The Burden Of Overweight Pets

After one recent case in Canada in which a cat was put down due to its physical condition and in turn legal proceedings were taken against the owner for failing to look after the animal satisfactorily, it is increasingly clear just how big a problem pet obesity is becoming.

The burden is two-fold, not only leading owners to feel the need to offer their animals increasingly large portions, but also in terms of time, meaning that, to keep their animals happy and healthy, owners are now having to spend far more time provoking them to exercise. Furthermore, with some countries now threatening owners with legal action if they do not care for their animals in the right way, the burden of constantly expanding fluffy waistlines is starting to become impossible for some to bear.

However, it is not as simple as just making sure animals get the right amount of exercise. As animals get older, most do not want to bound around playing with their owners or with natty little toys, whilst others may actually be physically unable to walk for too long.

This is not to say that exercise shouldn’t be encouraged, and owners do have responsibility to try and keep their animals in good physical condition. However, many animals will be far happier sat in front of a fire or stretching by a window, and in turn they may be far more miserable if they are forced to do things they do not wish to do.

The real solution is to take regular trips to the vet to get animals checked for potential problems, and to offer high-quality and nutritionally focussed pet foods. The right food will not only be nutritionally balanced and contain quality ingredients, but it will also have been formulated for animals of a certain age and a certain size. By choosing the right food and ensuring that you help your animals to exercise as much as they can, the problem of obesity can be reduced quickly and very easily.