Abbeycroft Veterinary Surgery 2.36

Abbeycroft Veterinary Surgery have always had a successful record in pet weight management and as a result we were one of a handful of practices proposed for accreditation to the scheme which is sponsored by Royal Canin pet food manufacturers.
Pet obesity is now one of the most common medical diseases seen in veterinary practices and is linked to both a decreased lifespan and a variety of associated conditions such as cardiac and respiratory diseases, osteo-articular diseases, urinary tract disorders and diabetes mellitus. There is strong evidence that reducing body weight by just 6% can reduce the risk of associated diseases which is not only beneficial to your pets health and wellbeing but also can save owners lots of expense in the future paying for ongoing treatment for conditions resulting from or exacerbated by weight.
For Abbeycroft to gain this accreditation our staff had to undergo advanced training and assessment in pet body condition scoring and nutrition, the whole process took 3 months to complete. Throughout this time the Abbeycroft team worked closely with Shelley Holden, a weight specialist who is part of the Royal Canin Weight and Nutrition team.
Once your pet has been enrolled on the Weight management programme he/she will be assessed in a consultation which will take approx. 30 minutes. During this consult, your pet will be weighed and photographed and measurements will be taken of their chest, waist and neck. After the measurements and photographs have been taken, your pet will then be scored on the Body Condition Chart (on a scale of 1-9) after which a diet plan will be set which will include strategies for diet and exercise, support and measuring materials plus fortnightly assessments until the target weight is reached. When your pet has reached the target weight there are still regular assessments to make sure that the ideal weight is maintained.
The programme at Abbeycroft is ran by registered veterinary nurse Katie Hartnoll. Katie is expecting to gain her Certificate in Feline and Canine Veterinary Nutrition in the Summer.
If you would like to know more about the fantastic weight management programme or would like your dog or cat assessed please give us a call on 01606 40332.