Deciding to take control of your pet’s weight issue is a great start. Excess weight can lead to heart disease, diabetes, painful joints and a reduced lifespan. Even being slightly overweight can be a problem, despite the common misconception that pets need a bit of extra weight as ‘reserves’ for when they are poorly. The most important factor to control when it comes to weight loss is the total amount on calories consumed. This is especially important for pets that cannot exercise due to arthritis or other health conditions.

Vet's Kitchen has outlined nine simple sets to help pets lose those extra pounds.

1. Reduce their calorie intake – in order for them to lose weight, they have to be eating less calories then they need on a daily basis. The feeling guidelines on the pack/can of pet food is the total amount required per 24 hours and includes enough energy for any exercise they may do. A rough rule of thumb is to feed 70% of the feeding guidelines suggested for their target weight.
2. Know how many calories they need and count them! – the more accurate way to calculate feeding amounts is to use our online calorie calculator or speak to your practice veterinary nurse to work out how many calories and how much food your pet should be eating per day. 
3. Know how many calories are in what you’re feeding – in addition to knowing how many calories your dog or cat requires, you also need to know how many calories are in the food, treats and other rewards you give.
4. Consider a change in diet – you might want to consider changing your pet to a ‘light’ or weight controlled diet. To help control their hunger, these diets often have added fibre and/or increased protein levels and a lower calorie content per 100g.
5. Weigh out the food – studies have shown that the amount of food can be overestimated by up to 80% when using cups, so for accuracy, we recommend using kitchen weighing scales to weigh out daily portions.
6. It’s still okay to feed treats - feeding treats is an important part of your relationship with your pet and it is completely allowed. Just be sure to include any treats, chews or table scraps in the daily recommended amount of calories you feed. Vet’s Kitchen Little Stars for dogs and Little Heart treats for cats are calorie rated treats that tell you how many treats equate to Vet’s kitchen adult pet food, so you can cut down accordingly.
7. Cope with the pester power! - deal with those big brown eyes and ‘that look’ by making mealtimes fun instead of just giving them an extra treat. Puzzle feeders or scatter feeding can help slow down greedy eaters and enrich mealtimes to prevent boredom. You might also find that splitting the daily amount up will help. For adult dogs, we suggest splitting the daily amount into 2-3 meals per day. For cats, you can allow them to graze or offer small frequent meals as long as the daily amount is adhered to.
8. Monitor - check your pet’s weight every two to three weeks. The ideal weight loss is 3-5% of their body weight per month. If there is no weight loss after three weeks then you might need to readjust the feeding amounts.
9. Don’t hesitate to ask for help -  if you are feeding Vet’s Kitchen food to your dog or cat and would like further information on calories and feeding amounts to help your pet lose weight, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01793 887555 or contact@vetskitchen.co.uk. We have a team of friendly vets, vet nurses and nutritional advisors that would love to speak to you.

For further information on Vet’s Kitchen, visit www.vetskitchen.co.uk