Pet Obesity: A Serious Issue.
Obesity among pets should be seen as an act that causes unnecessary pain and should be seen in the same light as starving an animal.
Attitudes towards animals reveal much about our society, when people post videos mocking pet obesity on social media platforms like YouTube. Viewers seem to find these clips entertaining – their “Likes” clearly outnumber thumbs down votes.
One of my friends shared this video, which understandably revolted me, to demonstrate why overfeeding animals should be considered as criminally negligent as starvation can. Both cause unnecessary suffering.
“Canine Obesity Classified as a Disease”
Obesity in our pets has recently made headlines, as numerous surveys demonstrate. Overfeeding and obesity among our animal companions is rising just like it is among humans; according to a British Veterinary Association survey that polled 1,600 veterinarians, 60% said obesity was their top health and welfare concern for UK pet ownership; World Small Animal Veterinary Association One Health Meeting officially recognized canine obesity as an illness.
Pet obesity can be fatal. Prof. Susan Dawson, President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) stated: “All companion animals deserve a nutritionally balanced diet; in fact it’s required by animal welfare acts”.
Gudrun Ravetz, President of the BVA has stated: Obesity can be fatal for pets, yet many owners show their love by giving food treats instead. Gudrun suggests this practice constitutes “Killing with Kindness”. Ideally animals would rather play or interact with their owners rather than receive treats as rewards – see source for further discussion.
In the US, 60% of cats and 56% of dogs are considered obese, according to recent surveys conducted. A 2017 UK study of over 1600 dogs revealed that 65-70% were overweight while 9% clinically obese (source).
Dogs under two years old fared slightly better, with 37% overweight and 3% obese. Obesity is a life threatening ailment that can lead to various conditions including shortening lifespan, heart disease, kidney and respiratory disease, strain on joints arthritis and diabetes.
Why don’t we take pet obesity more seriously?
None of the media attention given to overfeeding pets poses the question as to whether we should regard this act as cruel and unnecessary, particularly when it prevents a pet from engaging its natural behaviors and functioning like any normal animal would.
No matter the evidence showing how these actions harm animals and are avoidable, we just view their owners as misinformed or ignorant individuals in need of education. When an animal’s distress becomes evident we do not take away its care or prosecute its owner even though this can often mean mental and physical distress for both mind and animal alike – a similar scenario plays out with children involved.