Is your pet carrying a few extra kg of weight? Now is the time to sort things
out, as we all know the problems this can cause as time goes on. The 'Slimmers
Clinic' is run by Mel Evans. Why not join Mel's 'Slimmers Clinic' and get expert
help to get the diet correct and improve the health of your pet.
Previously we managed to get two pets through to the Hills regional finals and
we will hear their stories. This is the time to think about taking the plunge.
Remember you will not only be helping to maximise the health of your pet but
there are added incentives. Progressing to a regional final will get you 2 months free
food and a goody bag. Winning the regional final will give you 4 months free
food and a £250 holiday voucher. The winner of the national finals will win
£2000 of holiday vouchers, £500 pet accessories and a year of free pet food.
Charlie Cox ( a fulsome feline ) came to the clinic weighing 5.4kg. This is
his story:
Charlie is a very handsome boy. When he came to see us last year, the only thing
that spoilt his good looks was his tubby tummy. This was a result of many years
lazing around in the garden and eating whatever took his fancy (including
naughty treats like cheese, yoghurt, tuna and even chocolate). In his younger
days, he had always prided himself on his svelte tiger like appearance and with
this in mind, he decided that it was time to take some action and try to shed
some excess pounds.
With the help of his mum and the nurse, a diet and exercise plan was devised which
replaced his current eating plan with some new yummy biscuits. Slowly and surely
his weight loss gained momentum and each month when he popped into the surgery
to be weighed and measured by the nurse, both Charlie and his mum found her
enthusiasm very encouraging.
It wasn’t too long before Charlie felt much more like his old self again. He
remembered how much he enjoyed playing with his toys and chasing those pesky
butterflies around in the garden. He also felt much more inclined and able to
groom his beautiful coat again and before he knew it, the family and neighbours
were all commenting on how his good looks had returned to their former glory.
Charlie has worked very hard to reach his target weight and his mum and the
nurse are both proud of his success.
Ben Schlummer ( a heavy hound ) was helped to achieve significant
weight loss and managed to get to the regional finals.
Here is the nurse's account of Ben's successful outcome:
Ben was a whopping 32.5kg and only 7 months old. Devising a weight loss plan for
him presented us with two potential problems. Firstly (most obviously) he was
only 7 months of age which meant that as a young growing dog his nutritional
requirements were a little more complex than most. Secondly his owner stressed
that he had always suffered from a very sensitive tummy. She explained to me the
difficulties that she had previously experienced when changing his diet from
anything other than boiled chicken and rice cooked at home. At this point I
decided to consult the Hills technical help line. I explained that I wished to
put Ben onto Hills R/D but was worried that it may not be suitable considering
his age and sensitive tummy.
It was suggested that R/D was tried and we supplemented his meals daily with
dicalcium phosphate powder. There was also reassurance that if we gradually
introduced R/D it shouldn’t upset his tummy. This was achieved with the owners
agreement over a two week period.
Six months later, at just over a year, Ben looks absolutely fantastic. His owner
has worked really hard and stuck rigidly to his diet plan, which has regularly
needed reviewing and sometimes adjusting to accommodate his ever changing
nutritional requirements as a growing dog. Since joining the slimmers clinic he
has visited me at the clinic at least once monthly to be weighed and measured
and he thoroughly enjoys coming to see us all as he always gets lots of fuss and
attention.
By catching him at such a young age and managing to control his weight problem,
I find it very rewarding that we have hopefully helped to prevent arthritis,
heart disease plus many other problems associated with being overweight as this
would have been tragic in a dog at his age. I’m sure that Ben and his owners can
now look forward to spending a long, happy, healthy life together.
So congratulations to Charlie Cox and owners for winning regional feline
section, and Ben Schlummer and owners for getting through to the regional
finals. Also to the other slimmers that narrowly missed out on selection to the
finals.