Dealing with a clients’ fat pets can be tricky on many levels, but it’s an animal welfare issue that you and your practice can’t ignore. By Rachel Smith
Telling a pet owner that Ron the dashshund is too fat for his own good is something that a) no vet wants to do and b) no owner wants to hear. But when we consider that over 30 per cent of pets in Australia are overweight or obese, awkward conversations about dogs, cats (and rabbits) who are carrying a spare tyre or two are becoming all too commonplace in your average veterinary clinic.
For this reason, every vet should have a strategy to deal with pet obesity, especially when you consider overweight pets can suffer everything from arthritis and cancer to heart disease and diabetes. This not only reduces the pet’s quality of life, but hits the owner where it hurts with a higher number of visits to the vet. That said, broaching such discussions can be easier said than done, says Dr Paula Parker, president of the Australian Veterinary Association.
Australia's Freelance Marketplace
