“Among all diseases that perplex the veterinary community and plague our population of pets, obesity has the greatest collective negative impact on pet health, and yet it is almost completely avoidable,” said Dr. Ernie Ward, veterinarian and founder of APOP. “The pet industry is mighty and well-meaning, but it’s time we stop accepting the status quo. We must start working together to fight obesity through knowledge and action.”
Most of the country’s pets are overweight, and it seems to keep getting worse. Studies have shown that more than half of pets assessed by veterinarians in annual exams are overweight, and alarming enough it’s almost 50/50 between cats and dogs. These statistics are concerning to a fellow pet owner. Working in the pet industry we are aware that obesity leads to a numerous amount of diseases or illness that would not be expected. Since being obese is classified as a disease itself, there are many other aspects to obesity that can change a pets’ or your life like; Type 2 diabetes, Osteoarthritis, heart disease, joint injury, and some forms of cancer. All these issues are linked to owning a pet that is obese, and how serious it is for you to be monitoring your pet’s weight.
There is a solution to this epidemic of obesity, and it’s as simple as talking to your local Brampton veterinarian. The first step is to discuss the proper diet in which is best for your pet to continue a stable weight or maybe to lose weight. The next is to have a steady feeding person in your household, so if any changes needed to be made that the information doesn’t get lost in translation.
Having a measuring cup is the best item you can buy for your pet, as it will ensure that your pet does not get too much, or too little because you’re watching the measurements. Once you have all these tools in your arsenal there is no reason that your pet cannot lose weight, or keep the same weight. Also if you have any questions with any diet change or the amount your animal should be eating please feel free to contact our animal hospital team at North Town Veterinary Hospital as we are always eager to answer your questions to the best of our knowledge!
