Jake and Khan are two lovely German Shepherd’s.  Back in February 2006, their owner, Fiona Masters was advised by Louise Ketteridge, veterinary surgeon at Pet Doctors, Shalford to put them on a diet.

The dogs were referred to Claire Marlow, veterinary nurse at Pet Doctors, Shalford who runs weight clinics for pets.

Claire set them both a strict feeding regime.

Jake & Khan with Claire Marlow VN and Fiona Masters

Claire prescribed Glucosamine and Chondroitin to supplement their diet to aid their stiff and aching joints.

Claire decided to put the dogs on a Prescription Diet - Hill's R/D - as both dogs needed to lose an adequate amount of weight before they could be put on to Hill's J/D - a diet especially for dogs and cats suffering with arthritis.

During a lengthy nurse consultation, Claire explained to Mrs Masters how Hill's R/D works and how important it was for her to comply with Claire's instructions by only feeding that diet and to take the dogs for regular and consistent exercise.

After starting the diet, the dogs came back fortnightly to begin with, then once ever month, to have their weight checked and to make sure there were no problems.

Over the months, Claire was amazed at how well both dogs were doing and what a difference Mrs Masters and Claire noticed in their behaviour. 

Once Jake reached his target weight of 33.4kg in November 2006, and Khan his of 34kg in December 2006, the dogs were put on a new diet of Hill's J/D to replace the Hill's R/D and joint supplements.

During 2007, after several adjustments of food and using a mixture of Hill's J/D and Hill's R/D together for while, the dogs maintained their target weight and were weaned off of the supplements as the Hill's J/D made such a difference to their stiff, arthritic joints. 

Eventually, Hill’s J/D Light was launched and both dogs are now fed this.  They are still weighed them every couple of months to ensure they maintain their weight.

In total, Khan lost 9kg and Jake lost 6.2kg giving them both waists to be proud of, thanks to the dedication of their owner, Mrs Masters who rose up to the challenge and rigidly followed Claire's instructions on diet and exercise.