Who knew there even was Association for Pet Obesity Prevention?

The news out of the this organization is that 54 percent of our dogs and cats are overweight! This beats out the current human statistic.

This is a timely bit of information, with Super Bowl Sunday upon us. The association warns that if you’re overeating, chances are, so is your pet. The temptation to share food with your beloved animal can get so strong, that even the best pet owner can slip and share their people food with their pets.

While healthy snacks such as celery and vegetables are not a problem, it warns against the killer of all killers” chicken wings. Apparently, as a nation, we will eat 1.25 billion of them today. And given the high caloric content thanks to frying and saucing, they are not the best nutritional choice. And of course, for a pet, there is the additional concern about choking on a chicken bone.

They are also high in salt, which is should be strictly watched in dogs. One buffalo wing has the daily equivalent of sodium for a 20-pound dog. Feeding a dog too much salt can cause high blood pressure and can contribute to kidney and heart disease.

So common sense should dictate that chips and pretzels, pizza and sauces should be on the no-no list.

Finally, watch the foods generally concerned to be bad for pets: chocolate, raisins, macadamia nuts, and  Xylitol may be toxic. Eating foods high in fat can result in vomiting and diarrhea or life-threatening pancreatitis.

Makes you wonder why we’re eating all this stuff.