Companion Animal Obesity - National Humane Education Society
When we think of animal cruelty, many of us will imagine a starving, bone-thin animal. Sadly, many cruelty and neglect cases result in emaciated animals. However, abuse also occurs when an owner over-feeds an animal to the point of obesity. This is a real occurrence that veterinarians, animal shelters, and rescue groups sadly see when working in the animal welfare field.
Animal obesity plagues around 50% of households in the United States. This common plight can be prevented through education and retraining one’s brain to realize how much food your beloved companion animal needs to live a happy and healthy life. The first line of education is your animal’s veterinarian. The second is becoming familiar with each of your companion animal’s dietary and exercise needs. Once you have established what a healthy weight looks like for your companion animal, stick to a regimented diet and adjust for giving treats.
Recently, a dangerously obese male cat was surrendered to our rescue. His previous owners had over-fed him to such a degree, that he weighed over 25 pounds. The cat, could not groom himself or stand for more than a few seconds before collapsing. He would cry out in pain when picked up.
Obesity debilitates a dog or cat’s ability to play, walk, groom, and breath. Obesity also raises a dog or cat’s risk of developing the following chronic health conditions: diabetes, osteoarthritis, urinary tract disease, liver disease, and hypertension.
To help prevent your pet from becoming overweight, be mindful of how many treats you give your pet daily along with appropriate exercise. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), if your dog or cat is overweight, introduce 30-minutes of daily exercise for your dog and three 5-minute activity sessions for your cat along with a healthy calorie feeding schedule.
4 Things To Remember:
- Feed Responsibly
- Exercise Daily
- Give Healthy Treats Minimally
- Shower With Love
I have a downstairs neighbor who inherited a cat from a leaving flatmate – the cat is HUGE.
Very very fat – in a bad way. He can no longer groom himself.
What do I do? I know the owners don’t abuse him, but I am not sure about his feeding regime or if he has even been to the vet.
But every time I see him he looks very unhappy and confused. Not sure what to do.
Hello Kahurangi,
I would recommend opening up a conversation with your neighbor about their new cat. They may have already put him on a diet or taken him to the vet. If not, you can recommend for them to feed him smaller portions, give him special diet foods, and take him in for a vet visit.
Can you report someone for overfeeding or only for starving?
Hi Randall,
Thank you for speaking up for the animals. Can you give me some background on this animal? Do you know the person feeding the animal? Overfeeding is considered neglect. I would reach out to your local animal control and voice your concerns for the animal.
My parents have a dog that is horribly obese, has chronic skin and bladder issues, and evidently high levels of anxiety. Nothing I do or say will convince my parents that my dog is suffering. She is an older dog, 9, and I’m worried that with so many health issues, she will just be euthanized if I try to contact animal control. I am babysitting the animal for the week and it pains me to see this animal in so much obvious torment. What can I do to help her?
Hi Ryan,
Thank you for speaking up for your parents dog. It sounds like you are in a difficult position. I would suggest to take the dog to the vet when she is in your care this week. Your parents may be more likely to listen to the advice of a vet.