Pet fit club: Before and after

016_BEFORE PDSA head nurse Lindsay Atkinson struggles to hold Pet Fit Club finalist Ruby.jpg — PDSA Pet Fit Club

Sixteen overweight and obese pets were chosen to enter the 2013 Pet Fit Club competition, which was sponsored by U.K. charity The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). The weight loss competition highlights the obesity epidemic affecting our four-legged friends.

Head nurse Lindsay Atkinson struggles to hold future champion Ruby.

Ruby

Ruby, a Jack Russell terrier, was named champion after losing a third of her bodyweight. She went from 20 pounds to a slimmer 13.2 pounds.

“This is a fantastic slimming success story – well done Ruby!... The weight loss means she will feel much fitter and happier, and her life expectancy is likely to be longer now than she has shed the excess weight," PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Elaine Pendlebury, said in a press release

TJ

002_TJ came second in PDSA Pet Fit Club after losing almost a quarter of her bodyweight.jpg — PDSA Pet Fit Club

TJ came second in PDSA Pet Fit Club after losing almost a quarter of her bodyweight.

TJ was about 70 percent overweight at the first weigh in. She weighed 74.8 pounds, which was taxing on her arthritis.

At the end of the competition, she only weighed 57.2 pounds, and lost 14 centimeters from her waist.

The PDSA said that in the U.K. more than 18 million pets are being fed dangerous diets. About 13.5 million U.K. pets are given fatty and sugary treats like take-out food, chips and cakes.

Cookie

Cookie the cat, from Middelsbrough, was named a runner up in the Fit Club competition.

Cookie started out weighing about 18.5 pounds. She slimmed down to a more svelte 16.1 pounds.

A PDSA survey showed that 91 percent o owners know that being overweight will shorten their pet's lifespan, and 93 percent know that pets can have the same obesity-related conditions as their human friends.

Seventy-one percent know that human food should not be part of a pet's diet.

Mizzy

Mizzy the Bull Mastiff was overweight, so his owner Cheryl spoke to staff at her local PDSA Pet Hospital.

The PDSA reports that 48 percent of owners surveyed said they feed their pets treats because they want to give them short-term happiness, and 29 percent of them feel the treats make them, the owner, happy.

Benji

Benji shows off his before and after shots taken as part of the PDSA Pet Fit Club competition.

Thanks to some diet and exercise, he lost 11 percent of his bodyweight and 14 centimeters from his chest.

Prince

Prince the cat was guilty of snacking on Indian sweets and ice cream.

Veterinary Nurse Sue Bartlett (right) and Senior Veterinary Surgeon Lorna Clarke checked out Prince before starting the diet.

He ended up losing 9 centimeters from his chest and 11 percent of his bodyweight.

Oscar

Oscar, a runner-up in the PDSA Pet Fit Club, lost a fifth of his bodyweight.

As a result of losing weight, veterinarians discovered a lump on his side. Oscar had an operation to remove it from his spleen, and is expected to make a full recovery.

“Without shedding the pounds, the problem wouldn’t have been picked up, so we are eternally grateful to PDSA,” owner Tanya Burrell said on the PDSA website. “Oscar is still living life to the full and is happier and healthier than ever."