60% of Dogs Overweight ... or Obese

Seems they're having the same problems we are
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 26, 2010 2:56 AM CDT
Updated Jul 26, 2010 6:22 AM CDT
Fetch a Diet, Fido
Hey, Fatty.   (?Vandelizer)

Dogs are turning into real pigs. A whopping 6 out of 10 dogs were found to be overweight, or—yelp!—obese in a recent study. The reasons are the same ones humans grapple with every day: eating too many table scraps and not getting enough exercise. Researchers also found that pets of poor, elderly and obese humans tended to be the most overweight, reports the Telegraph. So what's the big deal?

"As in humans, this has major health implications as obesity is known to exacerbate a range of clinical conditions including arthritis, and ultimately decreased longevity," explained one of the researchers. Not to worry, though. Hit the pavement with your pet. The risk of a pooch being obese dropped by 4% for each additional hour of exercise a dog had in a week. (More fat stories.)

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