Hill’s Pet Nutrition has introduced a new line of food for overweight cats and dogs.
Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution is designed to control pets’ hunger, keeping them “feeling full and satisfied between meals,” the company said on its website. Available through veterinarians, the new product includes dry food, canned food and treats.
In clinical trials, the diet reduced body fat in two months by 29 percent in cats and 28 percent in dogs, the company said. In “real-world” tests with pet owners and their pets at home, 88 percent of pets lost weight over two months.
Hill's did not respond to questions about the new food, including whether it will replace any of its older weight-loss products.
The company noted on its website that about half of U.S. pets are overweight, raising their risk of serious health problems.
The new food is the latest of several recent attempts to address what some animal advocates have called an epidemic of fat pets. The new Petmobi app for iPhones lets pet parents set and track weight loss goals for their animals. The CATalyst Council, a cat health advocacy group, has urged pet parents to guard against cat obesity. And Purina Veterinary Diets has expanded its product line for diabetic cats and overweight cats and dogs to help ensure that finicky pets consume their special diets.
SUBSCRIBE! To receive future cat articles by this writer, click “Subscribe” above. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Comments