One of the Greatest Health Threats to Your Pet

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Results of the 2022 overweight/obese Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) survey are in; researchers estimate that about 59% of dogs and 61% of cats in the U.S. are overweight
• While some owners are simply unaware their pet is too heavy, others acknowledge the problem and feel anxiety about it
• Most veterinarians don’t discuss the problem of overweight/obesity with their clients; of those who do, many have only misguided, uninformed advice to offer
• Obesity continues to be the greatest health threat to pets, in that it kills millions prematurely, creates immense pain and suffering, and costs tens of millions of dollars in avoidable veterinary expenses
• In 2024, parents of porky pets should throw out the carb-heavy processed diets, feed the right number of calories for weight loss, and implement a daily exercise routine