Pudgy Pets – Copper Hill Animal Clinic

At Copper Hill Animal Clinic, we absolutely understand how difficult it is to maintain a healthy weight in a pet who gazes up at us so beseechingly while we eat something particularly aromatic at the dinner table. How could it hurt to give one sliver of chicken, a crust of bread, or a spoonful of pudding? Our naughty cat Finnegan stole a whole drumstick off the table just a few weeks ago, and while we should have been taking it back from him we instead found ourselves laughing at his attempts to drag it across the floor. The dear boy has since been barred from the table-for now at least.
The truth of the matter is that our pets eat too much and exercise too little. Large dogs bred to pull sleds across tundra languish in their homes on the rug. Cats sleep in fuzzy lined beds, barely walking 100 feet to a food bowl, rather than jumping, attacking and working for their prey. The portion sizes listed on the back of the food bag are often vague and confusing, leading to a bowl filled with more food than should actually be given. And all of this leads to a simple truth, that obesity is now the number one metabolic disease of pets.
Exercise is certainly one component of maintaining a healthy weight, but often calorie reduction must be part of the equation. Often we find that a well meaning owner is feeding a ‘scoop’ of food, but how much is in the scoop? Often, no measurement is truly known. Consider using an actual measured cup, or better yet, a gram scale to evaluate quantity. Pet treats may look small, but are often calorie dense and sometimes 4-5 treats may equal an entire meal’s worth of calories. Feeding meals, commiting to regular weight checks, and making healthy treat choices are tools in our arsenal. If you need help managing your pets weight, the veterinarians and staff at Copper Hill Animal Clinic are ready to help!
For more information about Copper Hill Animal Clinic email is at copperhillanimalclinic@gmail.com or call us at 661-296-8848.