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TSR Food Week 2018: Pet Obesity

We all know that a good diet is important to our health but people often forget that pets need a healthy balanced diet as well.
Pet obesity is rife in the UK with over 60% of vets say obesity is the biggest health and welfare concern for pets.

Some key statistics:

•

1.4 million dogs (16%) are walked less than once a day, and 89,000 are never walked at all (1%)

•

40% of dog owners don’t know their pet’s current weight and / or body condition score

•

53% of cat owners matched images of Body Condition Score 4 (overweight) or 5 (obese) to their cat’s current body shape

•

65% of cat owners don’t know their pet’s current weight and/or body condition score

•

20% of rabbits (200,000) are fed muesli as part of their main diet

•

77% of rabbit owners don’t know their pet’s current weight and / or body condition score


Due to the extra weight they are continually carrying around, overweight animals are less energetic, less willing to play and generally get less enjoyment out of life. Owners do not always recognise this if their pet gains weight gradually or has always been overweight.

Why do pets become overweight?:

•

Overfeeding: Advances in nutritional content of pet food means that pets are being more complete diets however this makes it easy to overfeed them due to a higher calorific content. Care must be taken with treats and supplements to not give too much.

•

Medical: Common conditions such as arthritis can make it harder for pets to be active and exercise. Pets can suffer under-active thyroid just like humans can which can cause weight gain.

•

Exercise: Dogs need walking everyday, cats need access to outside or indoor space and smaller pets need room to climb and explore in their hutches/cages. Lack of exercise means that pets are at risk of becoming overweight.



What should you be doing to prevent pet obesity?:
Rabbits 🐰:
Most of a rabbits diet should be hay. At least their own body weight in hay should be given each day. Try to avoid timothy hay as this has more calories in than regular fresh hay.
A handful of greens should be given each day and 1-2 tablespoons of rabbit nuggets

Dogs 🐶:
The amount of exercise a dog needs depends on it's size, very small dogs can need as little as 20 minutes a day whilst larger more energetic dogs can need as much as 2 hours. Take this into account when selecting the type of dog you want for your home.
To check if your dog is overweight, there are a few simple checks you can do:
-You should be able to see and feel the outline of your dog’s ribs without excess fat covering.
-You should be able to see and feel your dog’s waist and it should be clearly visible when viewed from above.
-Your dog’s tummy should be tucked up when viewed from the side.

Cats 🐱:
Cats are commonly given human food but this can actually be very bad for them. 1 ounce of bacon to a cat is the equivalent to eating 4 chocolate bars for a human and one cup of milk is the equivalent of 3 burgers.
To check if your cat is overweight, there are a few simple checks you can do:
-You should be able to see and feel your cats ribs, spine and hip bones.
-Your cats waist should be clearly visible when viewed from above.
-Your cats belly shouldn't be sagging underneath, there should only be a small amount of belly fat.


Make sure you introduce any changes to your pets diet slowly to avoid upsetting their tummies

Why does it matter if my pet is overweight?
Obesity is a serious welfare issue in pets because it can cause suffering and can be extremely disabling. It's also likely to affect your pet’s ability to perform natural behaviours (e.g. exercise normally).
Pet obesity can also cause serious health problems, and make existing problems worse, which can reduce the length and quality of your pet’s life. Conditions such as:

-diabetes
-heart disease
-respiratory distress
-high blood pressure
-cancers

An overweight pet isn't 'cute' or 'funny' it's a serious issue :yes:

Share below what you feed your pets to keep them healthy :run:

(edited 5 years ago)

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Reply 1
Avatar for Sinnoh
Sinnoh
22
:yum:
Moved to Food and drink :h:
Noone is interested :ashamed:
@Puddles the Monkey come and be interested
Original post by CoolCavy
@Puddles the Monkey come and be interested

We have an obese cat :frown: She is obsessed with food (maybe because she is a rescue and was starving when we took her?) We have put her on a restricted diet with an automatic feeder that dispenses the correct amount of food over the course of the day, but she supplements her diet by hunting baby rabbits in the fields :facepalm:

However, now it is autumn and there are less animals for munching, she has lost 0.5kg :woo: :yay:

-Your cats waist should be clearly visible when viewed from above.


Her waist is clearly visile from above... it looks like this: ( ````` )
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
We have an obese cat :frown: She is obsessed with food (maybe because she is a rescue and was starving when we took her?) We have put her on a restricted diet with an automatic feeder that dispenses the correct amount of food over the course of the day, but she supplements her diet by hunting baby rabbits in the fields :facepalm:

However, now it is autumn and there are less animals for munching, she has lost 0.5kg :woo: :yay:



Her waist is clearly visile from above... it looks like this: ( ````` )

Awww is that mincepie the cat?
Original post by CoolCavy
Awww is that mincepie the cat?

Yeah, nominative determinism at its finest :frown:
Original post by CoolCavy


•

Overfeeding: Advances in nutritional content of pet food means that pets are being more complete diets however this makes it easy to overfeed them due to a higher calorific content. Care must



Cats 🐱:
Cats are commonly given human food but this can actually be very bad for them. 1 ounce of bacon to a cat is the equivalent to eating 4 chocol


Cats are 100% carnivores...If bacon is fine for humans it is mega fine for cats.

Pet food is so advanced we make it grains based. Pets are fat because we feed them human food in thier specially designed pet food! The reason we do this is becuase it is cheap and good for the profit of pet food companies.

I would wager a fat cat would loose wieght if you did nothing but feed it scraps of your meat.
(edited 5 years ago)
Yes and how many people buy this?

I am willing to bet the grain based stuff is cheaper.

Not only that but out irrational fear of meat also spills over into the food we feed our carnivourouse pets... Veg and carbs are not good for cats ffs.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Puddles the Monkey




Her waist is clearly visile from above... it looks like this: ( ````` )


Same with our moggy :rofl:
Well there you go.

It most likely is. But you are not harming your mog by giving it a little bit of your bacon as a treat. :yum::cat:
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by ChaoticButterfly
Cats are 100% carnivores...If bacon is fine for humans it is mega fine for cats.

Pet food is so advanced we make it grains based. Pets are fat because we feed them human food in thier specially designed pet food! The reason we do this is becuase it is cheap and good for the profit of pet food companies.

I would wager a fat cat would loose wieght if you did nothing but feed it scraps of your meat.

Bacon isn't really fine for humans though... It's super processed and full salt and fat.
@CoolCavy your avatar is begging to go for a run:biggrin:
(edited 5 years ago)
It's the same with humans. A big cause is overfeeding BUT also people who dont understand what pets actually need, and given them human food too. I mean stuff like crisps and stuff. Which I have seen with my own eyes btw.

On cats, they are carnivores and practically still semi-wild as of course, they will go hunting when you let them out. A mouse is probably a lot better for them than the human chunk we feed them.

It should actually be an offence to make your pet fat, just like it is if you were to starve it,
I agree with the first comment re walking the woofie. It is always funny in the summer when you see the first-time walkers out -- lasses with a face filled with make-up and their best leggings and sports bra on, trying to catch some cawk. Their little woofie not knowing what the **** is going on as they've not left the house since they were procured at Christmas. Leaves you wondering what the dog does all day.
I've got a random notification for a new post in this thread:hmmmm:

In other news, this thread is fantastic.:biggrin:
Original post by 04MR17
I've got a random notification for a new post in this thread:hmmmm:

In other news, this thread is fantastic.:biggrin:


notifications are going a bit weird it seems atm
Original post by CoolCavy
Bacon isn't really fine for humans though... It's super processed and full salt and fat.


I disagree.

Bread is also super processed. That is a seperate issue.

I think salt and fat are unfairly maligned.
Original post by ChaoticButterfly
I disagree.

Bread is also super processed. That is a seperate issue.

I think salt and fat are unfairly maligned.

Every vetinary website I consulted to make this thread says not to feed human food to pets. The experts don't agree with you on this.

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