Video: Pet Obesity at an All-time High

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — Research shows that Americans are the heaviest they’ve ever been… and now, so are their pets. Obesity in cats and dogs is also at an alarmingly high rate and pets are suffering from some of the same weight related illnesses.

America is full of fat cats and pudgy pooches. A new study by the Association for Pet Obesity and Prevention says more than half are considered overweight and one third of them are obese.

“I think we look at our pets and we say when they’re a little bit on the heavy side, that they’re healthy. When in actuality they’re not. I have seen people love their pets to death,” says Dr. Jeb Cade, with Community Veterinarian Services in Starkville.

Pets are now suffering from weight related diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and some cancers. Dr. Karen Emerson with Emerson Vet Hospital in West Point says animals should have an eating schedule and shouldn’t be over fed with snacks.

“We need to think about that. A little piece of a french fry, a little piece of cheese. All of those, according to your pet, can be a lot more fattening than you think,” says Emerson.

Pet owners without a scale can use ‘body conditioning’ scoring to determine if their pet is overweight or under nourished. Dr. Emerson says cats and dogs shouldn’t have excess abdominal fat.

“You don’t want the ribs to be just visibly showing but you want to be able to palpate and feel the ribs on an animal. So one of the things that I’ll do when I’m doing an exam is, this is little Elvis. He’s 11 weeks old but his mommy’s starting out early on giving him the right amount of food, we go in and we palpate the rib area to make sure that we do feel the ribs but they’re not just poking out or they’re visibly seen,” says Emerson.

If you find that your pet is overweight, scheduled feedings and more exercise will put your pet on a path to living a healthier, longer life.

Studies have also shown that people who walk their dogs are much more likely to get the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day.