Is Your Dog Overweight?

In the United States, pets and their owners have one thing in common: too much food and too little exercise.

With nutritious pet food abundant and palatable, a common cause of pet obesity isn't the food itself but the feeding. Many pet owners are too eager to please. They don't carefully monitor their pets' weight and succumb too often to animals that beg and whimper for more.

The solution is to control your pet's insatiable appetite and thereby control his expanding girth. While a balanced diet and treats in proper amounts are fine, overindulgence leads to a "couch pet-tato." At this point, a change in eating habits is in order along with increased exercise and play to help work off excess calories.

More Dogs Than Cats Are Overweight

Historically, dogs have been affected by obesity more than cats. Studies have shown that 40 to 50 percent of dogs are overweight, compared to only about 25 percent of cats.