QUARTERLY BEAT / JULY 2023 /// Featured
/// QUARTERLY BEAT / JULY 2023
The way we communicate with clients who have overweight or obese animals—and who may be overweight or obese themselves—both through our words and our body language, is critical. Deal with clients compassionately and empathetically, talk with them about the challenges they may have with their pet and look for common goals like alleviating osteoarthritis (OA) pain in order to improve their pet’s quality of life. Make a Proven Feeding Recommendation In addition to empathetic client communication, recommending an appropriate therapeutic weight management diet is critical. These diets are formulated to achieve calorie reduction without restricting nutrients. Some of the critical nutritional modifications include:
loss without creating a nutrient deficit. Therapeutic weight management diets are formulated to accomplish this, while over-the-counter weight management diets aren’t necessarily formulated to effectively restrict calories without also restricting nutrients. High protein levels: Protein is especially important because it helps dogs maintain lean body mass. The majority of an animal’s metabolic energy requirements come from lean body mass and the goal is to minimize its loss as the pet loses body fat. Satiety: It’s important for an animal that is on a weight management program to feel full and satisfied—otherwise, they might exhibit begging behaviors that could prompt clients to provide added food and treats. Nutrients that can promote satiety include protein and fiber.
involves both owner- and pet-related elements. Weight bias—a negative attitude or stereotype aimed at an individual because of their weight—is a topic that’s being talked about quite a bit in human medicine. Weight bias is the tendency to focus on willpower and personal responsibility over environmental and biological factors as reasons for an individual being overweight or obese. 2 It can even cause compromised patient care in human settings. 3 In veterinary medicine, the area of weight bias is just starting to be explored. One recent study found that veterinarians and veterinary students may also exhibit weight bias. These groups reported negative feelings, such as blame and frustration, toward dogs with obesity and their owners versus lean dogs and their owners. They were also pessimistic about the weight management compliance they would receive from owners of dogs with obesity. 4 Clearly, we have a long way to go in dealing with this issue.
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COUNSELING CLIENTS WITH OVERWEIGHT PETS: IS THERE A “RECIPE?”
In this VETgirl feature article sponsored* by Purina, Martha Cline, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition) discusses how to counsel clients with overweight pets. As it’s such a sensitive topic, how can we ensure that we work with pet owners to ensure compliance with treatment of obesity?
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High nutrient-to-calorie ratio: We must create a calorie deficit to promote weight
*Please note the opinions of this article are the expressed opinion of the author and not directly endorsed by VETgirl.
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What do we think when an overweight or obese dog enters our clinic? That the odds of achieving healthy, successful weight loss are high? That the pet owner will be reluctant to talk about the sensitive topic of weight management? That we’ve created a weight management plan for this patient in the past and the necessary follow- through obviously didn’t occur? As veterinary professionals, we can help clients understand the risks of excess weight to both their pets’ health and quality of life. But while it’s possible to successfully manage overweight and obese dogs, it takes time and patience. We also need to focus on the factors we can control as opposed to the ones we can’t. And what we can control is 1) how we communicate with clients and 2) how we recommend that our clients feed their pets. Let’s look at these individually. Rethinking How We Talk About Weight What we say, how we say it and how clients perceive our words are critical factors when
discussing pet weight management. Weight loss success hinges on performing an effective nutritional assessment for each patient, which includes open-ended questions about the pet’s current diet, home environment, treats, supplements, food given with medications and activity level. A detailed assessment provides the foundation for a productive conversation with the client about weight management. Here are some tips to help optimize those discussions.
dog’s eating habits. For example, rather than asking Lee, “What diet are you feeding?” ask, “Can you tell me everything Shadow eats throughout the day?”
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PUT THE PATIENT’S HEALTH IN CONTEXT.
Pet owners are interested in doing what they can to help ensure the best quality of life for their pets. In a study involving 84 dog owners and 36 cat owners, survey statements based on pet health were the most effective for owners to consider changing their pet’s diet. 1 In a weight management scenario, the health benefits that could be derived from getting the pet to a healthier weight and body condition should be emphasized. For example, “If Shadow could lose ‘X’ pounds, it would make going on walks with you much easier for him.”
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ASK FOR PERMISSION TO DISCUSS THE PET’S WEIGHT AND BODY CONDITION. Starting this way shows the client respect and lets you assess where they are in terms of wanting to take action. For example, “Lee, I’d like to talk with you about Shadow’s diet and body weight—would you be open to that?” If Lee says no, write it in the record and move on. However, clients are usually receptive to at least broaching the topic. POSE OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS. Ask questions that are geared to generate information-rich responses regarding a
STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL Weight Management
4. RECOGNIZE AND MANAGE YOUR WEIGHT BIASES. Obesity is a multifactorial disease that
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VETGIRL BEAT EMAGAZINE | VETGIRLONTHERUN.COM
VETGIRL BEAT EMAGAZINE | VETGIRLONTHERUN.COM
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