Treats and spoils tend to be a staple during this time of year and often we include our pets, as who can resist those adoring eyes as they look to you for their treat? As humans, it’s natural for us to want to show our love by offering food treats, and most of the time we aren’t aware of the risks our pets can face when we treat them with unhealthy tidbits.
Marycke Ackhurst from Hill’s Pet Nutrition says something to keep in mind this year when spoiling your pet, is that unfortunately pet obesity has increased over the last 15 years with more than 50% of pets being overweight, making it the number one health risk pets face.
Sadly, 90% of pet parents don’t recognise that their pets are overweight. Research highlights that overweight pets:
have shorter lives
are at higher risk of debilitating diseases like arthritis, bladder, skin problems, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer
and very importantly, are less happy than lean ones…
“We have all heard or said, “chubby is cute”, “he’s just big boned”, “ah, but how can I resist those eyes,” “it’s just puppy fat,” “but he’s so happy…”, as we just don’t want to believe that our dog or cat is overweight. It is for this reason that we are encouraging pet parents to take their pet to the vet to have their weight checked” says Ackhurst.
If you are looking at ways to spoil your pets this holiday season, Ackhurst shares some ideas for ways to show love and affection:
Treat them to a pampering grooming session
Get them looking holiday ready with a pet bandana
Bake them some special healthy Hill’s holiday treats
Make sure they have a present to unwrap under the tree
Curl up on the couch together and watch a Christmas movie, such as the latest Netflix release of the Bad Guys A Very Bad Holiday that sees Mr Wolf and his crew of animal outlaws having to restore the city’s Christmas spirit. Or the Christmas classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas as the Grinch is on a quest to steal Christmas and Max is his reluctant companion.
For the past 20 years Hill’s Pet Nutrition has been highlighting the serious threat of pet obesity and how the right food can help. Hill’s has found specific nutrients and ingredients that shift the metabolic profile of obese pets to the more efficient, “fat burning” profile of lean pets. This is the technology that makes Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic more powerful than a traditional weight-loss food that relies on calorie restriction or reduced portion sizes. This food works by kick-starting a pet’s natural ability to burn fat, which means more effective weight loss than with a simple calorie restricted food.
To find out more about pet obesity, visit petslimmer.co.za
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