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Eye opener story in WSJ!! When man's best friend is obese

Karlin

Karlin

Administrator
Staff member
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704476604576158372088195308.html

A must read for every dog owner especially of our food-coveting breed which is extra-prone to obesity.

New study out this week shows:
  • HALF of all US dogs and cats are overweight
  • A FIFTH are dangerously OBESE -- a whopping 30%+ over a healthy weight

The eye-opener: it is almost certainly not the dog's fault... and is like writing a poor health/early death sentence for your loved pet!

The main culprit: owners who routinely overfeed pets, don't exercise them enough and are unaware of the severe, and costly, health problems caused by excess weight. Common woes include diabetes, arthritis, kidney failure, high blood pressure and cancer. Research also suggests that pets fed less over their lifetime can live significantly longer.
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and...

In 2010, pet owners holding insurance policies with Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. shelled out $25 million to vets for obesity-related conditions, such as ligament ruptures (about $860 to treat), disc disease ($649) and asthma ($163). At Petplan USA in Philadelphia, five of the top insurance claims all have a close correlation to obesity.
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and...

One hurdle: people's idea of what constitutes a fat pet often differs from clinical reality. A study by Pfizer Inc.'s Animal Health business showed that 47% of veterinarians felt their canine patients were obese, while only 17% of dog owners agreed.
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Obesity is a fully preventable problem.
 
I noticed we could only give our cats 1/4c food per day to keep them at a stable weight and the bag says feed 1/2c per day (which would literally make them obese). A new "indoor cat" formula popped up that was much lower in calories so they can eat 1/2c per day without gaining. It's important that they get adequate vitamins/minerals so I'm really happy they are eating the recommended amount.

I hope pet food companies start marketing lower calorie foods. I know exercise is very important, but I'd rather a pet who isn't going to get enough exercise anyway to be able to consume a low calorie, high nutrient food.
 
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