Pet dogs must at least 30 minutes of exercise each day

Pets should take on at least 30 minutes of activity each day and large canines need more, explained veterinary surgeon Eric Jackson, speaking to the Telegraph. Overweight animals can suffer from illnesses connecting to obesity such as diabetes mellitus, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and skin diseases, according to the RSPCA.

Indeed, many owners are simply feeding their furry friends too much food and Morrison's has announced it will put section control advice on their packaging, the newspaper continued. John Cannan, the supermarket's product development manager for animal feed, said: "We've had feedback from our customers which says that they are often in the dark about how much food they should be buying and giving their pet."And the publication concluded that research has shown 29 per cent of cats and 36 per cent of dogs that have been treated by vets were classed as fat recently.

Palike holds pets responsible for climb in stray dogs

As culling of dogs is no longer resorted to by the BBMP due to protests by animal lovers and animal rights groups, it adopted the Animal Birth Control programme to contain the dog menace. Even though, the Palike has spent a whopping Rs 10 crore in the past eight years for dog sterilisation programme, the lost dog population has increased to two lakh. If the population of the pet dogs is taken into account the total dog population in the City can be put at 3.5 lakh.

The Palike has now found out that pet dogs have significantly contributed to rise in the population of wander away dogs. Hence, it has now shifted its focus on sterilisation of pet dogs. A review meeting on the issue was chaired by Mayor S K Nataraj on Monday. At the meeting the Palike decided that it would fix the number of pet dogs to be crazed and would also collect a licence fee from pet owners. Moreover, owners who have pet dogs that are not sterilised have to pay three times more licence fee. However, the licence has not yet been fixed, said a BBMP official.