<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Take a look at your dog. Now check out your neighbor&amp;#039;s. Odds are, one of them needs to go on a diet. According to a 2009 study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, a veterinarians&amp;#039; group, 51.5 percent of dogs and cats in the U.S. are overweight or obese. And as with people, &amp;quot;too many extra pounds, even as few as three or four, can put pets at risk for all sorts of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney failure and certain cancers, which can lower their life expectancy by at least two years,&amp;quot; says Ernie Ward, DVM, author of Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter. Here&amp;#039;s how to keep your best friend fit.   1. Size up your pet.Just because Fido looks fit doesn&amp;#039;t mean he is. &amp;quot;Ideally, your pet should be weighed at twice-yearly checkups,&amp;quot; says Nancy Kay, DVM, author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life. At home, you can assess his weight by placing your hands over his rib cage, suggests Dr. Ward. &amp;quot;You should be able to easily feel his ribs under a thin layer of skin. If you have to press down or dig through lots of skin, your pet is probably too heavy.&amp;quot; Another test: Stand over him and look down at his silhouette\u2014you should see an hourglass shape. &amp;quot;If his figure is straight with no curve where his ribs and belly meet, then he&amp;#039;s overweight,&amp;quot; says Denise Elliott, PhD, a veterinarian and nutritionist for Banfield Veterinary Hospital and coauthor of the Encyclopedia of Feline Clinical Nutrition. Lack of mobility is another telltale sign: Is it difficult for your cat to jump up on a chair? Is running a challenge for your dog?   2. Visit your vet.A few days before you go, start keeping a food diary. &amp;quot;Write down everything your pet eats and how much, including his regular food, treats and any table scraps you give him,&amp;quot; suggests Dr. Elliott. Once the vet weighs your pet to confirm that he&amp;#039;s overweight, the diary will help her calculate the total number of calories your pet typically consumes each day, so she can better assess how to change his diet.   3. Fix your pet&amp;#039;s food.Your vet will determine how much food your animal really needs based on his age, breed, activity level, and other individual health and lifestyle factors that pet food manufacturers can&amp;#039;t take into account. &amp;quot;Feeding guidelines on bags are formulated for adult, un-spayed or un-neutered active dogs and cats,&amp;quot; says Dr. Ward, explaining that hormone changes often cause spayed or neutered animals&amp;#039; energy levels to dip, meaning they burn off fewer calories. &amp;quot;If you follow the package instructions, you may be feeding your pet 30 percent too much.&amp;quot; Making matters worse: As few as 30 extra calories per day can add up to a 3-pound weight gain within a year, warns Dr. Ward. And it doesn&amp;#039;t matter if it&amp;#039;s pet food or table food, adds Dr. Kay. &amp;quot;If your pet is overfed, he&amp;#039;ll become obese.&amp;quot;   If you can&amp;#039;t get to your vet right away, calculate roughly how many calories your pet needs per day using Dr. Ward&amp;#039;s formula: Divide your pet&amp;#039;s weight by 2.2, multiply that number by 30 and add 70. Keep in mind, though, that pet food companies aren&amp;#039;t required to list calories, warns Dawn Curie Thomas, DVM, so ask the vet to suggest a food plan based on your pet&amp;#039;s individual needs.   It&amp;#039;ll be up to you, however, to stick to it. Use a measuring cup to parcel out vet-approved portions or try a programmable feeder, like PetSafe 5 Meal Automatic Pet Feeder ($59.99; PetSmart.com), which can dish out up to five 1-cup servings throughout the day. (Not that you&amp;#039;ll need all five: Dr. Kay estimates that many mature, active Labradors, for instance, need only 1 cup of dry dog food twice a day.)   4. Rethink treat. No more throwing Barney a biscuit every time he rolls over or when you, feeling guilty, get home after a long day. Treats should account for fewer than 10 percent of a pet&amp;#039;s daily calories, says Dr. Elliott. Give them only as rewards for good behavior (no more than one or two per day), and factor the calories into his diet. Offer a biscuit that&amp;#039;s high in protein and low in calories, such as Smokehouse 100% Natural Duck &amp;amp;amp; Sweet Potato Dog Treats ($7.99 for 8 oz; Amazon.com) or Cesar Softies Dog Treats ($4.79 for 6.7 oz; PETCO.com). Other low-calorie treats for dogs: fresh organic baby carrots and apple slices, both of which are low in calories and high in vitamins and fiber, says Dr. Thomas. For cats, Dr. Ward suggests a flake of fresh or canned salmon.   5. Get him moving.Like many of their owners, pets often need motivation to exercise. &amp;quot;Studies show that even dogs that are kept in a fenced yard don&amp;#039;t run\u2014they spend most of their time sitting,&amp;quot; says Dr. Elliott. Take your dog for a walk\u2014as little as 20 to 30 continuous minutes of brisk walking every day will boost his immune function and improve cardiovascular health, says Dr. Ward. As for your cat, spend 15 minutes twice a day rolling her a motorized toy or tossing her a plush mouse. She needs something she can run after, catch, then chase again, says Dr. Elliott, to help her burn calories, be healthier and live longer. After all, she doesn&amp;#039;t really have nine lives. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/pet-care/a5557/watch-your-pets-weight-115370/>