As pet owners, we often forget that weight affects our animals in the same ways it affects us.
It is important to understand that what you see on the outside is actually also affecting your animal on the inside – this means that if you can physically see excess weight on your pet, it is also having an effect on them internally.
Effects of excess weight:
- Puts additional stress on joints and ligaments, making your pet more prone to injury.
- Can make arthritis more painful and can be harder for your pet to enjoy quality of life, due to reduced abilities.
- Often results in less exercise, creating boredom and lack of mental stimulation, which can lead to problem behaviours down the track.
- Causes the internal organs to work much harder to do their job – for example there is more pressure around the lungs due to distribution of fatty tissue, making breathing an effort.
- Higher risk for surgical or anaesthetic procedures.
How does being underweight affect my pet:
- Reduced energy levels, resulting in poor performance
- Can be prone to injury, due to overall weakness from reduced exercise — Higher risk for surgical or anaesthetic procedures
- Compromised immune system, making illness more common
- Poor growth and bone development for young animals
As you can see, it is essential that your pet maintains a healthy weight, as the result of being under or overweight could be a reduced quality and length of life. This can be avoided with the right advice!
The local waifs and strays require your help!
Our Stray Animal/Wildlife Fund is struggling to find homes for all the cats and kittens we have at the moment – please, if you are looking for a new furry family member, inquire at the clinic. The adoption fee for male kittens is ONLY $100 and $120 for females – this covers their de-sexing, flea/worm treatments while in our care, first vaccination and microchipping.
The normal cost for all these treatments would be around $270 for a female cat, and $230 for a male. Last year, alone, we rehomed over 250 animals! However, we rely heavily on the support of our local community through donation and adoption to make this happen.
The Anexa Team
