Weight management

Nobody comes to a rehabilitation practice to talk about their dog’s weight. But for a dog whose joints already hurt, it is the single factor working hardest against everything else being tried.

Every extra pound is paid for by the joints at every step, on every walk, for the rest of their life. Taking some of it off often does more for comfort than any treatment in the building.

A 2018 survey found 56% of dogs and 60% of cats carry more than they should. If that is your dog, you are in the majority.

• Treating the pain first, or alongside. A more comfortable dog moves more, and a dog who moves more loses weight more easily. This is usually the part that has been missing.
• Water treadmill work. The water takes the weight, so a dog can do real work without the joints paying for it. Often the only exercise available at the start.
• A realistic target, not an ideal one. A few pounds off makes a measurable difference. Aiming for a textbook weight on day one is how plans get abandoned in week three.
• Something measurable. Weighing at visits, so progress is visible rather than guessed at. Dogs change slowly enough that you will not see it at home.