Nutrition and Weight Loss

If your pet is overweight or obese and is suffering from arthritis, weight loss is a must.  Many pets will be much more comfortable simply by losing a few pounds.  Often times all that is required is to decrease how much you feed your pet by 25 percent.  Decreasing the number treats and table food that is given is important as well.  Some pets will do better on a prescription diet that restricts the number of calories.  A reasonable goal for weight loss is 3% of body weight per month.  We recommend visiting the hospital to weight your pet at least once per month.  This allows us to track the progress and see how you and your pet are doing.  If your pet is not achieving its weight goals, we may discuss Slentrol^® with you.  Slentrol^® is the first FDA approved prescription medication to manage obesity in dogs. It is a once daily medication that decreases your dog’s appetite and inhibits fat absorption.  These two mechanisms result in a dependable, steady weight loss for your dog.

Another aspect of nutrition for a dog with arthritis is Hill’s^® Prescription Diet^® j/d^TM.  This diet has high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, and has been proven to decrease pain associated with arthritis.  More information about this diet can be found here.  We have seen excellent results with this diet.