Practices urged to participate in Big Weigh In campaign
The PDSA will be hosting a list of all participating practices on its website.
Veterinary practices across the UK are being urged to sign up for a new initiative to help educate owners about their pet's weight.
Taking place during February and March 2023, the inaugural PDSA Big Weigh In campaign will highlight practices where pet owners can get their pets weighed and body condition scored for free.
The PDSA will host a list of all participating practices on its website, so that owners can select their closest participating practice and book a suitable time.
Weight and body condition score will then be recorded on a Big Weigh In appointment card, which aims to help educate owners about their pet's weight and encourage regular monitoring.
The campaign follows the success of the PDSA's 2021 and 2022 Weigh Up initiatives, which offered owners free online resources to access and understand their pet's weight throughout the pandemic. It also comes amid growing concerns that obesity is not being recognised among owners.
Findings from the 2022 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report revealed that 82 per cent of dog owners and 78 per cent of cat owners believed their pet was an ideal weight. This is despite clinical studies showing that 65 per cent of dogs are obese or overweight.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, veterinary professionals have estimated that 46 per cent of dogs and 34 per cent of cats they see in practice are overweight or obese. Past PDSA reports have also shown that 86 per cent of vets and vet nurses agree there will be more overweight pets than healthy pets in five years' time.
Lynne James, PDSA veterinary surgeon, explained: “Our PAW Report highlighted obesity as a top concern amongst veterinary professionals, which is why Weigh Up was launched in 2021, with the aim of raising awareness and tackling the issue. Whilst owners may deem a few extra pounds as harmless and sometimes even cute, we as professionals know the longer-term health risks.
“Now we are taking the next step and launching PDSA Big Weigh In – where owners can visit a participating practice in February and March 2023 for a free weight check. The aim is to get owners thinking about their pets’ weight and body condition score. So we are inviting fellow veterinary professionals to sign up and join us for PDSA Big Weigh-In”.
Alex German, a Professor of Small Animal Medicine at the University of Liverpool, said: “The best thing we can do for owners is to help them learn how to recognise and maintain a healthy weight for their pets, which is why I’m delighted to be a part of the PDSA Big Weigh In.
"I would urge all fellow veterinary professionals to sign up, so throughout February and March, we can work together to ensure our clients know how to identify if their pet has gained an unhealthy amount of weight and how to tackle this.”
For more information or sign up to participate in the campaign, click here.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
