Meet Cotton and Emmie – From Thick to Thin by Dr. Jamie Laity

Meet Cotton and Emmie! 

Like so many of us, these two sisters have a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight and get back in shape them on their weight loss journey – both these girls will be weighing in and having photo shoots every 2 weeks until they reach their ideal weight!

Two weeks ago, both girls were started on a new diet. Their new diet happens to be a prescription weight loss diet called Hills Science Diet Metabolic. In two weeks, Cotton lost 1.8 lbs and Emmie lost 1.1 lbs! We are so proud!! Here are some pictures of them today. We will continue to post pictures of their progress!

Like so many pets in the United States, Cotton and Emmie are obese. Obesity is defined as weighing 30% more than the ideal weight. With humans, this is fairly straightforward and can be determined by consulting weight and height charts. Dogs and cats are often diagnosed as obese by a combination of weight charts and body scoring.

Obesity leads to several diseases both in pets and people. Luckily, for these girls, they are young and with a little hard work and dedication, we can get them back to a healthy weight to avoid these issues so they can lead a long, healthy, happy life.

PRIMARY RISKS OF EXCESS WEIGHT IN PETS

(From the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention)

• Osteoarthritis
• Insulin Resistance and Type II Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart and Respiratory Disease
• Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture
• Kidney Disease
• Many forms of cancer
• DECREASED LIFE EXPECTANCY (up to 2.5 years!!

Sometimes it is hard for us as owners to hear that the pets we love so much are overweight. It’s even harder to know that many of the diseases they suffer from could be prevented if we had taken a more proactive stance on their weight management.

As veterinarians, our primary goal is to help you give your pet the happiest, healthiest life possible. Ask your veterinarian at your next visit if your pet could afford to shed a few pounds. Together, we can come up with a plan that fits your family’s lifestyle that will get your pet looking his/her best in 2014.

Stay tuned to hear more from Cotton and Emmie along their weight loss journey! Follow them on Facebook and give them words of encouragement!!    www.facebook.com/cottonandemmie