HART-Weight Loss

This is Dr. Jennifer Gearing, the newest veterinarian on staff at Mount Carmel. I am a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, so was hired on to take over the Hereford Animal Rehabilitation Therapy program that Dr. Sarah Dunleavy started. I have made a few appearances already this year to try and get the word out about this program and have several more coming up. In January, I did a presentation for our staff. February, I went to Gaithersburg to talk to the National Capital Kennel Club. I attended the Northeastern Maryland Kennel Club (NEMKC) AKC sanctioned Breed/Obedience Match in March. The beginning of April, I spoke at the NEMKC meeting about rehab & physical therapy. My next event will be the spring Doxiefest at Divine K-9 in Forest Hill, for more information check out www.c2cdr.org. I am preparing some information specifically about obesity and intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), since these commonly occur in dachshunds.
I have been meaning to blog on our site for some time, to get reliable information out on some diseases that affect our canine and feline patients. I will be focusing on topics that can be treated with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Since, my upcoming event will focus on obesity and IVDD these will be my first topics to blog on.
So, I would like to start with Weight management. About 35% of pets are overweight. Weight management is particularly important in our patients with orthopedic and neurologic problems. Extra weight contributes to the development of musculoskeletal problems and puts more pressure on the diseased joint. Overweight pets are also predisposed to cardiac disease, diabetes mellitus, GI problems, liver impairment, reproductive disorders, complications during anesthesia, skin problems, decreased immune function, and shorter life expectancy.
There are two ways to acheive weight loss: diet and exercise. These two methods of weight loss should be combined whenever possible. Diet refers to a reduction in calories. Our prescription weight loss diets have a lower calorie content per cup and typically an increased fiber content, so the animal feels full even though they are eating a smaller quantity of food. As our patients age their energy (and thereby calorie) requirements decrease and decreased activity further decreases these needs. Exercise increase or initiation can be difficult. With pets that have musculoskeletal disease, sometimes pain medication is necessary to start an exercise program. An exercise program should always be tailored to the individual, if they are not active now, you have to slowly build up. Just like us, the first trip back to the gym after a dormant period is going to result in some muscle soreness, especially if you overdo it! Cats can be especially problematic for getting them to exercise. You have to be creative, favorite toys, laser pointers, or simply putting the food bowl somewhere different and encouraging them to take more trips up and down the stairs. I used to carry my cat downstairs twice a day, just to make her climb the stairs.
We are starting a new dog weight loss program at Mount Carmel Animal Hospital, which Chris Saint is in charge of. So, at your pets next exam, please talk to us about weight loss, we are happy to talk to you about your cats as well (they just might not want to participate in group walks). We have lots of coupons for prescription diets for weight loss. Chris is going to be offering a lunchtime exercise course throughout the week, weekend walks, and underwater treadmill sessions for weight loss. We are hoping to set up a facebook group for participating owners/pets. There will be an initial consultation/evaluation to discuss feeding recommendations and an exercise plan. We do offer a free underwater treadmill session with the purchase of your first bag of prescription weight loss food. There will be monthly weigh ins to assess progress. Chris Saint and I will be attending the March for the Animals (www.mdspca.org) on April 29th , so you can ask us more about the weight loss program and you can ask me any questions about rehabilitation & physical therapy in small animals.I will be blogging again soon about intervertebral disc disease and will let you know about more upcoming events!
Jennifer Gearing, D.V.M., C.C.R.P.