‘Fat Families’ Are Causing Pet Health Crisis 


Leading vets have slammed overweight families for making their pets obese.
 
Eighty per cent of vets in a newly published report[i] on diet related health issues in pets think there will be more overweight pets than healthy pets within five years, which will significantly impact their wider health[ii]. This will they say lead to an increase in similar types of issues that their owners face including joint problems, respiratory issues and diabetes.

With more than six in 10 adults in the UK now overweight and four in 10 classed as clinically obese, their dogs and cats are sadly following suit, according to top veterinary professionals.
 
The report suggests obese dogs are three times as likely to have obese owners as non-obese dogs[iii]. Owner misconception of obesity in their pets, whether they themselves are overweight or not, is a major obstacle in pet weight management. In addition the risk of obesity in pets is significantly associated with owner income as owners in the lowest income bracket are more likely to have obese dogs.[iv]
 
Jenny Philp, veterinary surgeon and Managing Director of Swindon company Pets’ Kitchen explained: “Every day in our practice we see the effects of lack of exercise, overfeeding, poor nutrition as well as not adapting the diet of ageing pets accordingly.”

Current research shows 45% of dogs and 40% of cats are overweight[v] which is mainly due to a lack of exercise and overfeeding, mirroring the lifestyles of their owners.
 
“Neutering, although recommended, also affects a pet’s disposition to put on weight,” Jenny Philp adds.
 
“Increasing weight means shorter lives, stress to the joints, respiratory problems, arthritis and we are seeing a worryingly rising incidence of type 2 diabetes  in cats too, similar to humans this is avoidable and diet-related.”
 
Hypertension has been reported in 23-45 per cent of obese dogs[vi] as well as elevations in cholesterol.[vii]
 
Obesity is also affecting our pets’ respiratory function and is associated with tracheal collapse in small-breed dogs[viii] and animal asthma more generally.
 
“The main factors to maintain and improve our pet’s health are exercise and diet,” according to Philp. “It’s imperative that we halt the slide towards a nation of pets who will suffer from pain and discomfort due to owners sometimes misguided or ill-informed actions that are having unintended results.”
 
The number of meals and snacks fed, consumption of table scraps and an animal’s presence when owners prepare or eat their own meals all appear to be contributing to weight gain.
 
More than 5.5 million pets get treats as part of their diets[ix], but the treats that are given are totally inappropriate human foods like chips, cake, cheese and crisps, which only add to the unhealthiness of the diet.
 
“Treats are fine if you give them sparingly and get properly nutritionally balanced treats formulated for the cat or dog,” says Philp.
 
Aside from obesity and related pet health issues, allergies and dietary intolerances are also increasingly affecting our pets’ health, as well as our own.[x] In dogs these often affect the skin or digestive system such as; eczema, dermatitis, diarrhoea, gastroenteritis and pancreatitis.
 
Philp says that the problem of diet-related pet health is frequently encountered in her veterinary practice in Swindon, and has encouraged them to formulate their own foods and treats linked to a pet’s age and lifestyle.

“We recognise that pets are beloved companions but owners of both dogs and cats, instead of treating them like another family member, need to understand their specific nutritional requirements, according to age, activity and breed,” says Philp.

[i] Pet dietary health report compiled by Dr Pamela Mason, Research Nutritionist, December 2015.
[ii] PDSA. PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report 2014.
[iii] Holmes KL, Morris PJ, Abdulla Z, Hackett R, Rawlings JM. Risk factors associated with excess body weight in dogs in the UK. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr. 2007;91:166-167.
[iv] Kienzle, E., Bergler, R. & Mandernach, A. (1998) Comparison of the feeding behaviour and human animal relationship in owners of normal and obese dogs. The Journal of Nutrition 128, 2779S-2782S.
[v] PFMA. Pet Obesity Five Years On. 2014.
[vi] Gossellin J, Wren JA, Sunderland SJ. Canine obesity: an interview. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2007; 30 Suppl 1:1-10 and Bland IM, Guthrie-Jones A, Taylor RD, Hill J. Dog obesity: veterinary paractices’ and owners’ opinions on cause and management. Prev Vet Med. 2010; 94 (3-4): 310-15.
[vii] Jeusette IC, Lhoest ET, Istasse LP, Diez MO. Influence of obesity on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in dogs. Am J Vet Res. 2005; 66 (1): 81-6
[viii] White R, Williams J. Tracheal collapse in the small dog – is there really a role for surgery? A survey of 100 cases. Journal of Small Animal Practice. 1994; 35 (4): 191-6
[ix] PDSA. PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report 2014.

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