Most American Pets are Too Fat

Fifty-four percent of dogs and cats are overweight or obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. That’s 93 million dogs and cats, if their estimate is accurate. Excess weight can shorten a pet’s life by 2.5 years said a veterinarian who works in North Carolina. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis and some cancers are related to excessive weight in dogs and cats.

One of the reasons dogs become overweight is that people feed them table scraps and junk food. Also dog treats are given too often. “No one would sit down and drink six sodas at one time, yet that’s exactly what we’re doing when we give our pets these snacks. Even a single, small dog bone treat given to a 10-pound dog is no different than a person eating two chocolate doughnuts. The truth is, we rarely stop at one dog treat. Give a few each day and you’ve fed the equivalent of a dozen doughnuts, ” said pet health researcher Dr. Ernie Ward. (Source: Pet Obesity Prevention) He also said the number one threat to pet health is excess weight.

Is it a mystery why so many American pets are overweight? Not really – the pets aren’t feeding themselves. Clearly people are overfeeding their own pets. But why? Is it the general culture of overeating and overconsumption influencing people to overfeed their animals? Or is more that sedentary people who also overeat don’t exercise their pets enough, and overfeed them?

“Pet obesity begins with excessive kindness. Food is the primary way some pet owners demonstrate love to their pet. When dog treats and table scraps become signs of affection or behavioral tools, it becomes difficult to effectively regulate a pet’s diet,” sad a vet who works in the pet health insurance industry. (Source PRnewswire.com)

About two-thirds of adult Americans are obese or overweight, so the percentage of people who are overweight is actually greater than the number of pets, but there is a parallel.

Image Credit: Ellen Levy Finch (Elf) / Wiki Commons

Read more: Cats, Conscious Consumer, Dogs, Pet Health, Pets, obesity, overweight

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Patricia H.

8:22AM PDT on Apr 5, 2012

thanks for sharing

send a green star

Shane C.

8:03PM PDT on Mar 11, 2012

I Have Just Adopted 2, Of The Fattest Cats Ever. I'm Not Sure, What They Were Eating Before , But I'm Going To Make Healthy Changes.
Your Friend Shane

Debbie C.

1:04PM PST on Mar 5, 2012

We have 1 overweight cat out of 5. She is the oldest at 15 years, so she has slowed down considerably. But now, after reading this, I need a way to get her moving. She has no interest in playing. She will watch the other cats chase the lazer beam, or play with the wands or chase balls, but she will not take part. She goes out of the room if I try to play with her or goes over and goes to sleep.
We just changed cat food to a brand that has meat as the first ingredient and they all seem to love it. I am hoping that it will help her feel healty enough to play again.

Lizbeth B.

7:55PM PST on Mar 3, 2012

My darling Min Pin nephew who is almost 10 years old was diagnosed last week with diabetes. He weighs almost 30 pounds, and we have loved him to death with food and treats. Isn't that disgusting...
We have been careful not to give him foods made in China and to try to keep him on a somewhat healthy diet, but with him staying the day in two households (my sister's and mine), he got much more food than he should have had. He is definitely overweight and now paying the price. We are working to get his blood sugar under control so now he is on a strict diet, poor little thing. He can't have any treats and he feels like he is being abused, but we have to keep him on the strict diet in order to save his life and save his vision.
I cry a thousand tears because my little four-legged nephew is in this situation. At this point, all we can do is try to help him medically and keep him on his diet. I mostly blame all of us for this predicament.

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Eternal G.

6:42PM PST on Feb 24, 2012

So are most americans....

Joe R.

5:43PM PST on Feb 18, 2012

Pets certainly do resemble their owners!

Debra G.

6:04AM PST on Feb 16, 2012

So sad that a nation that is known for innovation and creativity, is also known as the fattest nation on earth. *sigh*.

Although a lot of the issue with dogs is table scraps, it is mostly the food they are fed, the store brands, the junk that is so damned cheap, that has very little to no nutritional value. Purina brands are full of fillers. If you buy your dogs food, try to find something that has meat as the first ingredient, not by products, not meal. If you live in a city, you have access to foods that list meats and vegetables as the first five ingredients. Avoid corn, soy, gluten (of any kind) wheat, and if it has to have a grain, not brewers rice, because all the nutritional quality has gone out of it. Tractor Supply has a reasonably priced line, as does Purina, but it is only sold at their feed stores, in rural areas, mostly. If you look, you can find pet foods that are higher quality that don't have the big expense associated with it. Plus, with the higher quality foods, comes better health, fewer vet visits, less poo to clean up, feed the dog less food. They don't need as much to eat, as they metabolize more of the nutrients. Common sense. Feed your dogs better, and you take them to the vet less, they smell better, their poo stinks less. Fact. I have six dogs, and if I had to pick up poo that stunk from Alpo, or ProPlan, i would be sick all the time.

Carrie Anne B.

3:29AM PST on Feb 15, 2012

thanks for sharing :)

K. J. N.

5:01AM PST on Feb 9, 2012

It's all because of most of the pet junk- food we provide to our pupils.

lynda c.

4:48AM PST on Feb 9, 2012

Hardly suprising when you consider the amount of overweight people in the US is it! The humans have a choice to over-eat, unfortunately the dogs do not...they eat what they are given. Owners must be prepared to feed their dogs a balanced diet to avoid putting stress on their limbs and organs!! A raw (BARF) diet is the best there is for a dog, no weight problems, healthy teeth and bones, solid poops and far less veterinary care needed! Wake up US dog owners and stop forcing crap food into your dogs...For their sake's!!