According to a story in Slate, official’s in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County removed an eight year-old boy from his family’s home last month because they considered his mother’s inability to get the child’s ballooning weight under control a form of medical neglect. The boy was over 200 pounds, more than triple the 60 pounds that government growth charts deem a healthy weight for boys his age. He is at risk for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and high blood pressure. 
The mother says , “ “Of course I love him. Of course I want him to lose weight. It’s a lifestyle change, and they are trying to make it seem like I am not embracing that. It is very hard, but I am trying.”
Now, I know that trying to put your child on a diet is really difficult, especially when your child will not cooperate; I know, my mother tried with me when I was ten and 50 lbs overweight. It wasn’t until I decided to lose the weight (at 12) that it actually happened.
This article made me think about the overweight dogs and cats in the US. Did you know that 50% of US dogs and cats are overweight? It isn’t healthy for them and causes all sorts of health problems….Now, it is much easier for us to control the weight of our pets because they can’t really sneak food for themselves.
So for all you pet caretakers out there with overweight dogs and cats, what will you say when asked why your pet is overweight? Will you say, “Of course I love him. Of course I want him to lose weight. It is very hard, but I am trying?”