It is estimated that approximately 40% of the UK pet population is obese. Obesity is a serious disease and can lead to many other health disorders such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis, to name just a few. Obesity can also decrease your animal’s life span; your pet only has to be 15% over their normal body weight to be “clinically obese”.

Due to the major health concerns that surround obesity, the Small Animal Teaching Hospital at Leahurst has opened the Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic. This is a referral service for both dogs and cats that are overweight.

By introducing the clinic in the North West, which is the first of its kind in Europe, we hope to increase the profile of the companion animal obesity condition. We wish to encourage owners to recognise this growing problem and take their pets to their veterinary surgeons to seek advice.

By running this clinic we are hoping to address the direct health concerns linked to obesity and improve our understanding of the global problem of companion animal obesity

We are happy to enroll any overweight cats and dogs referred from their Veterinary Surgery, with or without other concurrent disease problems.  Our preference is to recruit cases, which have not yet commenced a weight reduction regime.  However, challenging or problem cases are also suitable e.g. where progress has been poor or problematic.  Cases already making good progress on a weight reduction program would not be suitable for referral.