Protecting Your Pet: Overweight pets

Research shows more and more of our pets are putting on those pesky pounds too! 7's Dylan Dreyer has more on how to keep your furry friend fit in this weeks "Protecting Your Pet."

The U.S. has reached an epidemic level with overweight and obese Americans, and now, researchers say our pets are packing on the pounds too!

"A third of the pet population, dogs and cats combined are overweight, and about 10 percent of that population is considered to be obese," Dr. Rebecca Remillard, of the MSPCA-Angell Animal Hospital, said.

Eleven-year-old Potter weighs a whopping 22 pounds.

"He's obese," Laura Hoag, Potter's owner, said.

And this lovable lab Fenway is about 20-pounds overweight.

"We recently went to the veterinarian and were told he is about 108 pounds," Fenway's owner, Jacqueline Cross, said.

So, what's causing the widening waistlines of our pets? Vets say sedentary lifestyles, high calorie flavorful pet food and over-sized portions are the biggest factors in weight gain. And those extra pounds can prove to be very dangerous.

"An obese dog will probably live two years less," Dr. Remillard said. "They have problems with their knees, problems with their hips, and in general when the weather gets hot, they have difficulty breathing. In cats, the greatest health risk is diabetes."

To help keep your four-legged friend fit, measure the amount of food your pet gets based on their size. The average adult cat should get around a three-quarter cup serving per day.

A 100-pound adult dog averages about five cups per day.

Give meals in several small portions throughout the day, and look for a pet food without a lot of preservatives and artificial flavors.

"It's much easier to prevent weight gain than to take it off," Dr. Remillard said.

As for Potter and Fenway, they are slowly fighting the battle of the bulge.

"They're loving and snugly, and you know it's a risk for humans, but you don't really realize you've put your pet at risk," Hoag said.

"It's difficult, because you feel bad, and you want to feed him, because he looks hungry, and he's begging, and you just can't," Cross said.

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