Hill's Pet Slimmer.

We met Megan Skelton in March when she was crowned Hill's Pet Slimmer of the Year. Now we pay a return visit to see if she's keeping off the pounds...

How many times have you heard dog owners say: "My dog will eat anything?" Anything and everything would perhaps be a more accurate assessment of our pooches' eating habits.

Not only does over-indulgence seem an inherent characteristic in dogs, the action of spoiling our pets with treats also seems to come naturally to owners. In the light of this, many are fooled by the notion that a fat dog is a happy dog - but this is not the case...

Megan Skelton, the dog whose trim physique graced the country's national newspapers after scooping the Hill's Pet Slimmer of the Year award, is not a phenomenon of the canine species. Neither is her owner, Janine Skelton, unusually gifted in ignoring her dog's large brown, food-pleading eyes.

Janine confessed that before taking part in the Hill’s Pet Slimmer of the Year competition, Megan's hunger was regularly indulged with McDonald's milkshakes, roast chicken, hummus and even beer! In fact, insatiable Megan was one of the 50 per cent of U.K dogs who suffers from obesity but, happily for her, the dangerous consequences of being overweight were recognized and action taken, as Janine explains..."Megan's eating habits had always been a bit of a joke. The size of her stomach was regularly ridiculed by friends and relatives and I didn't see any harm in giving into her constant whines for food.

"It was not until a trip to the vet's, following the onset of arthritis in one of Megan's legs, that we came face to face with .how her weight was affecting her health. We couldn't believe that her arthritis had actually been caused by her weight gain, one of a number of obesity-related problems such as a shortened life expectancy and a reduced resistance to infection.

Lifestyle change.
"As soon as I realized overfeeding Megan was damaging her body, I followed. my vet's advice to change her diet and lifestyle. Megan's dog food and McDonald's indulgences were replaced with the Hill's* Prescription Diet* r/d*. We also entered her into the Hill's Pet Slimmer of the
Year competition.

"The programme really helped keep me motivated, as Megan's progress was regularly monitored with weight cheeks at our vets and we were given a 'target weight' that we worked towards together.

"Over a period of six months, Megan's weight fell from 18.6kg to 12.6kg, an amazing 32 per cent reduction in her body weight! I was thrilled that her transformation merited her winning the Hill's Pet Slimmer of the Year competition. We became stars for a week and I am looking forward to a fantastic holiday.

"More important, however, was the effect the weight loss had on Megan's health. Her arthritis totally cleared up without medication and her character changed _she became a much happier, healthier and less nervous dog."

The competition is an initiative run by Hill’s Pet Nutrition*, leader in pet nutrition, in conjunction with veterinary practices across the country.

_{source Your Dog Mag.}