Published:
PetFit Challenge Helps Keep Pets - and Pet Owners - Healthy
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- A new alliance of animal lovers
is attacking one of America's most chronic problems -- obesity -- in pets and
pet owners.
America is struggling with a weight problem. About one third of us are
obese, including 9 million children. Unfortunately, our pets -- they really
do look like us -- mirror us with similar health issues.
The Campaign to End Obesity, a public/private partnership that includes
Harvard Medical Center, is helping people trim down, and the Alliance to
Prevent Obesity in Pets (APOP) combats obesity through its PetFit Challenge.
The PetFit Challenge's goal is to help pets lose more than 50 million pounds
this year.
"We share our lives with pets, and sometimes that involves sharing some
bad habits, too," explains American Veterinary Medical Association President
James Cook, DVM. "One of the great things about the PetFit Challenge is that
it recognizes the power of the bond between people and their pets. Due to the
strength of the human-animal bond, many Americans worry more about the health
of their pets than they do about themselves. The PetFit Challenge asks people
to get healthy with their pets."
People interested in shaping up with their pets are invited to visit the
APOP Web site at http://www.petfit.com where they can take the PetFit
Challenge. Challengers will make a commitment to feed their pets the right
amount of the right foods, and to give pets regular exercise, something that
will benefit both pet and owner.
The PetFit Web site also provides workout routines designed by celebrity
trainer Gunnar Peterson, involving interspecies interval training, racing and
obstacle courses.
The Alliance's program also includes the PetFit Tour, which has been
visiting fairs and clinics fromChicago toSan Diego, including upcoming state
fairs inMissouri andMaryland in August. Visitors to the tour program can
see if their pets are obese, get health information, and wear a weighted vest
to simulate obesity. The "treat translator" is popular on the tour, giving
pet equivalencies for common treats, explains PetFit spokesperson Dr. Heidi
Hulon.
"People will give their pet an ounce of cheese as a treat and not think
much of it. But for a cat, that's equivalent to a human eating three and a
half hamburgers, and for a dog, one and a half hamburgers," she explains.
For more information, visit http://www.petfit.com or http://www.avma.org.
SOURCE American Veterinary Medical Association
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Copyright © 2009, NewsBlaze,
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