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Post: When does cuddly become cruelty? by RSPCA
Cut out the stuffing 7:13 p.m. | Mon 8 Dec 2008
Comments
animalrspca February 18, 2010 at 7:03 p.m.
When given tit bits and abandonation
I LUV THE RSPCA
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animalrspca February 10, 2010 at 1:45 p.m.
When animals are given chocolate as a one off treat this can increase the risks of obesity and severe poisioning. also when pets are abandoned for no real reason making the pet who thought it was loved feel alone and terrified.
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Thumper February 5, 2010 at 2:09 p.m.
Overweight pets is a very overlooked issue. Sadly it is something I have had first-hand experience with. Now that I'm aware of it, I try to make sure other people are.
Don't know how many rabbit owners there are here, but have you heard of flystrike? It's a fast killer, and it's usually caused by the rabbit being overweight. Now, my rabbits always had a lot of freedom. They got tons of exercise, but it turned out that what I was doing wrong was feeding my rabbit a type of mixed food, and she was picking out all the fatty bits. I didn't realise what was in the food at the time. She became overweight, and even though she had a lot of space to run around in (an entire garden) she would just lie around. Then she had trouble cleaning herself because she was too chubby and couldn't reach.
Then she got flystrike. Those 24 hours of her at the vet's, being cleaned, having an operation... that was one of the worst days of my entire life. Thankfully through some miracle she survived, made a full recovery, and outlived the incident to grow twice as old as she would have been then. The vets directed me to some healthy rabbit food, they told me exactly how much to give her while she was dieting, and how much she would be allowed once she was at a healthy size.
When I knew what was right for her, she lost weight quickly and was soon running around happily in the garden again. She was healthy again soon and really made the most of her life; and to think how close I was to losing her back then.
My rabbit was never overweight enough to have heart problems or anything, but it was the fact that she was too big to be able to clean herself that almost killed her at the time. What's worse, even though I had heard of flystrike briefly I was never made aware of it very much. I really hope that my near-tragic experience will save other animals' lives in the future. Flystrike isn't just something rabbits get - a lot of animals can.
Pet owners like myself could be risking their animals' lives without even knowing it. I loved that Simon's Sister's Dog animation by the way, and think it's a great way to get the awareness across. I don't want owners to have to go through what I went through with my rabbit to find out the dangers of pets being overweight.
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tattooedgirlie September 21, 2009 at 12:51 a.m.
PETA NEEDS YOU!!
Come participate in a fun, one-of-a-kind demonstration on Saturday, 3 October, to urge Selfridges to stop selling foie gras
To create foie gras - French for "fatty
liver" - up to 2 kgs of a mixture of grain, maize and fat is pumped into
the stomachs of ducks and geese through a pipe two or three times a day for
three weeks. As the birds' livers become diseased and expand to up to 10 times
their normal size, the animals become sick, and many are unable to move. The
pipes sometimes puncture the birds' throats, which may cause them to bleed to
death.
Foie gras production is banned in the UK and more
than a dozen other countries. More than 60 per cent of Britons believe that foie
gras sales should also be banned. Not one supermarket will sell foie gras in
the UK. Foie gras has also been pulled from the shelves of House of Fraser,
Prince Charles has banned it from Royal menus and the Pope has denounced it as
cruel.
We'd like to make this demonstration as
large and noticeable as possible. Won't you please join?
The demonstration will take place outside Selfridges at 400 Oxford Street at 11 am and last for 30 minutes. However, we will meet in a location close to (but not in front of) Selfridges at 9:45 am sharp to talk through the event.
Our goal is to get 100 compassionate people out for this eye-catching demonstration. Each participant will be given a duck mask to represent the ducks and geese who are used to make the fois gras sold at Selfridges. Some people will also hold signs, while others will distribute leaflets.
It's important that you please RSVP writing to RoseG@peta.org.uk with "Birdie" in the subject line of your e-mail. The meeting location, dress code, lyrics of the chant, instructions on the dance and other fun details will be sent (to people who RSVP) closer to the date of the demonstration.
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Mags53 July 22, 2009 at 10:51 a.m.
Playdo: what part of pasta is natural food for a dog? Where do wild dogs get their's from? Pasta is good IF your dog has been unwell and cannot eat normally (BUT remember it is wheat based!). Better give them rice if you feel the need to give them something like that. Your dog can actually live on raw meat (with some raw bones, e.g breast of lamb) and either cooked or well pureed raw veg (your dog's digestive system cannot deal with too much cellulose found in raw veg, puree it and it becomes like the stuff they eat from a prey animals insides).
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Mags53 May 8, 2009 at 7:54 p.m.
Your dog is the somewhere near the correct weight if:
# when you stand above them they have a waist - i.e. just behind the ribs and in front of the loin they "go in" a little AND
# when you run your hands over their ribs you can just feel the ribs - you shouldn't have to press hard to feel the ribs.
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bluelollypop989997 May 3, 2009 at 10:30 a.m.
my auntie has 2 huskys and one has recently been slightly over weight but the problem is she only realised when we went to the vet because people dont dont get told how you can tell if a pet is over weight
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Hannah67 April 26, 2009 at 10:41 a.m.
londiniumgaia - true, I think dogs can live fine off of "healthy scraps" but as long as they are not overfed or fed the wrong things.
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londiniumgaia April 25, 2009 at 10:34 p.m.
if I may remind people that this dog food stuff is new compared to the time scale that dogs and other pets have been around not two generations ago dogs ate the left overs and they were none the worst for it
they do mostly doggie things plenty of exercise and socializing playing with toys smelling and what not ... I do think it cruel to overfeed the animals they will eventually suffer the consequences as many health problems will then occur that are directly related to them being overweight.... may I bring to people's attention that the labeling of pet food is not as well regulated as human food so who knows what really goes into it
I tried and tested different food and what they seem to enjoy the most as well as them have been healthy it seems since
nature diet you can get it directly from them
pero organic /james wellbeloved ... and the same as me if suitable ...
please don't let your pets get overweight as it is cruel and rescue an animal as any kind of pet of any age sex and breed can be found at rescues all over the country and Ireland
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Jess_loves_animals April 22, 2009 at 5:45 p.m.
Healthy animals are happy animals. A few treats every now and then is absolutely fine as long as they are generally on a healthy diet and getting plenty of excercise.
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ArcheyTheGreat April 20, 2009 at 8:20 p.m.
My nana has 2 lovely labrodors and they just eat anything, im not sure if they ever get full!
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Mags53 April 15, 2009 at 11:53 a.m.
Lady who lived in the village had 2 very old, very healthy looking dogs. I asked her what she fed them she told me that she prepared 3 portions of all meals and her dogs got the same as her (except she gave them an occassional raw egg) - cups of tea good too. As to dried all-in-one food - the good ones contain all that's needed BUT try dropping a piece into some warm water and watch it swell and think about that in your dogs (cats) gut!! That's the reason they need to drink so much - in the wild dogs may only have access to water once a day - give them raw meat and good quality mixer, much better for them than all in one stuff.
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Jimmy-Jen April 13, 2009 at 3:03 p.m.
Once I adopted a black Larador puppy and called it Sally. A few years later I was going to Spain. (I live in Ireland by the way.)
We couldnt bring Sally, the poor thing. So we gave her to my Uncle to mind her.
When we came back to pick her up, he didnt have her. He gave her to his friend to mind. We went to pick her up and Smith (my uncles friend) gave her back.
She was happy enough but quite fat. We found out Smith fed her 8 times a day. A day after she died.
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twitchyme March 28, 2009 at 1:52 p.m.
l adopted an 8yr od male xdog from the rspca, handed in,but had def been neglected and abused, quite neurotic about most noise,objects
he was slightly underweight, and didnt readily take to dog food,but was near manic at the sight of sweets,choc,biscuits,obviously been fed on scraps and sweets, a problem being that anything that was dropped on the floor he snatched up before l could reach it, and that included pills, so he`s eat the odd pain killer, iron pill, vit, l had to watch him when out as he would dive into rubbish food, luckily within a few week he started to look forward to dog food, and has put on a bit of weight, though not fat, still begs for choc, old habits. Another point l would like to make, there are owners who cant even be a....
putting water down for their dogs, even on hot days, we adopted a neighbours dog, they didnt want it, first met when it came over to drink out of the bucket with car wash water in it.
Added to that there have been a couple of stupid films that show dogs drinking out of the wc, influencing stupid people to think it funny to let their dog get a drink that way, maybe they should drink toilet water and risk gastritus.
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jezzie89 February 24, 2009 at 12:50 p.m.
my boyfriends sister has a border collie, she hardly takes him out and it used to be my boyfriend that used to take him out all the time until he had a stroke. i try to take the dog out as much as possible but i need to look after my boyfriend too. their dad is always giving the dog scraps and treats and then he gets a meal at tea time and more scraps and treats. i have raised my concerns but they do not seem to understand, he is not getting enough excercise so he is not 'burning the calories' to keep a normal weight. she then takes the dog to the vet who says he is overweight but she still doesnt listen, he has allergies and she uses it as an excuse not to take him out when it is wet or raining, i always got told a dog needs walking no matter what the weather!! i also read some where that if they are only on dry food all the time then they do not get all the nutrients etc that they need i also told her this and she still swapped him on to dry food, after feeding him with cans mostly since she got him mixed with mixer biscuits. i dont know how true it is about not getting what they need only on dry food but... she treats him like a child and if he does something wrong she hardly disciplines him, she shouts at him like a child not tells him sternly that he has done wrong so he then gets confused. i really feel sorry for the poor fellow, i think he needs to be treat more like a dog and not a child and she should listen to what the vet says and keep to one food and stop swaping and changing all the time!! one of the vets that the dog sees says that all the best brand food has too much salt and suger etc in but they are usually thre best labelled and they are more or less exactly the same as the cheaper versions, maybe the shops own for example.
when the dog wont eat his own tea, i say he will eat it when he is ready for it, but her father hand feeds him with a spoon like a baby, and mixes leftovers with it, instead of saving them for the dog to have on its own for his tea the next night, so really it seems he is getting 2 meals in 1 which is all wrong and then even if he hasnt eaten his meal, he gives him the scraps of his plate at the table! so now the dog sits and begs while we are having our tea, no wonder he doesnt eat his own!
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Agnetha February 14, 2009 at 10:13 p.m.
i think that people should read the lable on animal food and find out how much the animal needs. Felix is a good brand
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giblet18 February 14, 2009 at 6:32 p.m.
i think that people need to be more aware of how much they feed there pets, and stop themself from feeding them to many treats and/or food from there own dinner plate.
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Naturegirl February 7, 2009 at 2:30 p.m.
My dog:Archie at dinner he looks at us with puppy dog eyes and looks like he's starving but he isn't because already gets fed! So,when I look into those puppy dog eyes I always think about "He's already eaten" and "Don't give him any of your food or he will be unhealthy".
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Sue February 3, 2009 at 2:28 p.m.
We have 2 slim, fit and active 6yr old dogs who can outrun most other dogs their age on their twice daily walks. But we are lucky to be fit enough to take them out. For some, who may be disabled and wheelchair bound, it is not so simple. If you think your dog needs more exercise than you can physically manage, why not consider hydrotherapy? Although both our dogs are slim, one of them has an old rear leg injury dating back before we had her, and we found hydrotherapy helped enormously. Hydrotherapy is good exercise for a dog. You can just let your dog swim in the sea or in a local reservoir of course, but if you are disabled, what would you do if your dog got into difficulty? Most disabled dog lovers would not want to take that risk, but hydrotherapy centres are controlled, safe environments where your dog is supervised, fitted with buoyancy aids where needed, and will be able to exercise without risk. You have to pay per session. It will probably vary according to what you want, but we got a great kick out of watching our dog have fun in the pool. It is a great way of helping an obese dog shift some pounds, particularly if their legs are weak and they find it difficult to walk. You will find that hydrotherapy helps them lose weight (obviously combined with sensible feeding) and also helps keep joints supple. Swimming is recognised as being good for people, and it is no different for our pets. If our dogs put on weight later in life, or their legs start to go, this is where we will take them because we know the positive benefits. You have to do it regularly to see the best results, but the reward of a longer life expectancy for your pet, and better mobility makes it worth every penny. Incidentally we have 7 cats too, but luckily none of them are obese either. Good luck to everyone trying to fight doggy flab!
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PixiBunni February 2, 2009 at 5:10 a.m.
I'm going to go on a rant about outdoor rabbits here, so be warned :)
Rabbits are kept in small hutches where they barely have enough room to stretch, and tend to be fed food all the time.
People don't realise that rabbits need at least two hours of exercise and to live in a cage at least four times their length, and (the average rabbit) should only eat about 65kg of rabbit food a day and plenty of fresh hay. And they should read the back of treat bags. I know that the 'drops' variety tends to be up to five a day.
Rabbits that are fed too much treats are not only potentially suffering from obesity, but from diabeties. It's the same with other species as well, if they're fed to many treats they are at a higher risk of all sorts of diseases.
Then there are people that put fashion accessories on pets. Not all animals love 'that much' attention. Certain pets may have a naturally shy characteristic. People shouldn't enforce their ideals onto an animal as they have personalities and characteristics just like me and you.
There is also the question of people thinking that a bit of chocoaltte every now and then is okay to feed their pet. But its not, it can give them cancer. This is why they made pet chocolatte, not because it's cute for pets to have their own chocolatte.
And there is the end of my rant. Hope you took it all in.
Rachael
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Autumn1991 January 31, 2009 at 1:09 a.m.
People forget that dogs aren't people.
Colourful dog toys - they're colourful for YOU. dogs see in black and white.
it's the same with food. just because you would like to indulge in a little comfort food, doesn't mean you should feed your pets the same thing.
One short bite of enjoyment for your pet (and let's be honest here, they eat most things in a single bite) could turn out to be a lifetime of suffering, and a short life-time at that.
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Nicole09 January 30, 2009 at 4:47 p.m.
i think that some people go to far in over feeding there animals, i wouldnt say that i over feed mine but they do get a treat now and again but 2 many is bad for there health. some stories i read about dogs and cats over weight or things ive seenn is horrible. as long as they get the requiered exercise thats gd!
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dcptb94 January 30, 2009 at 4:13 p.m.
It is shocking how many fat pets are about and even more shocking that the owners do not take it seriously. Having worked for a vets I have come across my fair share of fat cats and dogs. Owners need educating!
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Georgia January 26, 2009 at 4:35 p.m.
I loved the video I think they should show it on TV so more people can see it !!!
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Jimmy-Jen January 24, 2009 at 8:09 p.m.
I have a dog but he isn't aloud in my house. But he has a big warm kennel and blankets and a basket and toys. He has all around my giant house to have exercise and me my da and Rover my dog always go running toghther. We never over feed him. But one and again we give him a small tit-bit. He aways get his dinner of couse. He perfectly healty.
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WolfGirl January 24, 2009 at 8:03 p.m.
I think overfeeding animals is disgusting - its causing them pain and, most likely, shortening their life. If we're trying to cut down the number of obese humans, why not cut down "obese" pets? It'll benefit their lives and help us spend longer with the pet we love.
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VeganxChick January 22, 2009 at 10:18 p.m.
People who allow their dog to become obese are a disgrace. If people over eat they become fat and its the same with dogs, But amazingly many people seem oblivious to this fact.
Of course it is ok to occasionally give your dog a treat. Like with all things, in moderation is fine. If you give your dog an occasional treat and it is not a daily occurance then your dog will be healthy. Of course they still need exercise. Two walks a day and a healthy diet makes a happy dog/puppy.
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julie12pink January 13, 2009 at 6:12 p.m.
.I think we all like to give our dogs little treats but its being able to control what and how much they are given.But no matter what kind of dog you have excerise is a must no matter how small the breed is. I have 2 shi tuz and they look forward to their walks every day no matter what the weather morning and evening it does keep them healthy.
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Starry*Girl January 12, 2009 at 10:03 a.m.
I think there is nothing wrong with the odd titbit as long as it is close to a natural diet. For example wild dogs and wolves would naurally eat chicken. However if your going to feed a dog chicken, you should really only feed them free range as it is less fatty. Also, if you are going to add meat to their diet, you should either cut down on the dog food you feed them or increase the excercise. *Dog lover20* rather then stopping the dogs getting titbits on sundays, ask your family to put a small amount in a bowl so you can control how much they get, and take them on a longer walk that day to burn off the extra calories. This way they get the best of both worlds.
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poppy2007 January 11, 2009 at 2:42 p.m.
sazzi' I agree with you there.My uncle whos a vet once said if people stopped feeding their dogs pedigree chum vets would go out of business.!!Its a fact that back in the day when dogs ate the family scraps they lived into their twenties
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HelpingAnimalsGirl January 10, 2009 at 8:08 p.m.
My nana gave her dog bits of her plate alot and soon my nanas dog had tummy problems.
Now shes feed on a healthy diet and shes doing well at the age of 15.
I dont think you should feed pets stuff off your plate but the odd thing now and then is sometimes ok.
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Kittygirl77 January 10, 2009 at 5:36 p.m.
I don't feed my cat titbits off my plate, but I think you can do it every now and again. The video is so true, lets just hope that does'nt happen to any of our animals.
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Sazzii January 8, 2009 at 9:37 p.m.
People have you not heard about the comercial dog food products you might want to hear wat they have to say.
if i asked any1 of u wat the average age was for a dog u would say wat 15!
the optimal age for a dog is 27!!!!
read the secret dog food conspiracy google it.
even if u dont believe it u should try not 2 feed them it cook them something ur self with actual dog recipes that u can get from most vets.
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missanimallover15 January 7, 2009 at 9:37 a.m.
Its so important to make sure your animals happy.healthy eating isnt quite the same for dogs,no balanced diet,though its important to change the flavour of their food regulary never give them human food.
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tarka December 31, 2008 at 12:09 p.m.
It is cruel to let any pet become overweight.Owners need to excercise their pets regularly and only give them suitable food not all food we eat is good for our pets there are many things they have intolerances to. think about the effects the food your about to give to your pet will have on their health before you hand it to them
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doglover20 December 29, 2008 at 10:24 p.m.
That is so my two dogs on sunday's when we have a roast dinner i hardly ever feed my two stuff from the table but on sunday's we go round my mum's and dad's normally and my nan and grandad are there too and my grandad and dad take it upon there selves to fed my two bits from there plate even though i tell them not to over and over again they never listen also my nan takes it upon her self to feed them bits of meat when she is cutting the meat gosh it is so annoying soemtimes i feel like shouting and saying some french to them but i have to remeber they are family luckily it is only sunday's
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Booshishea December 28, 2008 at 10:15 a.m.
Owners are just being overkind (which is not a bad thing) but why not be kind to their pets by playing with them- they could play games that involve movement like fetch- they're still being kind, but also they're taking care of they're pet's health. Owners are killing their pets with kindness- without even realising it! The video is a great way to deliver a serious message across to owners with overweight pets. Pet owners- THINK TWICE BEFORE FEEDING TIDDLES YOUR CORNFLAKES- OR IT MAY BE TOO LATE...!
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animallover57 December 23, 2008 at 5:36 p.m.
I think this xmas, pet owners should limit the amount of food they give to dogs off their own plates and think about the health issue. I know it's hard to resist their ' puppy eyed look' and whining and begging and it's hard not to throw them a bit of whatever you're eating, so this new year, lets hope it can be about healthy living and exercise - and not just for the dog!
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Horse Love December 23, 2008 at 12:01 p.m.
I don't have a dog or cat but my guinea pigs behave rather like that. They won't be getting any nut roast though (being veggie they prob wouldn't like turkey much) but I might be able to find them a little treat. I can understand how tempting it must be to give them titbits if they r anything like my piggies, U wouldn't be able to hear urself think if U didn't give them what they wanted food-wise but it is important to put the animals health first
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fallen angel55 December 20, 2008 at 1:56 p.m.
I always give my cats some turkey at Christmas, but not so much that it is bad for them. I always give them just the food that they need and though 2 of my cats would happily eat their way through the refrigerator I make sure we don't feed them too much. Jasper, one of my cats, is 16 and loves his food but is a perfectly healthy weight.
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jerryandlucky December 19, 2008 at 9:51 p.m.
William my whippet will get some turkey but I will limit his other food intake cos I've seen a fat whippet and it looked grotesque the poor thing, plus he couldn't grass surf if he were fat. I loved Simon's cat 'let me in', reminds me of Gloria my cat when I stand freezing at the front door asking if she wants to come in while she looks back and forth at the house and garden, after all it is a big decision! By the way, Gloria is very much the boss in our house.
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animallover57 December 14, 2008 at 7:56 p.m.
The animation is very true, and most pet owners will probably let their dog or cat have a few scraps of turkey off their plate this Christmas. Most dogs eyes are bigger than their stomachs and you've gotta think about the impact on their health - go healthy this Christmas and try to ignore your pets whining and begging!!!!
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Sophie. December 14, 2008 at 2:39 p.m.
I have a dog, and everyone knows what dogs are like - they don't know when to stop eating! especially when they are puppies! But sometimes you have to be crue to be kind, and stop them eating so much, so they will have a healthier diet, and therefor a healthier life! Also, good exercise will help - so, don't over feed your pets at christmas - think about the impact it has on their health.
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dogmother December 14, 2008 at 1:55 p.m.
I have a Labrador retriever and they only need look at food to get fat so what I do is not feed him until after I have had my dinner then if there some nice bits of meat or veg, (not chips or junk food) I add it to his meal and reduce the quantity to balance him. I find this helps him keep to his weight, and feel he is sharing. Plus a lot of exercise of course!!
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Rae Rae December 9, 2008 at 2:40 p.m.
That short film is so amusing, so true to life. That's exactly how my housemates dog behaves when we're all sat around eating dinner - he gives you the big puppy dog eyes and I'm sure he tries to breath in to make himself look thin and under fed.
Still though, it's my diner, I'm hungry and he ain't gettin' any of it!
I'm sure there are people out there who'll think I'm heartless but he's got his own food!
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Genie in a bottle December 9, 2008 at 12:29 p.m.
Ha, ha, ha - that is my dog, but she's gonna get a big shock this year! I love her too much to make her ill because of my stupidity. Brilliant cartoon by the way and keep up the good work looking after all the lovely animals.
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JazzyP December 9, 2008 at 10:24 a.m.
Love the film!! I'm a big fan of Simon's Cat and love the dog just as much. Great way to deliver a serious message. Hopefully people will think twice about feeding their pets titbits from the dinner table.
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Clogs December 9, 2008 at 8:58 a.m.
I wouldn't necessarily think I'm being cruel by letting my cat pinch food off my plate, but I will certainly think about the impact it's having on her health. This New Year will be all about healthy living and exercise - for both my cat and me!
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