Officials Warn of Pet Obesity Epidemic

UNDATED (WJON News) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate more than 70% of Americans are overweight. Now, it seems that trend is spilling over to your pets.

The Association of Pet Obesity Prevention says more than 60% of household dogs and cats are overweight.

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Susan Nelson is a professor and veterinarian at Kansas State University. She says there are a lot of similarities between people and house pet obesity.

Just like us, there are a lot of palatable foods out there, and fat usually makes them more palatable. And we just have less time for exercise. So the dogs don't get to go out for the walks as often with their owners. They're lying around the house watching TV while the owners are too.

And, much like humans, obesity links animals to a higher risk of a number of diseases.

We see overweight animals have more problems with arthritis. If we can get that weight off, that helps to treat their arthritis. We also see, especially in cats, (extra weight) predisposes them more to diabetes, the same will go with dogs. For the really overweight animals, it's more of a stress on their cardiovascular system.

Nelson says any treatment for pet obesity should start with a vet checkup. They can recommend a diet plan for your pet based on their size and activity level.

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