The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine early this month opened the country’s first animal obesity clinic at its Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals in North Grafton, Mass.

Featuring three American College of Veterinary Nutrition board-certified nutritionists, the Tufts Obesity Clinic for Animals aims to help pet owners create weight loss plans and balance nutrition for their cats and dogs.

“I think a lot of people are either not aware that their animal is overweight or of the negative health consequences of being overweight,” Lisa Freeman, professor of clinical sciences at the Cummings School, said. “This is a place that they can come to get really comprehensive care in both preventing and treating obesity.”

The clinic has an all-inclusive $250 fee that covers an initial appointment, four to six check-ups and the Foster Hospital’s registration fee. Once a pet owner pays, he or she can contact the on-call nutritionist with questions at any time, Research Assistant Professor at Cummings Deborah Linder said.

“I just really want to get the word out that [pet] obesity is so common and that it’s harmful,” Linder said. “With so many other diseases we do our best to help them, but we can’t always provide a cure or treatment. With obesity we can really attack it from all sides.”

Cummings School opens animal obesity clinic – Tufts Daily – Tufts University