Owners of fat cats and pot-bellied puppies should make a New Year’s resolution to help their pets shed the excess weight, veterinarians warn.

“It’s scary, it is the No. 1 health problem in pets in North America right now,” said Danny Joffe, medical director of the Calgary Animal Referral and Emergency Centre.

“Much like we know in people, if you maintain a healthy body condition you’ll live longer. That’s the bottom line, sure we like to spoil our pets but you can spoil them with pats too.”

According to the most recent numbers available from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, 35 per cent of pets were overweight as of 2005 at a time when 36 per cent of the human population across the country were considered overweight.

In the United States, a 2008 study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimated that 44 per cent of dogs, about 33 million, were overweight or obese.

Similar to humans, overweight dogs and cats can develop diabetes, osteoarthritis, gastrointestinal problems and high blood pressure along with respiratory problems and tears to the anterior cruciate ligaments.

“We once had a bulldog we took for a walk and coming back we literally had to drag him,” said Janet Saretsky, co-owner of DogCity Daycare.

“We don’t take them too far from the day care but he was just exhausted and his breathing was laboured because of the obesity.”

Saretsky said she’s noticed that the dogs she cares for get fatter around Christmas and Thanksgiving, but sometimes it can be difficult to broach the subject with owners who may be in denial or overweight themselves.

“We actually use choke chains, just for safety so their collars don’t come off, but we’ll say to them, ‘Your dog’s choke chain went up one size,’ so they’ll know. We’ll give them subtle hints.

“You have to be careful because you don’t want to hurt their feelings by saying their dog is getting bigger. But if we can see it, I don’t know why they can’t.”

The best way to maintain a healthy weight in your pets is to feed them healthy food and snacks and give them lots of exercise, veterinarians advise.

Joffe said one sure sign your cat or dog has become too heavy is if you can no longer feel their ribs when you stroke them.