Both people and their pets successfully lost weight; however,
obese pet owners had similar weight loss as those without pets (4.7 % versus 5.2 %, respectively; P = NS).
I find those words are not emotional triggers for the overweight or
obese pet owner and that they can accept a different level of fitness for their pets than for themselves.
Not exact matches
Pet owners do worry that the food they buy might make their
pet obese.
In fact, the same survey found that among the
pets assessed by their vets as
obese, nearly 90 percent of their
owners assessed their weight as normal.
This preliminary research is based on the fact that
pet owners visit the doctor less frequently, and dog walkers are less likely to be
obese.
We describe what a fat cat is because the perception of cat
owner has actually, as true — really, many
pet owners don't know that their own cat is overweight or
obese.
In fact, many
owners don't recognize when their
pet is overweight, and too often an
obese body condition has occurred before they register concern.
Activity through play is most effective with
obese cats as, in addition to burning calories, it increases muscle mass, increases resting metabolic rate, improves mobility and mental stimulation, and often improves the cat —
owner bond.10
Owners should be encouraged to increase their cat's activity level at home gradually, based on its needs, starting with 5 to 10 minutes per day of low - intensity activities for sedentary
pets (e.g., walking).22 Creativity in activities, such as incorporating food - dispensing toys, placing meals in different parts of the house, and using interactive toys, laser pointers, and electronic mice can also be helpful with a long - term weight loss program.22 Any increase in physical activity is likely beneficial for a cat of any weight.
Many
owners are not even aware that their
pet is
obese.
ThePDSA Animal Wellbeing Report found that 84 % of
owners thought that their
pets were the right weight, yet nearly 6million cats and dogs are classed as overweight or
obese.
Scientific research demonstrates that
pet owners — who make up 80 million U.S. households or 65 % of the American population — are less likely to be
obese, more likely to meet physical activity guidelines, have a reduced risk of heart disease, are more likely to be socially connected, and are happier than non-
pet owners.
Just over half of all cats and dogs in US households are either overweight or
obese, reports the APOP 2009 National Pet Obesity Awareness Day Study, and the reasons our
pets are packing on the pounds aren't that different from the reasons their
owners are.
Truth is, only a fraction of
pet owners consider their companions
obese, yet the
pet obesity problem is overwhelming.
Not only is increased bonding time beneficial to human health, but with more than 8.5 million
obese or overweight dogs and 14.6 million overweight cats, (according to APPA's 2015 - 2016 National Pet
Owners Survey) active outings can be a great start to getting
pets in shape as well.
Among
pet owners whose
pets were considered
obese by veterinarians, 93 believed believed their
pets were of normal weight, according to the APOP survey.
The strange thing about dog obesity is that we as
pet owners don't always realize that our dogs are overweight or
obese.
Some
pet owners are doing their best to help their fat dogs,
obese cats, and chubby bunnies drop a few pounds.
Unfortunately, many
pet owners — even those with portly or
obese dogs and cats — think their
pet's weight is normal.
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«22 percent of dog
owners and 15 percent of cat
owners characterized their
pet as normal weight when it was actually overweight or
obese.
Overcoming the denial is even harder when overweight or
obese pets are owned by the over-nourished
pet owner.
Perhaps even worse was the finding that the number of
obese pets, those at least 30 percent above normal weight or a body condition score (BCS) of 5, continues to grow despite 93.4 percent of surveyed
pet owners identifying
pet obesity as a problem.
· 45.8 % of dog
owners incorrectly identified their overweight or
obese dogs as «normal weight» when asked by their veterinary clinic to assess their
pet's current body condition (
pet owner's choices were: «too thin, normal, overweight,
obese»).
Most
owners have no idea whether their
pet is overweight or not, yet estimates suggest that as many at 59 percent of dogs and 52 percent of cats worldwide are
obese.
«The fact that few
pet owners admit their
pet is
obese leads to a lack of interest in helping their
pet lose weight.
Since obesity develops over a long period of time,
pet owner don't notice slight changes in weight until the
pet appears
obese.
In the U.S., more than 54 percent of dogs are overweight or
obese, and most
pet owners fail to recognize this in their
pets.
Whether fat cats and dogs are overweight or qualify as being
obese, health threats abound making excess weight a serious issue and one that
pet owners should work to avoid or correct.
The Association for
Pet Obesity Prevention reports that approximately 54 percent of dogs in the United States are overweight or
obese, according to its 2015 survey of veterinary healthcare professionals and
pet owners.
Overweight /
obese pets can't be helped if
owners don't notice the problem.
Likewise, based on an APOP survey, there's a «fat
pet gap,» with 90 to 95 percent of
owners with
obese dogs or cats identifying their
pets as «normal» weight.
And when it came to
obese pets, defined
pets who were at least 30 percent heavier than what their normal weight should be,
owner's perceptions weren't much better - 25 percent of dog
owners, and 40 percent of cat
owners, got it wrong there, too.
Trupanion found that policyholders with
obese dogs or cats spend over 10 times more on diabetes treatment than
pet owners of
pets at an average weight.
It appears to be deemed acceptable for parents to allow their children to become
obese, failing to provide a healthy diet and exercise thus putting their child's overall health at risk, but when
owners of
pets act in the same vein, causing an animal unnecessary suffering, they will now be prosecuted.
It remains to be seen if the RSPCA will start routinely prosecuting
pet owners for permitting their animals to become
obese.