Now Americans have pills for their obese dogs!--News

　　BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- How do Americans treat their obese dogs? Run with them and exercise overtime or give them a good diet control? Yes. But now the Americans have more choice: just some pills for their dogs.
　　
　　The United States, media reported Friday, has approved the first prescription weight-loss drug to treat plump dogs.
　　
　　"This is a welcome addition to animal therapies because dog obesity appears to be increasing," said the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.
　　
　　The drug, Pfizer Inc.'s Slentrol, decreases appetite and fat absorption to help obese dogs lose weight, the FDA said.
　　
　　However, the medicine can also cause various side effects, including vomiting, loose stools, diarrhea and lethargy.
　　
　　The drug will be available this spring and will be given orally at various doses.
　　
　　Pfizer recommended using the drug for three months, but said dogs taking the drug were studied for up to 10 months, and the "duration will depend on the amount of weight loss needed."
　　
　　Americans own 65 million dogs, according to statistics cited by the Humane Society of the United States, and about 39 percent of U.S. households have at least one.
　　
　　Veterinarians generally consider dogs that weigh 20 percent more than their ideal weight obese, the FDA said.
　　
　　Roughly 5 percent of U.S. dogs are obese and another 20 percent to 30 percent are overweight.
　　
　　Like their human counterparts, overweight dogs are also at risk for developing diabetes, heart trouble, joint problems and other complications, the FDA said.
　　
　　(Agencies)
　　