Angus’ story:
Angus is the cutest little dog and has been a regular client for Vets4Pets Eastwood since they opened their doors in 2012. In that time they had noticed that Angus is not really all that little! After speaking with Mr Threlfall about Angus and his weight it became very clear that Angus is the absolute apple of his owner’s eye. He goes everywhere with Mr Threlfall and is his constant companion. Mr Threlfall uses a mobility scooter to help him get around and enjoys getting out and about around the local parks, where everyone knows Angus (although mainly because he can often be seen riding in the foot well of his dad’s scooter!!) This endearing sight often elicits lots of attention for Angus in the form of treats, treats and more treats… unfortunately Angus’ waistline and ultimately his health were suffering due to his love of food. His owner loves to feed him when he eats and will often provide a whole meal for Angus so as he can eat alongside the rest of the family. This is something that Victoria has spoken extensively with Mr Threlfall about and they decided that together they can help change Angus’ lifestyle and improve his overall health and wellbeing. The practice love Angus’ visit – he is a beautiful character, although he isn’t always so sure about them. Angus is very attached to his owner and is not easy to examine when he comes for routine checks or vaccination- he seems very anxious when he is not at his dad’s side. The aim is to not only help Angus lose weight, but to also help him feel more comfortable and relaxed in the practice. Regular visits to weight clinic appointments with Victoria in a calm and relaxed atmosphere aim to improve his overall impression of the practice which will hopefully help with future visits.
Angus’ starting weight was 13kg with a BCS of 9 and excess weight all over and very barrel shaped. Mr Threlfall is in agreement that Angus needs to lose weight and health issues linked to obesity diabetes/arthritis/heart disease etc. were discussed. Mr Threlfall kept a food diary for the week which revealed Angus had Frosties, toast, Bakers meaty morsels, Pedigree Chum wet food, Dentasticks, a biscuit at night and other occasional treats such as sausage or other bits of ‘human’ food. Exercise is ok, walking off lead mainly in the park (Mr Threlfall has a mobility scooter that Angus will sometimes ride on). Mr Threlfall does make the effort to make sure Angus walks instead of riding with him on his scooter. Plan: Begin ROYAL CANIN® Satiety starting on 40g meals 3 times daily, 2 of which to be activity feeds with a Kong or in the garden with owner. To rehydrate breakfast portion instead of giving cereal with milk to help Mr Threlfall with the transition. Ideally needs to not have any other feed although Mr Threlfall finds such a dramatic change potentially distressing so can continue to feed 50-100g of wet food to be phased out within the next 4 weeks. Angus to have a raw carrot daily instead of dentastick.
Four weeks later, Angus was down to 11.4kgs. Mr Threlfall is happy with the feeding guidelines and Angus is much happier to be about with him on walks. Still goes on mobility scooter on occasion but Mr Threlfall is getting Angus off and having him walk at the side of the scooter. As Angus is very keen to stay close to Mr Threlfall, he has made attempts to motivate Angus with games of fetch/chase with balls or a frisbee as Angus’ recall is very good! Altogether happy with progress, to carry on as planned- completely stop giving wet food now as phased out over last month.
A further 5 weeks later, Angus was down to 10.9kgs. Now only feeding Satiety and Mr Threlfall is noticing an improvement in Angus – both in his tolerance to exercise and his coat condition. Members of the public have been commenting on how good he looks when they see him on the local park. Mr Threlfall is really pleased that people are noticing their efforts and this encourages him to continue .
Angus reached his target weight of 10kgs within 4 months of starting his weight loss plan and continues to keep the weight off.
Owner testimonial
Angus has been attending Weight Clinic now for some months and the diet under the watchful eye of Victoria has been spectacular, and although it has been a long time, the weight loss has been gradual. This is how Victoria planned it – with the special ROYAL CANIN® diet food and exercise it has gradually come off and how well he looks for it. Many people have commented on our travels how well he looks and I tell them it is through the wonderful work of Victoria. Angus and I are out every day in the local park and I find that due to the weight loss he has more energy. The diet will be carried on with, as will the exercise, and we will continue to see Victoria for his weigh in – she really is an inspiration and an asset to Vets4Pets for her devotion to animals.