Facts for Pet Owners About Pet Obesity

Believe it or not, the problem of obesity is not just limited to humans. Unfortunately, it is also prevalent in animals, both wild ones and our pets. In the case of animals, the majority of obese animals are pets, though it does happen less often in the wild. Did you know that one study found that 25% of pets are obese? At this point just as we are now having to pay attention to our own weight, we also must pay attention to our pet's weight as well.

You cannot evaluate your pet's weight just by weighing your pet. Instead you have to observe your pet's physical condition by comparing it to another animal in its own species or breed. The entire overall appearance of your pet is what is important since the ideal weight of your pet can vary when judging your pet for obesity.

Vets use a scale of body condition scores to observe the actual physical condition of your pet. Generally with pets a normal condition score is between 5 and 9, with 7 being the best and optimal score. The score is assigned after your vet observes your pet's build, and the fat coverage on the waist and rib cage. Other factors that are taken into account when giving this score are the life style, breed, sex and age of your pet.

Some observations that you can make on your own when observing your pet are the following:

1. You should not be able to see your pet's ribs, but you should be able to easily feel them without pressing on your pet.

2. Your pet's stomach area should be tucked in.

You can do these simple tests at home, and record them. If you find that your pet is obese using these simple tests then you should speak to your vet. One thing to keep in mind too is that you need to make sure you have good reference information about your pet's breed or species with regards to physical appearance before you do these tests so you don't mistake a normal physical characteristic for obesity.

Just as with humans, obesity can decrease the life span of your pet, and any pet that is overweight is not in a general sense healthy. Again just as with humans obesity can lead to heart complications, diabetes, arthritis, endocrinal diseases, and even bad joints.

In most cases the reason your pet is overweight is he is getting too much food and not enough exercise. Over feeding is usually a result of owners using food to show love and care to their pets. Because of this it is really important that you keep tabs on the feeding habits you have with your pet. Another thing to keep in mind is that pet food usually comes with feeding instructions as to how much your pet should be fed, still that is not something you want to depend 100% on. Instead it is more important that you as the pet owner decide how much you are going to feed your pet based on other factors such as activities, exercise, age, and life style. Again as with humans, pets will overeat if given the opportunity to do so, in you pet's case, it is your responsibility to curb your pet's eating hapbits. Even if your pet is not obese, talking to your vet to find out what your pet's ideal weight is, and creating a weight loss (if necessary) and maintenance plan is a great start to helping your pet get healthy again!