Obesity Epidemic Among American Pets

Veterinarians discovered that our pets are getting fatter

(Mirror Daily, United States) – It is well-known that Americans struggle with obesity, as reports show that more than a third of the population being overweight. This issue seems to be an epidemic, since it also spread to cats and dogs. A report put up by Banfield Pet Hospitals discovered that one in three pets has weight problems.

Yearly report on pets’ health

Officials at Banfield Pet Hospitals noticed that pets are getting fatter, so they decided to develop a report and find out how obesity affected our furry friends. Each year, they publish the State of Pet Health report, which analyzes the health of all the animals which visit the Banfield clinics every year.

In 2016, more than 2.5 million dogs and 500,000 cats were patients of the 975 hospitals all over the country. Hospital officials compared the numbers of obese pets from 2016 to those from 2006, and the results weren’t good. The number of obese dogs increased by 158 percent, while that of obese cats increased by 169 percent.

Obesity puts pets in danger and makes owners spend more

As expected, weight gain in animals is not good news. They become more likely to develop health complications, and 20 percent of them are closely related to obesity. Among these conditions, there are diabetes or several types of respiratory diseases.

Veterinarians warn pet owners to be careful with the weight of their friends. They might look cute if they are a little plump, but this puts them in danger more than anybody could think. Apart from the diseases which put their life in danger, they might develop other complications during their last years.

You shouldn’t be concerned only about the life of your pets, but also about your wallet. The report shows that owners of overweight pets spend more money on health-related products. Those people with obese dogs spend around $2,026 more per year, while the costs for obese cats are higher by $1,178.
Image Source: Pixabay

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Tara Hamilton

Tara has graduated from the University of Oregon, with bachelors degree in Spanish Literature in 2010. She lived in Miami for one year and travelled extensively before settling down in El Paso.