How to Keep your Pets Lean and Fit

It’s all too easy to give your pets snacks between meals – they are so appealing, after all – but according to animal charity PDSA, more than a third of British dogs are already overweight, and this proportion could rise to 50% by 2013. The charity has been highlighting the dangers of over-feeding pets in recent months, with slimming competitions for tubby tabbies and corpulent canines encouraging pet owners to do something about the situation.

So, what are the dangers to overweight animals – and how can owners help pets whose paunches have become a problem?

Portly pets?
The simple case is that – like humans – pets which are overweight have a reduced quality of life. They are likely to be less sprightly generally and less keen to exercise – in short, they are going to be less fun.
But in addition to this, they are also likely to suffer from a range of conditions linked to their obesity. Again, as with humans, this can include heart disease, diabetes, respiratory problems, high blood pressure and even cancer.

The RSPCA calls obesity “an extremely serious welfare issue”, highlighting that it causes a large amount of unnecessary suffering to pets. Ultimately, it can lead to reduced life expectancy.
Obesity can be a result of disease, and there are also a variety of factors that can have a bearing on weight for both cats and dogs. For example, some breeds are more prone to obesity than others, while being neutered and the ageing process also increases the risk.
However, a more common reason than any of these is that a pet is getting more energy from its food than it is using up in exercising; either it’s eating too much, or not being active enough.
With cats and dogs, you should be able to feel the ribs – though they should not be sticking out – and the animal should have a waist which is visible from above, along with a belly which is tucked up when viewed from the side. If it does not have these features then it may be overweight, or even obese, depending on the scale of the problem, and it could make sense to contact your vet.

What owners can do
It is suggested that owners feed their animals commercial pet food – as recommended by a vet – as opposed to providing a home-made diet, as pet foods make it easier to gauge the level of nutrients they are getting. Try to follow the guidelines on the packaging so you don’t under- or over-feed.
While giving treats can work well in training to reward good behaviour, owners should try to avoid sugary or salty food – in fact, the PDSA suggests that most dogs like chopped carrot.
The other part of the equation is ensuring that your pet gets plenty of exercise. In addition to taking a dog for walks – and allowing it to run off the lead in safe, contained areas – there are a number of ways to encourage it to take exercise. Playing ‘fetch’ with a tennis ball or even a Frisbee is a common example, while allowing your dog to swim is a good option for animals with joint problems. If you are up to it and if you have a dog which is calm enough, you could even try a ‘springer’ – a fixed lead with a built-in spring – which allows you to cycle safely alongside your pet.
Cats – particularly those which spend their time indoors – may also need to be encouraged to play, with owners setting aside time to interact with them. In addition, a cat which has a relatively soft life can be encouraged to ‘work’ for their food by using toys which release food when they are pushed around.
Ultimately, a slim pet is likely to be healthier than an overweight one. Something to bear in mind too is that pet insurance is available to cover health conditions.

Issued by Sainsbury’s Finance via Dognews.co.uk
http://www.dognews.co.uk/how-to-keep-your-pets-lean-and-fit/

Owner who put electric shock collar on dog is fined £2,000

Hundreds of thousands of dog owners who force their pets to wear electric collars were warned yesterday that the devices were “cruel and outdated”.

 

Phillip Pook, 48, from Ogmore-by-Sea in the Vale of Glamorgan, was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs for using a battery-operated collar to train his pet border collie.

The collars, which were banned in Wales last year but are still legal in other parts of Britain, give the animal an electric shock when it strays beyond designated boundaries. About 500,000 British dog owners use the device.

The Kennel Club welcomed the prosecution. A spokesman said: “Electric shock collars train dogs through pain and fear.

“They are a cruel, outdated and unsuitable method of training dogs.”

A spokesman for the RSPCA said Mr Pook had been “very bloody minded”. He said: “This has got to be the most expensive dog collar ever – he’s paid £3,000 for it. He was using the collar because he was too lazy to put up a fence.

“Electric collars have now been outlawed in Wales and there’s no excuse for using them. I am under no doubt this would have caused the dog pain.”

Magistrates at Bridgend were told that the collar gave an electric shock to Mr Pook’s dog, Dougie, when it went near a specific fence to escape from his home.

A young couple found Mr Pook’s collie, wearing the illegal collar, roaming a beach near his home in Ogmore-by-Sea.

They handed the collie over to the Dogs Trust charity, who traced the owner through a microchip.
David Prosser, prosecuting, said: “This is the first prosecution under the regulations for this type of collar. It operates like an electric fence, and if the dog approaches the boundaries or tries to escape it sends a shock. He didn’t accept that it was illegal because it’s legal in England. But this is the law as far as Wales is concerned.”

Magistrates were told the dog ignored the shocks and kept on escaping. It was known at a local kennels as “the dog with the shock collar”.
Mr Pook admitted the offence but claimed he didn’t know the collars had been made illegal. Electric shock collars, which are used to train unruly cats and dogs, were banned by the Welsh Assembly last March. The collars are still legal in England and Scotland. However, their legality is due to be debated in Parliament at Westminster and in Scotland.

The Electronic Collars Manufacturers Association has denied that use of such collars is painful to dogs.
On its website, the organisation says: “Mild static stimulation that your dog feels [is] designed to be undesirable so your dog will avoid it, yet is totally harmless and humane.”

The association said dogs learned in “small stages”, and therefore it takes an average 10 minutes twice a day for two weeks for a dog to be trained wearing an electronic collar.

The Welsh regulation prohibits the use of any electronic collar designed to give a dog or cat an electric shock. Owners caught using the device face a fine of up to £20,000 or six months in prison.


Article by James Hall for The Telegraph.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/pets/8646521/Owner-who-put-electric-shock-collar-on-dog-is-fined-2000.html