pets

Is your dog more Rotund than Rover? Is Fluffy's poofy coat camouflaging a few extra pounds? If so, you may be killing your pet with kibble kindness: Overweight pets are affected by many of the health issues humans are.

According to a new study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), in collaboration with the veterinary clinic chain Banfield, approximately 53 percent of cats and 55 percent of dogs are overweight or obese. The percentage of pets that are obese (at least 30 percent above normal body weight) has increased over the last four years.

You might look into your beloved pet's eyes, shrug your shoulders and think "I love you just the way you are." But believe me, you are not doing your pet any favors. As with humans, being overweight leads to a host of ills, including osteoarthritis, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and respiratory disease, kidney disease and many forms of cancer. This all translates into a decreased life expectancy.

How do pets become overweight? Just like humans, they eat more calories than they need. And since Fido can't take himself to the drive-thru window of the local fast food joint, the excess weight is the owner's doing. The good news: The solution also lies within the owner's power.

According to PetMD.com, there are four typical scenarios:

The Nibbler: He "hardly eats a thing" but in reality picks at all the choicest morsels all day long.

The Beggar: She "won't keep quiet unless she gets her treats."

The Good Dog: Her owners "don't want her to go hungry."

The Gourmet Dog: He "refuses to eat dog food" and feasts instead on fattening human delicacies.

How can you tell if your pet is overweight? Just as it's sometimes hard for a parent of a chubby child to see the truth, it's often hard for a pet owner to acknowledge a problem. After all, where exactly do you draw the line?

According to APOP, your pet is overweight if:
It's difficult to feel your pet's ribs.
Your pet's stomach sags.
Your pet has a broad back with no visible waist (when viewed from above).

APOP has a more precise listing of ideal weight ranges for different breeds of dogs and cats.

You can help your pet lose weight by taking the common sense approach: Reduce calories and increase exercise. PetMD.com and APOP both recommend that you talk strategy with your vet before embarking on a weight-loss regimen.

Also, your pet should be checked out first to make sure that a heart, thyroid or other metabolic disorder isn't causing or contributing to the weight problem. And get everyone in the family is on board with the game plan to avoid any unintended sabotage induced by those irresistible puppy-eyes or that convincing purrrrrr-leg wrap combo.

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Even the hardest-core smokers can cite the standard reasons to kick the habit - everything from reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease to improving how you and your clothes smell. But if those reasons aren't sufficient for you or someone you know, recent studies offer a few other possibilities worth considering.

Recover more easily from surgery.
A Swedish study found that smokers undergoing operations who gave up cigarettes for at least three weeks before surgery and four weeks afterward had half as many complications as those who continued to smoke. The finding reflects what doctors already know: Smokers tend to fare worse after surgery than non-smokers. About one-third of the quitters were still smoke free after one year, suggesting that surgery may be the impetus some of us need to give up smoking for good.

Protect your pet's health.
Did you ever consider the effects of smoking on your pet? Many people don't realize that second-hand smoke can be just as dangerous for our four-legged friends as it is for us, increasing their risk of allergies, cancer, and respiratory diseases. When informed of this in a recent survey, nearly one in three smokers said they would be willing to quit for their furry companions. So if you're an animal lover and can't or won't quit for your own sake, do it for Fido's.

Save money.
In this tough economy, we're all looking for ways to keep more cash in our pockets. And the chance to earn extra dollars can be a powerful incentive to quit, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The research involved nearly 900 workers at General Electric, some of whom were offered up to $750 in cash -- $100 for completing a smoking cessation class, $250 for quitting for 6 months, and $400 more for sticking it out for 12 months. A comparison group of smokers received only information about quitting. After a year, those in the cash-earning group were three times more likely to be smoke free.

If you aren't lucky enough to have an employer this generous, try paying yourself. Every week, take the money you would have blown on cigarettes and hand it over to a trusted friend or relative. Have that person put it in the bank and then "pay" you periodically - say, after three months, six months, and a year of remaining smoke free. (If you fall off the wagon, they get to keep the money or donate it to charity.) You'll be surprised at how quickly the savings add up. A pack-a-day smoker, for example, can save $1800 a year. To find out how much cash you can "earn," use our smoking cost calculator. And to get the scoop on the latest stop-smoking treatments, check out this segment with our pharmacist Doug White.

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