Quick fix no answer for obesity

DOG and cat owners buying slimming pills for overweight pets are better off shaking those extra pounds the old fashioned way – with diet and exercise, a veterinarian says.

Dr Mark Perissinotto, head vet at online pet supply retailer VetShopAustralia, said sales of pet slimming pills and medications were increasing.

But he said there was no quick fix to weight problems in pets and people should feed their pets less and exercise them more.

“Pet obesity is on the increase with 33 per cent of the nation’s cats and 41 per cent of dogs being either overweight or obese,” Dr Perissinotto said.

“We are killing our pets with kindness and at the root of the problem is too much food and too little exercise.

“Putting all excuses aside, excessive weight in an otherwise healthy pet is a direct result of pet owners feeding them more food than they need. I think it’s a sad sign of the times when we have obesity medication for pets.”

Dr Perissinotto said in healthy dogs, the ribs should be able to be felt underneath the skin and the animal should have a clearly defined waistline.

“Instead of medicating our pets and hoping for a quick fix we should stick to the tried and true weight loss methods of diet and exercise,” he said.