Friday, July 12, 2013

Commit to get fit with your pet

Via PR Newswire - Do you consider your Pomeranian pleasantly plump? Does your hound have a few extra pounds to shed? If so, it may be time to call in the big dogs!

Banfield Pet Hospital and celebrity fitness trainer Dolvett Quince from NBC's "The Biggest Loser," are tipping the scale on pet obesity by kicking off a campaign to help your pooch lose extra pounds through preventive care, nutrition and exercise.

Together, Banfield and Quince developed an exercise program that pet owners and their pets can do together to become active, healthy and fit!

According to Banfield's State of Pet Health 2012 Report, chronic conditions such as overweight and obesity in pets have increased at an alarming rate since 2007. Since that time, overweight and obesity have increased by 37 percent in dogs and 90 percent in cats, affecting approximately 1 in 5 pets.

When pets are overweight, their waistline is not the only concern – the condition is associated with other serious diseases like diabetes and arthritis, and can severely impact the overall quality of a pet's life and potentially become costly to manage. Fortunately, there are steps pet owners can take to prevent obesity and ensure their pets live happier, healthier lives.

“As a personal trainer, I am constantly motivating people to lose weight; however, my passion for fitness and nutrition doesn't stop at the gym,” said fitness trainer, Dolvett Quince. “Overweight and obesity is weighing heavily on the minds of Americans and is impacting families across the country, including our four-legged friends.”

“Leading a healthy lifestyle is just as important for our pets as it is for humans, which is why I created a program that pet owners can do with their furry friends to become more active and shed unhealthy weight! ”

Quince's pet workout plan will be featured on Banfield.com/fitness and put into action in his public fitness classes for pet owners and their pets in select cities across the country during July.

5 comments:

  1. I think that is a great idea. I like Dolvett on the Biggest Loser, but I can just imagine a grueling workout with my cat(s). He'd likely get clawed to pieces trying to push the cats beyond their limits. MOL.

    This really made me laugh: “Overweight and obesity is weighing heavily on the minds..." I suspect the pun (weighing heavily) wasn't intended, but it's still funny.

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    1. My cats get their biggest workout from running to their bowls to eat! Somehow I don't see this workout routine being for cat owners. The press release also talks playing "Plank Fetch" and doing "Shuttle Runs" with your dog.

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  2. Always glad to see more folks joining the fight against pet obesity. Hope people realize that they shouldn't expect to see Biggest Loser type results with their pets...so not a healthy way to lose weight - you can't make your dog workout 8hrs a day.

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    1. Agreed. I think it's important for people to recognize what is a healthy weight for their dog and have realistic goals regarding how much and how quickly they should lose weight.

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  3. What a brilliant idea!

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