Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) published a report showing that during the last four years, the rate of pet obesity increased by 21%, with expectations that by the year 2013 the rate will touch 50%.
PDSA warns pet owners of the obesity spreading out among pets, saying that although it is pleasant to have a cuddly pet, this cuddly pet, if kept on eating, could suffer difficulty in walking and breathing along with a rapid decrease in life expectancy.
In the case of having a cat pet, Sean Wensley, the Senior Veterinary Surgeon at the PDSA, stresses on the role of pet owners in keeping their pets healthy. Dr. Wensley suggested that an owner can put a collar around his cats neck asking the neighbors and the strangers not to feed it in order to avoid the extra love-food. He also provided information that the weight of a male cat should not exceed 4.5 kg, whereas the female cat should weigh between
3.5 and 4 kg.
For dogs, statistics reveal that 50% of the dogs are fat. Sharon Bolt, the owner of the website Good-Dogs. co. uk, accredited the obesity of the dogs to the lack of exercises and the frequent snacks a dog gets per day. She advised owners to pay attention to their dogs tails, as this is the location where fat accumulates.
Pet owners who have a goldfish should not be as worried regarding their pet gaining weight, but they should pay due attention to the quality of food served to their pet, in order to avoid any problem in digestion.
All the experts agreed on one fact, which is that pets are like humans; they need scheduled exercise and a healthy diet.