Pete the Vet tackling fat pets in Project Pet Slimdown

Project Pet Slimdown aims to tackle the issue of pet obesity in Ireland.

With four out of ten Irish pets being classified as “overweight”, the issue of excessive nutrition and not enough exercise is having serious repercussions for Irish animal health and welfare.  Many people don’t even now that their pets are too plump: fat pets are so common that people are beginning to think that an animal that is a normal shape is “too thin”.  Pete the Vet and the Ireland AM team have decided to tackle this with a series of features that focus on fat pets.
The first episode took an overview of the issue, introducing three animals to the audience.

1. Pushkin – a ten year old male neutered cat who weighs 7.2kg. He has diabetes and asthma, both of which relate to his excessive weight. He has failed to lose weight despite his owner’s best efforts. This cat is a real challenge! Target weight around 5kg
2. Gizmo – a six year old male neutered Shih Tzu who weighs 10.9kg. He used to weigh less than 9kg and this is his target weight.
3. Paddy – a six year old Cavalier King Charles who has gone down from 17kg to 12kg in the past 6 months – he is a model for what can be done. You can see his “before” photo below.