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Let’s be honest, plump is sometimes in style when it comes to pampered dogs. Some pet parents fawn over their dogs as if they were kings expecting hand-fed fruit, or pizza bites (or sometimes hot dogs). Dogs certainly are close to kings: Kings of begging for food with just the right twinkle in their eyes. Most humans fall for it in an instant, and the more pet parents pamper, the plumper the pooches seem to get.
Some dogs are insatiable and can eat their humans out of house and home if their humans let them. Note, the key words here are, “if their humans let them.” But overall, pet parents curb their dogs’ appetites and set limits, right? They measure out their dogs’ food and make sure they’re eating only the highest quality kibble – no fillers, surely? They exercise with them daily and weigh them often – of course! You would think. Unfortunately though, studies show an entirely different picture.
According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), founded by Ernie Ward, DVM, an estimated 52 percent of dogs and cats in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Among them is 45 percent of the dog population. That’s right; nearly half of the dog population within U.S. borders is overweight or obese. In the 2009 National Pet Obesity Awareness Day Study, findings showed that the number of overweight dogs had increased by 2 percent since 2007.
“Pet obesity is now the biggest health threat to pets in the U.S.,” states Dr. Ward, who was also the lead researcher in the study. “The costs of obesity in illness and injury make it the number one medical issue seen in today’s veterinary hospitals.” (more…)
