Not only are its citizens suffering from the effects of overweight and obesity, it seems the US is feeding its pets into an early grave too
COLORADO IS SAID to have the fittest residents in the US, but it has a secret underbelly. And it is fat and furry.
Denver ranks among the top five cities for most overweight pets, along with Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Boston, according to the State of Pet Health 2012 Report.
In Denver – which comes in fourth-fattest – 24 per cent of dogs and 26 per cent of cats were overweight or obese in 2011.
Just under 20 per cent of Colorado humans were reportedly overweight last year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yet Colorado ties for seventh among states with the highest proportion of clinically fat dogs. Colorado’s fat cats also place among the top seven heaviest.
The report, compiled by Banfield Applied Research and Knowledge, or Bark, captured and analysed medical data from the chain of Banfield Pet Hospital’s almost two million client dogs and 430,000 client cats.
The report shows that, nationwide, over the past five years, overweight and obesity have increased by 37 per cent in dogs and 90 per cent in cats.
Now almost one in five pets are too heavy nationally (one in four in Denver and Colorado), compared with one in three human Americans, according to Bark.
Dogs match people poundage only in Minnesota, where Banfield reports 38 per cent of dogs are overweight. And 41 per cent of Minnesota cats weigh in too heavy.
Rhonda Siegel said she’s watched family pooches get pudgier every year since 2005, when she opened the Canine Fitness and Fun Center in Denver. “We do love them to death,” says Siegel. ”A lot of dogs are really food-motivated. We use that too much.”
Banfield veterinarian Heather Howells says the pet obesity epidemic affects all breeds and all ages of dogs and cats, though mature animals and large-breed dogs are more at risk.
Overweight and obesity are primary concerns, Howells said, because of their association with serious chronic diseases, including arthritis, kidney disease, thyroid disease and heart disease. “You can’t love your pet too much, but you can feed them too much,” Howells says.
And the trouble is often in the treat jar. Rawhide might look like cardboard, but it’s high in calories. Other treats are high in sugar. “There are treats for your pets that arent food,” says Siegel.
Pet obesity also is a problem of perception. “Most of our clients believe their pets are just the right weight,” Howells said. “They’re surprised to hear they’re overweight.” She talks to more clients concerned that their animals are too thin, when their pets are merely slender.
You can’t tell by looking at your pet, she said. Dogs and cats usually look just right to their owners. A pet is at an ideal weight if ribs are easily felt but not seen. There should be an obvious waist.
If overweight – 20 per cent above ideal weight – a pet’s ribs eventually can be found and felt, and a waist is barely visible. If obese – 40 per cent over ideal weight – a pet’s ribs and waist apparently are absent.
If you think your pets aren’t aware of how they look, Siegel offers this observation based on seven years of dog-day-care experience. “When dogs get really bad haircuts, they just don’t act like themselves. They appear self-conscious,” she said. “We really praise them to try to get them over it.”
And when dogs can’t keep up with other dogs, she said, it bothers them.
– (New York Times service)