RVers and their pets can spend too many hours driving and sitting. Frequently that daily walk is replaced with sitting outside on folding chairs relaxing after a long day on the road. Are your pets overweight?

Obesity has become a national epidemic. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 64 percent of Americans weigh more than they should and veterinary sources agree that at least half of all dogs and cats are overweight. Just like with people, pets who are overweight are more likely to have arthritis, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory problems, pancreatitis, weakened immunity, anesthesia and surgical complications and most importantly, a shorter life. Disorders related to obesity are the fourth leading cause of death for dogs according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Pet owners are the last to admit that their pets are overweight. These pets include dogs, cats, birds, hamsters and reptiles, all of whom are suffering from this overweight epidemic. Dog and cat owners are likely to say the pet appears overweight because of all the hair or because he is all muscle. Neither is very often the case.

Dogs and cats should have a waistline just like we do. Stand over your pet while he is standing. Behind the ribcage, there should be a narrowing. If there is none, your pet is overweight. Now place both of your thumbs on your dog's backbone. Hopefully you can find the backbone.  Run your fingertips on both sides along the rib cage. You should be able to feel the ribs and there should be a slight indentation between the ribs.

So now you know the truth. If your pet is overweight, changes need to be made to get him back in shape. The first step is to look at the total amount of food your pet eats each day. For the best health, dogs should be fed twice a day. Measure all the dry food, canned food, extra stuff you add and the treats. This is his daily intake and if your pet is overweight, it is too much. So some cutting back is in order.

Begin the cutting with treats and extra stuff we put in the food dish. Dry food is essential. A little canned food is okay but keep it to a tablespoon or two. Whatever else you add needs to be reduced or eliminated. There are good things you can add to their food dishes while cutting back like green beans and carrots. Avoid gravy, cream and cheese sauces.

Treats should be healthy and all natural. Avoid artificial coloring, flavoring and preservatives. Dog biscuits are a good treat but not too many and not too big. Most dogs like raw carrots and they are basically calorie free.

Feed your dog two meals a day -- making one of those meals just dry food. If your pet is overweight, cut back a little each week until you can see a difference. It is really important to feed a high quality food. If you have a young dog that is overweight, it is much better to cut back on the amount of food rather than feed a diet food. Diet food has more filler and less high quality ingredients.

There are two ways to control and reduce weight in people and their pets; reduce the food intake and increase exercise. This is not exactly rocket science nor is it a closely guarded secret. All of us are aware of this remedy but we would rather put our trust in some faddy new diet. Millions are spent each year on fancy weight loss programs and special diet foods. Most of these are not successful.

Obesity is a huge problem for both people and their pets. Pets on the go for days on end can easily end up overweight. Take a close look at the waistline and do the rib check. A little less food and a little more exercise might be just what the doctor would order.  

With questions or comments, contact Christy Powers at cpwrather@earthlink.net.