Nearly nine in 10 pets in Scotland are at risk of an early death because of bad diets which can include takeaways, crisps and cakes, according to research.
More dogs, cats and rabbits than ever before are being fed “potentially life-threatening” high-calorie meals, the PDSA found.
An estimated 87% of pets are being fed “deadly diets”, the PDSA animal wellbeing (PAW) report found.
Rottweiler Rico weighs in at more than nine stone, about 70% over her ideal body weight.
The dog’s owner, George Livingstone, adopted her five years ago after she had been mistreated and was malnourished.
Mr Livingstone, from Edinburgh, said: “We wanted to show Rico how much she was loved and because she’d had a bad start in life we did this by feeding her treats.
“It’s difficult because when she looks up at me with sad eyes, it would be easy to throw her a treat, but I know that would be killing her with kindness.”
