Obesity nearly affects 24-40% of house pets (1). This is usually because of a tactic called “free feeding” which is when pet owners leave a bowl of food out which then allows the pet to gain unlimited access to the food. Another example of why pets may be obese is because of little to no exercise. If the animal sits around all day and does not have a place to run around, it is difficult to keep them in shape. This may cause health risks to them later on in life especially if an operation needs to be performed.
In the article “Pet Obesity is an Epidemic” by Tony McReynolds, he discusses how 51% of adult dogs seen at the Banfield Hospital are classified as overweight. When animals are overweight, it can cause several health conditions, some include: endocrinopathies, metabolic abnormalities, cardiovascular disease, functional alterations, such as joint disorders and decreased immune functions. This leads the animal to have a shorter lifespan because they are so unhealthy.
Overall, pet obesity is unfortunately very common in the United States. It is ordinary that people give their animals treats or table food which is the leading cause of obesity. This adds up immensely and before the owner knows it, their pet is considered obese and then have to support their animals further to make sure they are healthy again.
https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2020-02/pet-obesity-is-an-epidemic/
https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/01/why-are-so-many-of-our-pets-overweight/
Lara Pereira (5)
Great post! I knew that it was a problem for pets to be obese because I have seen many being a little plump. I also didn't know that free feeding wasn't great for them either. I would always leave food in the bowl for my cat, didn't think it would be an issue. Thanks for the insight on this!
ReplyDelete-Selena Yim
We had to put my pet dog Edmund on a diet over quarantine because of his weight gain. It is interesting to see how pervasive an issue it is. Edmund always gets a lot of exercise, we were just feeding him as much as we did our old dog who was 20 pounds heavier. Hopefully more people will become aware of the risks and help reduce the dangers to mans best friend.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Sobchuk
I also had to put my dog on a diet, I realized she was getting bigger over quarantine as well!
Delete-Lara Pereira
I found it interesting that pet obesity is such a prominent issue in the world today because I figured that most animals are able to shave off the extra carbs due to all the exercise they do daily. This is definitely something I'll keep in the back of my mind when I'm tempted to give in to the panting under the table!
ReplyDelete- Brianna Bailey
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePet obesity is something that many will look at as "cute" especially in breeds such as bulldogs, or labs. These breeds tend to become overweight more than most. There is also something that people call pet weight and though it is not obesity, it normally is on the heavier side of the weight spectrum and probably leads to obesity
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