This year's Hill's Pet Slimmer of the Year Award is on the prowl for pets that have shed their target kilos by Sunday.

Stitch Parsons, a miniature dachshund from Gauteng, won last year' s award, having lost more than half her body weight.

She slimmed down from an obese 15.7kg to a slender 7.6kg.

Guy Fyvie, a veterinary adviser to Hill's Pet Nutrition, said: "Pet obesity is a growing problem around the world, including South Africa."

He said obesity is the biggest health issue facing domestic animals.

Fyvie explained that the primary cause of obesity in pets "is similar to that in people - eating too much and exercising too little".

"It is usually loving owners, [like Stitch Parsons' owner, Carina] who overfeed their pets, without realising that they are literally killing their pets with kindness."

And it isn't "cute" to have a rotund pet because illnesses related to animal obesity are not unlike those suffered by humans.

Obese animals have a higher chance of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Fyvie said studies show that an over- weight dog will live two years less than slim dogs.

The Hill's Pet Slimmers programme, which began 10 years ago, is a veterinary- supervised programme that seeks to combat rising obesity in domestic animals.

Weight loss is achieved through regular weigh-ins, daily exercise and a "therapeutic diet formulated to help overweight animals lose weight humanely."

The owners of pets that have successfully reached their weight-loss goal during the past year can submit an entry with before- and-after photographs for a chance to win the Hill's Pet Slimmer title.

Winners also get three month's supply of pet food and a trip to Mauritius for their owners.

This year's leading contenders are :

# Chloe de Gouveia, a beagle from Atlantic Beach, Cape Town, went from 15.85kg to 13.5kg, losing 14.8 percent of her body weight.

# Jessie Marais, a spaniel from Pretoria, lost 16.85kg, or 35.1 percent of her body weight.

# Largo Posthumus, a bassett hound from Pretoria, slimmed from 33.5kg to 26kg, or a 22.4 percent body weight loss.

Source: www.thetimes.co.za