LOVING YOUR PETS TO DEATH

By James Grubel Wed May 24, 9:25 AM ET

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia is a nation of pet lovers but it may be
loving its animals to death with pet owners passing on rising levels of
obesity by overfeeding their cats and dogs, the country's main animal
welfare body says.

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Despite its image as a sports-mad country full of fit, sun-bronzed
youth, Australia in reality is battling the bulge and challenging the
United States as the world's fattest nation. The problem now extends to
household pets.

Obesity rates for Australians have doubled over the past 20 years, with
62 percent of men and 45 percent of women now deemed overweight or obese.

The same trend applies to household pets, with an increase in the number
of overweight cats and dogs being dealt with by the Royal Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and even one case of an
obese pet mouse.

"It's a big problem, and quite reflective of what's happening in the
human situation," said Mark Lawrie, the RSPCA's chief vet.

Australia is a nation of 20 million people, almost 4 million dogs, 2.5
million cats, 8.7 million pet birds and more than 12 million pet fish.

It has one of the world's highest rates of pet ownership at 64 percent
of households, compared to 62 percent in the United States and 44
percent in Britain.

Lawrie told Reuters surveys had found that between 40 and 44 percent of
dogs and more than one in three household cats were now overweight, due
to poor diet and a lack of exercise.

Fat cats and dogs were more vulnerable to diabetes, arthritis, heart
problems and liver disease.

Dogs most at risk were Labradors, Beagles and cross-breeds such as
Labradoodles -- a mixture of a Labrador and a Poodle -- with household
moggies more at risk than other types of cats.

The RSPCA said de-sexing and lower levels of exercise had an impact on
pet obesity, but the key issue was over-eating.

"It's really the calorie intake and food that makes the big difference,"
Lawrie said, adding that many pet owners could not restrain themselves,
and the owners with overfed pets tended to be fat themselves.

Any diet that permits or encourages junk food intake as "treats" is
dangerous, such as the Weight Watchers system.