Many of the cats and dogs we see at our clinic are overweight or obese. At Hôpital vétérinaire Vieux Village Inc., we offer nutrition and weight management advice to support you and help your pet live a happy and healthy life.

What is a healthy weight for a dog or cat?

Determining a dog or cat’s healthy weight isn’t easy. Many factors come into play, such as breed, size, age, health condition, and so on. By analyzing all of these factors, the vet will be able to determine the ideal weight for your pet and whether or not they need to gain or lose some weight. If your pet is 15% over their healthy weight, they are considered obese.

At each veterinary visit, we weigh your pet and look at their chart to see if their weight has fluctuated.

How does my pet’s excess weight affect their health?

Being overweight or obese can cause a lot of health problems for pets and shorten their life expectancy. It increases the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and high blood pressure.

How can I help my pet lose weight?

You can focus first on their diet, which is a crucial aspect of weight loss. You need to assess the type of food you’re giving them, control portions, watch how they’re eating, limit treats and table food, and so on. Our team will be happy to help you with this.

Another very important aspect of weight loss is exercise. We can recommend a specific exercise regimen, training and games to encourage your pet to be more active.