Dog anti-obesity drug is launched

Rusty the labrador ballooned to over 11 stone

The first weight loss drug for dogs in the UK has been launched.

Yarvitan is used as part of an eight-week treatment programme, during which time manufacturers say it can help dogs shed 8-10% of their weight.

Vet Grant Petrie said obesity was a problem for between 20-40% of the domestic canine population.

He added: "If owners knew that obese dogs die up to two years earlier than lean weight dogs, it would get people to sit up and think."

Unnecessary suffering

Mr Petrie said the most common reasons why they became overweight were lack of exercise and inappropriate feeding.

Yarvitan works by tying up fat molecules with in the lining of the bowel.

This prevents fat from being absorbed into the bloodstream.

In January, brothers David and Derek Benton from Cambridgeshire were convicted of causing unnecessary suffering after allowing their labrador Rusty to soar to more than 11 stone.