Pet Obesity - a Growing Concern

Obesity in pets is common nowadays causing real problems. The obesity in pets is due to either over feeding or not providing any exercise to the pets or not providing the right diet. Obesity in pets is also attributed to the modern lifestyles of people, who leave their pets alone in their house, eating for themselves whatever they want and not providing any exercise. Obesity conditions of pets can lead to devastating state of their health like high blood pressure, skin problems, increased risk to diabetes mellitus and heat intolerance resulting in pets facing high risks of heat strokes during hot weathers, risk towards infections and towards anesthesia.

Obesity in cats:

Nearly 25 percent of cats are known to be clinically obese, meaning excess fat accumulation of the body. Not having a check on the cat’s obesity may lead them to the reduction of the cat’s life span. Obese cats are prone to heart diseases, arthritis, skin disorders, fatty liver disease, lower urinary tract diseases, diabetes and cancer. Obesity can lead to or can be a cause for diabetes.

The main reasons for obesity in cats:

Obesity in cats may be due to aging process or due to the breed, or due to genetics which can cause increase in body weight. Mixed breed cats suffer from obesity than pure breeds.

Neutering female and male cats’ bodily functions gets reduced up to 25 percent leading them into obesity. By eating extra calories too, they become obese. Low thyroid hormonal levels also cause obesity.

Obesity in dogs:

The incidence obesity is more when the dogs are owned by an obese person than the dogs owned by a physically fit person. The dog breeds, which are more prone to obesity, are small terriers, cocker spaniels, dachshunds, beagles etc. This does not mean that other dog breeds are not prone to obesity. Any dog, which is lethargic and lies down all the day, is obese. It has been found that around one third of people do not know that their dogs are obese.

The reasons for obesity in dogs:

When dogs are fed on table scraps they become obese as the food cannot be monitored for quality. The food with a good nutritional balance and value has to be provided for their well being rather than feeding scraps of food.

Spayed female dogs are more prone to obesity. Likewise castrated male dogs too are prone to obesity. A dog may be obese due to under active thyroid hormones making it overweight and sluggish. Also when dogs are not provided regular walks and exercise they tend to become obese.

Ways to overcome obesity in pets:

The pets should be provided with good nutritional food with rich protein content and make the weight loss procedure to take its toll gradually. They have to be supplemented with amino acids, vitamins and minerals for regaining their stamina.

Time should be spent with the pets to make them run, jump and do mild exercises to keep them fit. The valuable time spent with the pet can be very relaxing to both the pet and the owner.