since your pet is lighter.
The benefits are numerous! And remember , besides featuring your Pet in the starters and finishers page of our pet gallery, you have the chance of entering the annual Hills Pet Slimmer of the Year competition!
Nutrition
Abbeyfields in Rocester stocks Hills Science Plan and Presciption Diet ranges of dog and cat foods. These complete foods have clinically proven health benefits, specifically formulated for your pets specific life stages and medical needs. Call us for expert advice and an offer!
Pet Fit Club Slimmer of the Year!
Fudge
Fudge is a much-loved 13 year-old Jack Russell Terrier, who came to see us in May 2011 as her owner was concerned that she was getting a bit arthritic. On physical examination she was a little bit stiff on her legs, but more noticeable was her disappearing waistline! At 12.1kg Fudge was a bit over her ideal weight of around 8-9kg!
So in June Fudge was signed up to our free Pet Fit Club, visiting every 2 weeks to be weighed in and have a chat with one of our nurses or vets. As well as increasing the amount of exercise Fudge gets, her owner also started feeding her on a prescription diet – Hills r/d, which has been specially formulated to aid weight loss.
Feeding a commercial weight-loss diet is far better for your pet than simply cutting down the amount you feed them of their usual food, for three main reasons:
- “Normal” diets tend to contain a lot more fat (and therefore calories) than weight-loss diets, which promotes the retention of body fat even when consuming a smaller amount of food!
- Eating less actually leads to the food that IS eaten being digested and absorbed more efficiently, thus defeating the object!
- ALL nutrients are reduced when the amount of a “normal” diet being fed is reduced; therefore your pet might be missing out on essential fatty acids, protein, vitamins and minerals…feeding a special commercial weight-loss diet ensures that they still receive the correct amount of these nutrients which are essential for health and well-being.
Fudge’s weight-loss plan started very well, and both her owner and us were very pleased with how things were going as she was becoming a new dog with an increased thirst for life…however, her weight then began creeping back up, as you can see on the graph! After some investigating, it turned out that someone else (Fudge’s owner’s Dad – you’ve been named and shamed!) was sneaking her treats….when embarking on a weight-loss programme it’s important to remember to get the whole family on board!
Once the culprit had been told off(!), Fudge’s weight continued to fall, and at her last visit she only weighed 9.3kg – we were so pleased with her she has now changed onto a different diet, which is designed to maintain her new healthy weight but not to promote further weight loss.
Everyone here at Abbeyfields, and Fudge’s owner, have noticed a remarkable change in her now she has lost so much weight (2.8kg - equivalent to a small cat!!), as she is now much more active, has a beautiful glossy coat and much more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed appearance!
Well done to Fudge and her owner!
If you have a pet who you think would benefit from joining up to Pet Fit Club, give us a ring on 01889 590449 or pop in for a chat – remember, it’s free to join, so all you’ve got to lose is some weight!
