PDSA to open fat clinics for obese pets

Animal welfare charity the PDSA plans to open 'fat clinics' across North Staffordshire after veterinary care professionals reported that one third of dogs in the West Midlands are obese.

BBC News has reported that 30,000 dogs were recently examined by veterinary care professionals concerned by an increase in pet obesity levels. More than a third of dogs across the UK were found to be obese as a result of poor diet, overfeeding and lack of exercise.

An alarming proportion of obese dogs were found to be focused in North Staffordshire, prompting pet charity the PDSA to open 'fat clinics' designed to treat and slim-down overweight pets at its charitable branches throughout the region.

Up to 40 obese dogs are expected to be treated at Staffordshire's main PDSA hospital at Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent per month.

The pet charity's move to open 'fat clinics' specifically for obese pets follows calls to better label pet food packets with clear portion control advice in order to reduce growing levels of pet obesity in cats and dogs.

The Daily Mail reported in November that supermarket Morrisons would be the first in the UK to print portion advice on pet food packaging in a bid to assist pet owners to lower unhealthy levels of over-feeding which cause pet obesity.

As recent research has indicated that 36 per cent of dogs and 29 per cent of cats in need of veterinary treatment suffer from obesity related pet health problems, experts hope that steps to curb pet obesity may also help to lower the number of pet insurance claims made to cover the cost of treating obese animals.

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:48:00 GMT