Beachboy Boomer wins Hill’s Pet Slimmer of the Year 2010

Losing weight has literally been a lifesaver for Boomer Hoek, a 12 year old yellow Labrador from Jeffrey’s Bay (Eastern Cape), who has just been announced as the 2010 Hill’s Pet Slimmer of the Year. This annual competition looks for the best pet slimmer in South Africa and Namibia; it has been held for the past 13 years to highlight the sizeable problem of pet obesity and encourage owners to help their pets ‘shape up’ for better health.
“Before losing weight Boomer was crippled by arthritis,” said Dr Guy Fyvie, veterinary advisor for Hill’s Pet Nutrition and a leading expert on pet obesity. “Excess kilos don’t only add strain to the joints; studies have shown that fat pets live shorter lives, and excess kilos make pets more susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other obesity-related disorders. As a result hundreds of practices now run weight- management clinics.” In 2009 Boomer was so overweight – at a massive 63kgs – that some family members said it would be kinder to euthanase him. Instead he was signed up on the veterinary- supervised Hill’s Pet Slimmer programme, and lost 22kgs in just under 12 months.
Losing more than one third (35%) of his bodyweight has turned life around for Boomer. “Last year Boomer had been overfed with treats, bread and table scraps”,
said Boomer’s owner, veterinarian Louis Hoek. “He needed daily pain medication for arthritis, and was so overweight he couldn’t even sit – he literally lay around all day long. Now this once inactive and uncomfortable dog is lean and lively and enjoys his life again! “Boomer has shown us how effective these weight loss foods can be; now we are encouraging all our overweight patients to get on the Hill’s Pet Slimmer programme,” he said.
Boomer beat off weighty competition from hundreds of cats and dogs around SA and Namibia that had successfully reached their goal weight this year. He was one of seven finalists (six dogs and one cat) that lost a total of 66.3kgs between them and, on average, almost a third of their bodyweight.
Check out www.hillspet.co.za/facebook for before and after photos of all the finalists. “Choosing the winner was really difficult,” said Rina Cronwright, managing director of Hill’s Pet Nutrition and one of the competition judges. “But Boomer is in great shape and is an excellent example of how losing excess weight can make a real difference to quality of life whatever an animal’s age.” Boomer has won three month’s supply of Hill’s and a holiday to Mauritius for his owners.
People concerned about their pet’s weight can ask at their local vet for a weight check and objective advice. The Hill’s Pet Slimmer programme is available only at
veterinary practices; call 0800 228 783 or email info@hillspet.co.za to find a participating practice in your area.

Obesity – a weighty issue
A recent survey* of SA pet owners found that one in five people mistakenly believe an overweight pet is “happy, healthy” and “cute”. Vets say the reality is that rather than being cuddly, fat pets are tipping the scales in the direction of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. As a result hundreds of vet practices run
Hill’s Pet Slimmer weight management clinics to help their super-size patients slim to better health.
Many owners struggle with “light” foods, unaware that there are prescription diets available that are clinically proven to help cats and dogs lose weight effectively with long-term results. Is your pet a healthy size? Ask your vet. One third of pet owners don’t know how to assess their pet’s weight correctly. If your pet does
have a few extra kilo’s on board ask your vet how to join the Hill’s Pet Slimmer programme.
For inspiration check out the before and after pics of successful pet slimmers on www.hillspet. co.za/facebook.
* The South African Healthy Pet Survey is an online consumer survey of South Africa pet owners conducted in Spring 2010 which had 1,134 respondents.