Reality television has finally gone to the dogs.
Forget makeovers, what-not-to-wears and wife swaps, we're about to be subjected to the dietary dilemmas of New Zealand's pudgiest pets.
Downsize Your Pet is the animal equivalent of Downsize Me, in which participants undergo an eight-week battle of the bulge.
The porky pet stars of Downsize Your Pet will be working out under the watchful eye of a vet and an animal exercise specialist.
Prime candidate for the show would have to be Wellington pooch, Ruby. At 5 years old the labrador cross weighs a whopping 40kg. Nothing owner Michael Meehan does - twice-daily walks, three to four approved biscuits morning and night - seems to help.
"They say there's no excuse for humans to be overweight, and I always thought it would be the same with dogs, but try as I might I can't get her to thin down. She eats anything," he said.
She is also exercise averse - waiting for sticks thrown into the tide to float back to shore before retrieving them.
Animal obesity is a problem that parallels modern life, says Wellington vet Michael Lyons.
As the nation gets fatter and lazier so too do our pets. An estimated 40-50 per cent of cats and dogs are overweight, with 20-30 per cent classified as obese.
In most cases pet paunch was the result of too much food, though modern living, the new concentrated dry food diets and over pampering also contributed, said Lyons, who holds weight watching clinics for dogs at his inner city surgery.
Unfortunately for owners like Meehan, labradors and lab crosses were especially at risk. "We call them Scoffradors, because they'll eat anything. It really does come down to calorie intake," said Lyons. "Exercise will help a bit, but there's not going to be any substantial weight loss if you exercise your pet but still feed it tons."
Overfeeding resulted in pets suffering many health problems that plague overweight people, including diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease.
Anyone worried about their pet should reduce meal sizes, try some of the low-calorie pet foods now available, avoid giving snacks and treats, follow recommended feeding guidelines and make sure they got plenty of exercise, Lyons advised.
A pilot Downsize Your Pet programme is expected to air on TV3 late next month.
