Dogs could fall victim to an illness that leads to an insurance claim if they do not take enough exercise .
Pets should participate in least 30 minutes of activity each day and large canines need more, explains veterinary surgeon Eric Jackson. Many owners are feeding their furry friends too much food and the supermarket chain Morrisons has announced it will put portion control advice on their packaging in an effort to tackle rising obesity in dogs and cats .
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.”
Barbara Russell, of pet insurance firm helpucover.co.uk, explains that for a dog, one small chocolate chip biscuit is equivalent to an entire family size chocolate bar and one slice of toast equals one cheese burger. For a cat, one saucer of milk is equal to four cheese burgers. She said: “We are killing our pets with kindness.”