IF YOUR pooch has piled on the pounds from festive treats this Christmas, it might need a New Year diet and exercise regime to shift the weight.

At Vale Vets in Dursley they have their very own answer to Weight Watchers - Fit Club for animals.

Chubby cats and podgy pups are put through their paces, with a strict diet and lots of walks to get them back into shape.

Fit Club has made a huge difference to seven-year-old Spencer, a golden retriever, and his family the Barnfields.

Judy Barnfield and her family got Spencer as a rescue dog and he was already overweight. But Judy admits they did give him too many treats.

"We tried to put him on a diet before, but he tried to eat my daughter's lunch box," said Judy.

"People with pets know that sometimes they look at you with those sad eyes when you are eating biscuits so you give in and feed them one.

"What you don't realise is that someone else gave him a biscuit or treat earlier.

"Spencer started to get breathless when he was walking so we took him to the vets.

"They said if he stayed at that weight it could take two years off his life, so we knew we had to do something about it."

Spencer was given diet food and was weighed every month by a team of nurses at the veterinary surgery.

After seven months of four small meals a day and plenty of long walks, Spencer lost over a stone in weight. He went from 7 stone 4lbs to 5 stone 8lbs and was crowned Vale Vets slimmer of the year.

"He now gets a treat once a month and he will have one at Christmas, but we are determined to keep the diet up," added Judy.

"He is so full of life now, if he ran off I would never be able to keep up with him."

Jackie Morgans, head nurse at Vale Vets, said: "We would like to congratulate Spencer for losing a life changing amount of weight over the past year.

"With the aid of monthly complementary nurse clinics, a low calorie diet and a lot of hard work from their dedicated owners, the pets in Fit Club now look better.

"They are more active and playful and are a lot less likely to suffer from other medical conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and heart conditions."

The nurses at Vale Vets run daily appointments, advising and supporting pets with their diets, as well as general healthcare advice.

If your pet looks like he has had a few too many mince pies this Christmas you can sign up for Vale Vets fit club by calling 01453 542092.