Obesity: rampant in our pets!

In a recent study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, more than 44% of dogs and 57% of cats are overweight or obese nowadays. This study was conducted in October by 95 different U.S. veterinary clinics, and evaluated 669 dogs (between ages 1-16 years of age) and 202 cats (between ages 1-19). What they found was that the number of overweight pets increased by 1 (dogs) and 4 percent (cats) within the past year. This figure likely matches the general human population of America, and is an epidemiological problem! Folks, these are our beloved 4-legged friends, and you're shortening their lives by packing on those pounds!

While it may not be on your top 10 "to do" list, weight loss for your pet should be. All that extra weight adds extra stress on the heart, lungs, trachea (particularly if your dog has collapsing trachea), and joints (worsening your pet's arthritis). While 1 or 2 pounds may not sound like a lot, that's the equivalent of 30 to 50 pounds overweight in a human.

You may think you're loving your pet more by giving him or her snacks, but you're actually slowly killing your pet. Remember, Purina showed in several research studies that lean dogs live longer. Don't you love your pet enough to do that?