Should Domestic Animals Be Regularly Weighed?

Here at Marsden, we are an office of animal lovers. Various weeks we have different visitors in our office to spread some joy while we work. Because of this, we are passionate about animals and want to ensure that we have a broad range of weighing devices available to weigh pets of all shapes and sizes.

Today, we want to share some knowledge with you about why you should be regularly weighing domestic pets. However, the same points can also be said for larger animals, livestock and zoo inhabitants.

Overall Health Monitoring

Weight is a crucial indicator of an animal’s overall health and well-being. Sudden and gradual changes in weight can signal underlying health issues such as malnutrition, obesity, metabolic disorders and other medical conditions.

Diet and Nutrition

Regularly monitoring an animals weight helps to ensure that they are receiving a healthy and balanced diet. If an animal is gaining or losing weight unexpectedly, weighing at regular internals provides caregivers the opportunity to make adjustments to the food that the animal is eating and develop a plan to keep them at an optimal and healthy weight.

Disease Detection

Just as in humans, weight changes can be an early sign of certain diseases or medical conditions. Regularly weighing can help in the early stages of illness detection and if anomalies are found it can encourage prompt veterinary implementation. Thus, positively effecting the outcomes for animals due to the early detection.

Medication Management

Monitoring weight and medication go hand in hand for a number of reasons. The primary reason why weight is important is because a vast number of medications for animals are prescribed and dosed by weight. Regularly monitoring weight can ensure that animals are receiving the correct amount of medication and helps to prevent under and overdosing.

Reproductive Health

Just as with people, weight is a factor that can affect reproductive health. Prior to breeding, it is beneficial to ensure that your pet is at the optimal weight for their breed and age. Tracking weight can provide insights into reproductive health and regularly monitoring weight can indicate pregnancy or any potential reproductive issues that require attention.

Performance Monitoring

Some animals don’t have leisurely days like many of the pets that visit the Marsden office. There are many working animals out there, such as service dogs, sheep dogs, performance horses and many more. For those animals, their weight and subsequently, their overall wellbeing can hinder their ability to perform their duties effectively.

Preventing Obesity

If a pet is overweight or obese, it can lead to a wide variety of health conditions. This can be anything from joint issues, diabetes, heart conditions and even a range of cancers. Regularly weighing and monitoring an animals weight can provide early indicators if an animal is putting on the pounds and owners then have opportunity to alter diet, increase exercise or consult a vet.

Here at Marsden, we have a broad range of animal weighing scales available. From the B-250 for weighing small domestic creatures such as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. To the V-250 that is ideal for the largest of dogs including German Shepherds, Akitas and Saint Bernard.

Be sure to check the dimensions of our veterinary range to ensure that your pet will comfortable and safely sit on the scale. Should you need any support finding the right scale to suit your requirements, please contact the Marsden team today!

Browse the entire Marsden veterinary range of weighing devices by clicking here.