Relax, I’m not here to fat shame your fur child.

Some pups are a little chubby, shall we say, and that’s fine.

The problem is that more and more dogs and cats are starting to fall into the ‘obese’ category.

I get it, when they give you that face, you can’t help tossing a treat their way. But while it might cause temporary happiness and a lot of tail-wagging, the long-term effects can be devastating.

According to Health24, cases involving pets with weight-related diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, cancers and kidney diseases are on the rise.

That’s why UK-based vet charity PDSA started Pet Fit Club, the UK’s ultimate pet weight-loss challenge.

Let’s take a moment to applaud these pooches for getting off the couch and taking action:

It’s never good when your cat is described using the word ‘colossal’.

We don’t have Pet Fit Club here in South Africa, but there are a couple of ways that you can get your pupper healthy, happy, and full of energy again.

• Start a Pet Fit Club with some friends, or make the time to walk your dog daily.
• Invest in healthy treats and limit them to one or two, one day of the week.
• It’s 2019, so there are some incredible gadgets to help your doggo on their weight-loss journey.

Take this wonderful invention, for example. For those who love gadgets, this is on the money:

The PETKIT food bowl is anti-bacterial and has a digital scale built in.

Using the PETKIT app, you can calculate exactly how much food you should be giving your dog based on their age, weight and breed.

It even takes the brand of food that you’re using into account.

You can get the PETKIT bowl, and plenty of other doggy spoils, from Pet Culture’s excellent online store.

Added bonus – now you can take your healthier pet for a stroll, burning off some carbs yourself, and everybody’s earned a little treat when the weekend rolls around.

Everyone’s a winner, and your fur baby thanks you.

[source:health24]