Fat Dog
Is this a curse of modern day living? Are we failing our furry four legged chums when it comes to feeding them with kindness, literally?
More than a third of dogs (2.9million) are overweight or obese while 25 per cent of cats (3 million) suffer the same problem, according to figures from the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, PDSA.
Overweight pets run the serious risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and arthritis, and have a lower life expectancy than healthy pets.
But despite the consequences of a poor diet, 90 per cent of dog owners admit to feeding their pets treats such as cheese, crisps, cakes, biscuits, toast and takeaways.
Sean Wensley, PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, said: “Excess pounds can contribute to a number of serious health conditions and, sadly, it does reduce life expectancy.
“We have found that many owners are unaware that their pets are overweight, which suggests there is widespread misunderstanding about what a healthy-sized pet looks like.
“Sadly, many owners are continuing to feed inappropriate diets to their pets. Owners may think they are showering their pets with love but they are actually, in effect, killing them with kindness.”
Figures revealing the extent of obese dogs inBritaincame to light following a PDSA survey of 30,000 animals between 2006 and 2010.
During this period the number of overweight animals rose by 10 per cent to close to three million pets.
A second online study of more than 11,000 dogs, cats and rabbits, which was completed last year, also found that rabbits suffered from being fed the worst diets.
Some 42 per cent were fed too little hay each day while 49 per cent were given a mix of seeds and flakes linked to painful dental disease.
Mr Wensley added: “If a pet does need to shed a few pounds then the first thing to do is to cut out the treats and start following packet feeding guidelines closely, using weighing scales to check you are getting the amounts right.”
Original article feature by James Orr, the Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/petshealth/9171681/Millions-of-fat-cats-and-dogs-are-being-killed-with-kindness.html
