WAS your New Year's resolution to get back into shape? You may want to help your dog do the same.
More than 40 per cent of the nation's dog population is overweight or obese, according to new figures from pet food manufacturer Black Hawk.
This means two million dogs are in danger of having their lives cut short by two years and are at risk of developing painful health conditions like arthritis and hip dysplasia.
Overfeeding, a lack of exercise and poor diet can all contribute to your hound packing on the pounds.
Black Hawk has developed an online tool to help dog owners improve their pet's wellbeing.
The DogCheck tool measures your dog's age, weight and breed against the healthy average weight before transforming the data to a human comparison.
Black Hawk chief executive and veterinarian Sean Duggan said it was about helping dogs to live healthier, happier and longer lives by feeding and exercising them right.
"Every day, more of us make an effort to take care of ourselves by eating natural ingredients, using portion control and exercising," he said.
"But we exclude our pets from this process, meaning the scale of canine obesity in Australia is at a truly shocking level."
DogCheck is accessible via smartphones and computers dogcheck.com.au
