Hefty Dogs Can Go on a Diet, Too.
No Kidding!

We love our pets, sometimes too much. To make them happy, we treat them to cookies, steak, and tasty leftovers. The result has been an epidemic of overweight animals.

The pet-products industry is now coming up with exercise gear, videos, fad diets and metabolism boosters for pets. There are even doggie fat farms.

In spite of the canine treadmills and human-style diets, critics say dogs aren't any more successful at losing weight than people are. It's too easy for them to swipe donuts off the kitchen counter and beg treats from soft-hearted family members.

The American Pet Products Association says half of people with overweight pets don't recognize the problem. But others do. Sales of reduced-fat pig ears have doubled, and sales of diet foods are skyrocketing.

Critics of doggie dieting say it punishes pets for something that's their owners fault. Veterinarians worry that rapid weight-loss and bad diets could harm pets.

Maybe when all is said and done, all we should do is make the food dish a little less full, reduce the number of treats, and take our dogs out for an extra walk or a longer one.