Is your pet the Bay’s biggest loser?
Is your cat or dog overweight? Are you concerned about how their weight is affecting their overall health? Do you want to change their weight but have no idea how to address the problem? Tauranga, Te Puna, Katikati and Pāpāmoa Village Vets want to help your pets live happier and healthier lives, by addressing the major health issue that is obesity in our animals.
Starting in October, all cats and dogs in the Bay of Plenty are invited to participate in ‘The Biggest Loser Healthy Weight Management Program’, a program designed to manage healthy weight loss in a supportive and educated way over a 12-week period, all the while taking home numerous milestone prizes and having the chance to win some major grand prizes.
The program is open to all cats and dogs regardless of age and is free for the owner. It involves coming into one of our four clinics for an initial weigh-in, at which ‘before’ photos will be taken. The client will also be educated on healthy weight loss for animals, nutrition and exercise options, ideal body fat and gain an understanding of the risks of obesity for our furry friends. The initial check-in is followed by a few more weigh-ins for a period of 12 weeks.
Milestone prizes include food vouchers, free nail clips, food bowls, cat and dog toys, gift hampers and more. One cat and one dog will be crowned ‘The Biggest Loser’ and each will receive a $500 credit at our Vets. The overall grand prize winner (selected randomly) wins a holiday on us with a $500 Bachcare® voucher! Bachcare® have plenty of pet-friendly homes available, so you can holiday with your animal too.
Lead Nurse at the Tauranga clinic Jaimee Roelofs and Veterinary Technologist Shontelle Thomas initiated and have developed the program after noticing that most days they interact with clients who own pets that are overweight.
“Often we see people that have the right ideas and intentions for their pet’s weight management but they tend to drop off because they have a lack of knowledge or lack the support or incentive to continue and reach their pet’s weight goals,” says Jaimee. “We wanted to create a campaign that was open for clients that are new to the weight loss process but also for clients that have been struggling with weight management for a period of time and are still not quite able to reach their goals and need more help,” she adds.
Although in its inaugural year, Jaimee and Shontelle hope it will become an in-clinic program that will be repeated again and again in years to come.
Managing Director of Tauranga Vets David McDonell agrees, saying that although this program comes with all the bells and whistles of freebies and prizes, it really comes down to the overall wellness of your pet.
“Making the decision to invest your time and thought into the health of your pet should be commended,” he says. “A long, healthy and happy life can be achieved in our pets when diseases associated with obesity and malnutrition are prevented or managed, so recognizing and assessing your pet’s changing needs is an important part of being a pet owner,” he adds.
Intake into the program starts now and participants have until 19th October to sign up. If you need any further information or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0800 838 7267.