Weight Management for Pets

Weight management includes a variety of strategies tailored towards supporting your pet to lose weight. Obesity can shorten your pet's lifespan, making them more likely to develop health complications, especially as they age. Helping your pet lose excess weight often means adding extra years to your time together. To book an appointment, please contact (416) 231-9293.

What is weight management?

Weight management involves supporting your pet through a weight-loss journey. Pets who are obese tend to develop health complications because the excess weight creates added strain on their internal systems and organs. We'll work with you to adjust your pet's daily caloric intake based on their diet. Nutrition is the key to weight loss, in addition to exercise, lifestyle changes, and good habits. If your pet doesn't lose weight, they could develop health issues like:

• Osteoarthritis
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Kidney disease
• Heart failure

Can I buy store-bought food for my pet?

When starting a weight management plan, we could recommend a specially formulated veterinary diet that provides your pet with the nutrients they need. However, as they continue to reach their weight goals, your pet could eat store-bought food. If you have questions about specific foods, please consult us. A common way to select a pet food is by reading the ingredients on the label. After all, this makes the most sense, right? Unfortunately, you have to be careful. Pet food labels can be manipulated to make their food seem more appealing. For example, terms such as “holistic” or “human grade” have no legal meaning in the pet food industry and can be added loosely to any label. “Meat as the first ingredient” is also misleading since ingredients are listed in order of weight, including water. That means ingredients with higher water content (fresh meats/veggies) will be listed higher than dry ingredients even though they may contribute fewer nutrients.