Podgy pets wanted for UK’s biggest pet slimming contest
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 The UK’s largest and most successful pet slimming competition - which has helped more than 100 overweight animals lose a staggering 63 stone over the past decade - is on the hunt for more contestants.
The deadline for entries is fast approaching for PDSA’s Pet Fit Club, with owners needing to sign up their dumpy dogs, flabby felines and rotund rabbits by this Sunday, 6th March.
With new data showing that a staggering 5.5 million* cats, dogs and rabbits in the UK are being fed treats every day, PDSA vets are warning owners that they could be drastically shortening their pet’s life expectancy.
A combination of owners feeding snacks, scraps, takeaway leftovers and even booze, is fuelling the obesity crisis among our pets, according to the UK’s leading veterinary charity.
To help fight the flab PDSA has launched its annual Pet Fit Club competition and is inviting owners of overweight and obese pets to take part. The competition is a six-month diet and exercise programme, tailored and overseen by expert PDSA vets and nurses. The charity will select up to 12 overweight dogs, cats and rabbits from across the UK to participate.
To enter your pet please visit www.pdsa.org.uk/petfitclub Entry forms are also available from PDSA Pet Hospitals, Shops and Pet Hut superstores nationwide.
Over the past 10 years PDSA Pet Fit Club has helped 74 dogs, 32 cats and 6 rabbits lose a total 63 stone 11lb - equivalent to over 400 bags of sugar, 6,500 tins of tuna, 7,000 sausages or four heavyweight boxers.
“Pet obesity can be tackled, and through a diet and exercise programme like Pet Fit Club we can transform fat pets into fit pets,” said PDSA Vet Vicki Larkham-Jones.
“Since 2005, the competition has helped many pets and encouraged thousands more owners to make positive changes to their pet’s lifestyle. If you’ve got a pet that’s carrying too many pounds why not do something that could change their lives for the better and enter them into Pet Fit Club today.”
Pet Fit Club participants will receive free diet pet food for the duration of the competition, courtesy of Dechra. The overall Pet Fit Club Champ, who will be crowned at the end of 2016, will win a year’s free diet food and a pet friendly holiday courtesy of www.cottages.com.
The total sample size was 5,152 owners of cats, dogs and rabbits aged 18+ who live within the UK. Fieldwork was undertaken between 19 and 26 March 2015. The survey was carried out online via YouGov’s online research panel. The figures have been weighted to be representative of the population by pet species and the owner’s gender, age and geographic region. A link to the survey was also publicised via PDSA’s contact database, website and social media, to achieve a further 26,432 pet owner responses. These figures, however, have not been reported in this press release.
Based on estimated populations of 9.3 million dogs, 11.1 million cats and 1.2 million rabbits:
*36% of dogs, 18% of cats and 14% of rabbits receive treats on a daily basis. (9,300,000 x 36/100 = 3,348,000; 11,100,000 X 18/100 = 1,998,000; 1,200,000 X14/100 = 168,000)
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