Pudgiest Pets Compete To Lose Weight

It’s a weight loss program for cats and dogs and Britain’s largest pets are lining up to drop a few pounds.

Eight of Britain’s pets are embarking on a one hundred day diet and exercise regime in an effort to be crowned Britain’s feline or canine weight loss champion. The competition will feature seven dogs and Tinks the cat, who tips the scale at 21 point six pounds. Another contestant is Bo, a King Charles spaniel that weighs 43 pounds and has to sit down halfway through his walk to rest.

The animals were chosen by the veterinary charity PDSA and have a combined weight of 421 pounds. In order to reach their ideal weights the animals will need to lose a total of 163 pounds. PDSA spokesman Derik Wilson says with the competition in its fourth year more people are becoming aware of how easy it is to accidentally overfeed pets and how important it is to improve overall pet health.

For both animals and humans, the battle of the bulge is a tough one.

(Brian Banmiller is a national Business Correspondent for CBS News Radio, free lance writer and public speaker. The former television business news anchor in San Francisco can be reached at brian@banmilleronbusiness.com .)