National Pet Month fights flab
Image: Rosemary Conley
Rosemary Conley, the founder of a string of diet and fitness clubs, has turned her attention to obese animals for National Pet Month.
Raising awareness between April 1 and May 6, Rosemary is urging owners to show love for their pets by providing them with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Rosemary has lived with pets since she was a child and currently owns three dogs – two black labradors and a lurcher-whippet cross.
She explained that pets can have a positive impact on people's lives, using the example that dog ownership is a great way to get fit and stay fit.
"It's important for people to look after their pet's weight as much as their own weight," she commented. "Research has shown that dog owners tend to be a stone lighter than non-dog owners.
"Dogs provide us with a wonderful reason to go out walking – one of the easiest and best fitness activities you can do. As one doctor once said to me, 'dogs should be prescribed on the NHS'!"
Rosemary added that giving pets endless treats just because they ask for them surmounts to pet cruelty and leads to heart disease, hyper-tension, joint problems and arthritis.
To accompany the advice, National Pet Month is asking pet owners to look at the following three ways to help pets maintain a safe weight:
- Don't be tempted to give table scraps as these are often too high in calories for pets – one chunk of cheese for your cat is the equivalent to nine chunks of cheese for an average-size woman.
- If you are feeding specially-formulated pet treats, don't over do it – look out for lighter varieties too. Remember to take any treats into consideration at mealtimes and adjust the amount you feed accordingly, without disrupting their nutritional balance.
- Check your pet's weight routinely – click here to use the Pet Size-O-Meter as a comparison.
National Pet Month is currently in its 24th year, encouraging responsible ownership among pet owners, which amounts to almost half of the UK's households.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
