Not eating but getting fatter...

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Aine Seavers — Tue, 17 May 2016 01:51:18 GMT

I am not rude, passionate maybe and scary but not rude, you can tell the truth without hurting someone, target the message, not the messenger, and my message is as the animal's advocate I am there for the pet, not them-and most folks get that- sure I may have lost a few who were in denial but better that than do a disservice to the animals I could save. A very rare few(2) did get stroppy and decided to show me how awful 'starving' their pet would be and how cruel it was- but dogs don't lie and the owners had to admit that they ended up with a much happier animal and less visits to the 'scary'vet. Plus the more you enable someone's weakness by avoiding the elephant in the room-no pun intended-then you never really ask of that person what they can achieve. And not least, it does help to have an Irish accent and blue eyes to get away with things no one else could say normally -or so the other vets who know me say.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 16 May 2016 12:12:15 GMT

[quote user="Aine Seavers"] I tell them it is their choice to be the weight they are-not so the pet- that food is a substitute for something-often affection so give affection not food-[/quote]How do keep your clients? If I was as blunt with my fatties they would be off up the road to that nice vet who isn't so rude!

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Aine Seavers — Sat, 14 May 2016 12:31:16 GMT

it works with the overwt very well in fact- its the anorexic or bulimic owner it doesn't work with-and now that so many elderly folks-esp the women diagnosed at PM as having eating disorder not noticed by the family- they are clever and want to hide their not eating by feeding up around them- the family member who is skinny but loves to cook and feed the family and friends-but when you watch them-they hardly eat any of the food-those are the hard ones to get on board- the fat ones I tell them it is their choice to be the weight they are-not so the pet- that food is a substitute for something-often affection so give affection not food-the fat person gets that-the skinny occult eating disorder owner cant get it as it would mean attention goes on what they the owner eat-and they get angry with you the vet and often will float from vet to vet.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Martin Atkinson — Sat, 14 May 2016 09:54:12 GMT

[quote user="Aine Seavers"]I get them to have 2 containers or jars- one is labelled Treats and into it goes all his daily treats which they can give him any time in the day they like-no restrictions. But each time they do that, they must open the other jar and put $20 in it- as that jar is labelled Vet Bill-and each time they take from the treat jar they must add to the Vet Jar...[/quote]This is a lovely idea but it is is doubtful it would work in most cases. The problem is IMO that most of these over-feeders have some sort of psychological disorder and are over weight themselves for a similar reason. They mistake a pet that is fussing around them for food and treats as affection which they are craving themselves and this is the only way they can guarantee it. Until their own disorder is solved they are not going to stop feeding the pet.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Aine Seavers — Sat, 14 May 2016 06:57:17 GMT

The more they are overweight, the shorter they live-Lighter for Longer.

Increased wt in some breeds like Lab doubles the risk of cancer.

I don't ask what do you feed'' or what does he eat'?-but rather -what treats does he especially love, lets have a list of this beatiful boy's favourite foods''... which the owners will list-when 10mins before they would have said he hardly ate anything and only his food- because to them it's only feeding him if it's in a bowl-( food fed from hand or floor has zero calories in case you didnt know apparently).

Then I get them to have 2 containers or jars- one is labelled Treats and into it goes all his daily treats which they can give him any time in the day they like-no restrictions. But each time they do that, they must open the other jar and put $20 in it- as that jar is labelled Vet Bill-and each time they take from the treat jar they must add to the Vet Jar... And this does work-one client had her dog lose 7kg, she saved so much money not buying treats as dog treats are often dearer than caviar a kilo), she and her husband then got so guilty about their own biscuit snacking that they lost wt and the money saved all around paid for a 7 day holiday for the pair of them.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

mjoyce — Thu, 05 May 2016 22:20:05 GMT

I try to engender a 'can do' approach with the owners . I tel them that even small changes will make a difference . I also like to compare the size of the dog to them , for example your CKCS is only about 1/4 (or whatever) of your size so one custard cream to it is the same as you having 4. I also like to say to people with hopeless situations with a feeder in the house that if they notice that the dog has been given extra treats during the day by the spouse or kids to only give a half portion of tea that night and not to just throw in the towel. Also I encourage them to come in and weigh regularly and say the dog is 30kg , I tell them I will be happy if it is 29.8 kg next time but what i don't want to see is it coming in at 31 kg which it will if they continue as they are at present . I know this is all very simple but believe it or not it seems to work quite well.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 05 May 2016 11:34:12 GMT

I tell owners to get a Tupperware container, and put it in the fridge. Every time they give the dog a treat, then put a similar treat in the Tupperware, and see how much extra they will have given in a week.

Most people don't get to a week - they've become totally horrified long before that!

Of course, there's the psychiatric cases, who can't stop feeding.

Wynne

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Tim Browning — Thu, 05 May 2016 11:02:57 GMT

Tell me about it!

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Utlendigur — Thu, 05 May 2016 10:01:14 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]The main thing is to get them to accept what they are currently feeding. Most truely believe that 'he hardly eats anything, honest'!!![/quote]

Anyone remember a TV programme called "Secret Eaters" where the food diary the subjects compiled would show they existed on less than maintenance calorie levels, but the amount they were eating as recorded by the cameras and surveillance teams was mind boggling. With many of them it seemed to go way beyond cheating, and they genuinely did not register eating things.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 04 May 2016 22:31:13 GMT

[quote user="Caroline Murray"]I find that a lot of owners get annoyed when you try to discuss their pets obesity, often a tricky subject, as owner is often in a similar state - does anyone have any useful 'phrases' or approaches to this[/quote]

I am less diplomatic than I used to be. I tell them that I really don't need (or want) a full rundown of what they feed their animal- that is up to them- but I just say they are feeding too much and need to stop some of it.

I suggest a couple of things:

- they keep a food diary- everyone writes it down every time they give the pet anything at all. Owners can end up very surprised...

- they put ALL the pet's food on the worktop in the morning and if they want to give the pet something to eat, it has to come from that amount.

I find that trying to be too strict with what the pet gets is pointless in some clients. The main thing is to get them to accept what they are currently feeding. Most truely believe that 'he hardly eats anything, honest'!!!

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Caroline Murray — Tue, 03 May 2016 22:56:49 GMT

Of course! Great, thank you.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Anthony Dennison — Tue, 03 May 2016 22:43:43 GMT

[quote user="Caroline Murray"] but also had developed unilateral Horners syndrome and moderate muscle wasting on that side of skull - read recently this can be due to brachial plexus issues - could this have been due to enlarged axillary lymph nodes affecting brachial plexius on one side?[/quote]

The nerve involved with Horners runs right through the thorax too - mediastinal lymph nodes or pulmonary pathology could also cause it.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Robert McElrea — Tue, 03 May 2016 22:31:07 GMT

Have suggested "war rations" to older clients when pets are too well insulated. They can take this with good humour. ( Not that it has realised wt loss but sometimes prevented further padding.

RE: Not eating but getting fatter...

Robert McElrea — Tue, 03 May 2016 22:28:55 GMT

Have suggested "war rations" to older clients when pets are too well insulated. They can take this with good humour. ( Not that it has realised wt loss but sometimes prevented further padding.