If you love your pets, here's one more reason why you should get off your butt and start exercising.

University of Georgia veterinarian Scott Alan Brown says pets tend to acquire their owners' health condition. Heavy owners are more likely to have pets too hefty for their own good. Up to 50% dogs and cats are overweight or obese because they don't have to hunt for food like in the old days.

“We see large numbers of domesticated pets being fed very high quality food and living very sedentary lifestyles with very limited exercise,” says Brown. Hmmm, sounds familiar?

Many pets today spend most of the day sleeping. At night, they sit beside their owners watching TV. Altered animals also need about 5% less calories than their fertile counterparts.

Overeating and lack of exercise is hazardous to both owners and animals. Overweight canines and felines are likely to so suffer from type II diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. But detecting weight gain in pets is harder than in humans. “There's no bikini season for dogs or cats. They dont try on a pair of pants and find that they're too tight,” says Brown.

Vets say owners must monitor their pets weight by sight, by touch and should be weighed four to six times per year. Healthy dogs should have a slight indentation when they stand and are viewed from overhead. But this should not look like a waist. While you should be able to feel their ribs, they must not show. Cats and smaller dogs can be weighed at home.

If your pet is far from the supermodel-type and closer to John Goodman's girth, here are some tips on how to get them back in shape:

• Do not leave food that can be eaten throughout the day. Feed them at regular times, once or twice daily.
• Measure all food and avoid adding table scraps.
• Avoid drastic cut back on cat food - this may lead to serious, and often fatal, liver problem.
• Use products certified by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)
• Limit treats and gradually cut back on regular food or switch to "lite" products.
• Work with your vet for 1% to 2% weight loss per week
• Exercise your cats and dogs regularly at least 15 minutes, twice a day. The more, the better. But proceed gradually. Pets can suffer from over exercising too.
• To help cats burn calories, divide their food portion into three and place them in different parts of the house.