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Great tips Pam, thanks! I have to really watch what I do because I love to give my dog treats but I don't want to give him too much. Lately I've been giving him one treat a day and a doggy bone. His meals are limited in portion already and he gets plenty of exercise so he's in pretty good shape.
They say pets tend to be much like their owners. I believe that is true for a large percentage of us, our pets are just like us. Mine didn’t get as much exercise as needed and most often was overfed (and with table scraps) which is worse. We don’t listen to our own doctors about our own weight and health and we don’t often follow the advice of the veterinarian as well. So what do we need to do? Maybe we need to avoid the choice of soft drinks that are larger than 16oz to begin with. I sure don’t need to consume all that artificial sugar in soft drinks or food, so why should I give it to my dog or cat?
Now back away from the keyboard, get off the couch and go for a walk with your dog! Take a bottle of water with you instead of a canned soft drink. Take a small cup with you will help allow pooch to get a drink along the way.
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About treats and table scraps - this gets out of hand so easily. What Weight Watchers says applies to pets as well as humans: cut out the BLTs and you'll cut out a substantial number of calories each day. And no, I'm not talking about bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. BLT stands for Bites, Licks and Tastes. Every bit of food that passes the lips contains calories, and they add up fast. If your pup is overweight, don't let him lick your ice cream bowl when you're through with it. Don't give him a Big Mac. Don't give Kitty table scraps. DO show them your love by feeding them correctly and playing with them so they will get plenty of exercise.
Having inactive and fat pet is common with city dwellers. Countryside or farm would be ideal for having healthy and happy pets, especially dogs. Mine "demands" his walk around the community twice a day.
Never "free feed" a cat or dog and do every cat a huge favor and never give them dry food. Most are drawn to it and will beg for it but it's very unnatural for a cat's system. Has been quite a while since my 21yr old has dashed around and exercised. She's a CRF cat (for 10 yrs) and still hanging in there with vitamin adjustments, no IV fluids needed so far. The other two have nightly romps of chasing each other throughout the house for 10-15 minutes and that's a hard romp that does them good. When they do that those padded feet sound like galloping horses.
A homemade diet really is best for cats and dogs even if you gather the nerve to go raw utilizing all safety features. I tried it with my cats about ten years ago. Bought a fancy food processor and used instructions from a holistic vet. I made the mistake of giving them the new food all at once thinking they would be thrilled. Each cat got no more than a foot near the dish, sat tall, leaned back with a look of astonishment, slowly turned their head as if it smelled really bad and walked away. I waited 2 or 3 months and tried again adding a pinch to regular (wet) food but they knew it was there and wouldn't eat.
I feed my ferret with the highest protein cat food available, and I would love to just give it pure meat to eat, much healthier I believe. I was astounded, when I made some Beef Burgundy one day, I took tidbits of beef and fed it to him and he gobbled it like candy.
So, I went out and bought 3 pounds of sirloin, put in in a slow-cooker for 7 hours, w/beef broth, and figured I'd feed him that over the next few weeks. Aha! He turned his nose up at it, won't touch it! Why the sudden turn? I didn't add the 3 cups of Burgundy wine?
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Don't give Kitty table scraps. DO show them your love by feeding them correctly and playing with them so they will get plenty of exercise. 
