Fat Dog or 'Fit Pet'?

This is one dog show that you wouldn’t want to be invited to. It would seem that a number of Britain's most obese and overweight pets are to start upon on a 100-day diet and fitness regime in an effort to be crowned this year's “fit pet” champion and bring exposure to pet health.

The seven fat dogs and one fat cat, who are all more than 30 per cent overweight, and weigh a combined total of 191 kg or a whopping 420 pounds, were picked to enter this fitness contest by veterinary charity.

The overweight animals, who need to lose a total of 74 kg to reach their ideal weight for optimum pet health, will be put on specially tailored diet and exercise programs. All things being equal, each animal must lose roughly 9kg/20 lbs over the 14 week period. It’s easy to imagine maintaining a healthy diet for your pet and easy to imagine a dog exercise program. However, I’m having difficulty imagining how to make a fat cat exercise!

The cat or dog who manages to achieve the biggest percentage weight loss and best follows their new regime will be crowned champion. The winning owner will receive a pet-friendly holiday.

Overweight cats and dogs are an enormous pet health problem in the UK. PDSA statistics show around 30 per cent of Britain's dogs are overweight or obese, amounting to around 1.95 million fat dogs. By giving your dog “treats” you are actually marginalizing pet health.

"Alongside their daily portions of pet food, owners often show their affection by giving unhealthy human treats such as cheese, buttered toast and biscuits. They don't realize they are actually killing their pets with kindness," said a veterinary surgeon at PDSA.

Britain by no means stands alone in lack of attention to pet health. North America has a proportionate amount of overweight or obese pets - our fat cat culture seems to rub off on our pets as well. This contest is a great way to bring exposure to the health risks associated with having an overweight dog or overweight cat.

Please check back with this site often as we regularly update articles on pet health.