Communication roadblocks – is the client open to the conversation?

Why is it so important?

Effective communication is the foundation of any successful nutrition plan. We know that trying to enact change in a client who isn’t ready can alienate them or make them defensive. We don’t want to lose them – but we do need to highlight concerns.

Think about the language you use: talking about BODY CONDITION SCORE can be helpful – and avoid any trigger words ‘obesity’ or ‘weight’. If the animal has a chronic condition, avoid statements like “they will need to be on this diet for the rest of their life” – instead use "this diet can be fed long term to support their condition, if they need it."

Help the owner to understand the potential benefit to the health of the pet resulting from dietary change.

How do I change my approach/
communication style based on each of these stages?

Understanding an owner’s position within this model can help professionals select which actions/interventions might be most appropriate and effective at supporting them.

• Precontemplation – Ask for permission to talk about the pet’s diet.
• Contemplation - Fact find, ask open questions – who, what, when why etc., get the owners to complete a nutritional assessment, ensure no judgement and just focus on information gathering.
• Preparation – this stage is a follow up session to the contemplation stage. Start with a recap of all the information gathered. This gives an opportunity to build in anything that was forgotten in the contemplation stage and then gives you the basis of the pet’s current diet. As part of this stage, it is important to understand what the owner considers to be non-negotiable and where they are willing to adjust.
• Action – This is about the partnership between you and the owner, who have made a plan together and are working as a team to achieve the goals. At this stage it is important to make sure the owner can clarify anything they are unclear of and raise any worries/concerns. If anything is raised at this point, the proposed plan may need to be amended. Ensure that the owner goes away from the practice with a clear written plan, detailing all aspects – diet, amount and frequency, any agreed extras (carrot, dental treat etc.), exercise – type and frequency. Agree the next check in date and discuss the support available in between, including your name as a contact, practice telephone number and email address.
• Maintenance – check in with the client between appointments either on email or call them to give them an opportunity to raise any difficulties and allow them to problem solve and help them to move on with the plan.

Top Tips for effective nutritional conversations in practice

• If you don’t already, consider building a nutrition and BCS assessment into every visit to the practice so there is an awareness of this measure for the owner and it becomes a standard part of any conversation with the practice.
• If BCS/weight is logged at each visit and if your practice management system allows, show the owner any visuals that may help to demonstrate the direction of travel.
• Don’t be despondent if the owner isn’t willing to embrace a nutritional plan the first time you raise the issue, note it on the file as an action for when the animal is next in the practice.
• As we have already touched on, there are five stages that determine an owner’s readiness to change. In the precontemplation and contemplation stage it may be about planting the seed and giving it time to grow.
• Be realistic with information you share, especially around timeframes for how long this process may take. This ensures owners are fully aware that they won’t be getting results overnight.
• Think about the non-scale victories for weight loss, such as changes in body shape, interaction, activity, time sleeping and measurements.
• For all other diet changes it may be worth looking at symptom tracking. For example, if the dog has allergies and goes on a hypoallergenic diet, what were the symptoms before it started the diet (and severity)? Then review those each week to see if progress is being made.

Product Focus

PRO PLAN® Obesity Management™ is formulated for adult dogs and cats to help them reduce excess bodyweight.

It is used for dogs and cats who have a BCS of 7 or above and is designed to be fed to the animal’s current weight – not expected weight – to avoid the challenges of estimating a target weight at the start of the programme. This is a point of difference for this product and really helps with owner compliance.

Increased protein level and a high protein: calorie ratio, has been proven to preserve lean body mass during weight loss.*

The increased fibre content of this diet helps improve satiety and reduce the overall caloric intake.

1. Hannah SS, et al. (1998) Increased dietary protein spares lean body mass during weight loss in dogs. J Vet Int Med. 12:224.
2. Laflamme DP, et al. (2005) Increased dietary protein promotes fat loss and reduces loss of lean body mass during weight loss in cats. Intern J Apple Res Vet Med. 3: 62-68.