The dog and cat pet obesity epidemic in the U.S. continues to grow, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP). In the organization’s 2017 annual clinical survey, 56 percent of dogs and 60 percent of cats were classified as overweight or obese by their veterinarian. In 2016, APOP found 54 percent of dogs and 59 percent of cats were overweight or obese. In the survey, pet owners and veterinary professionals were questioned about diet and nutrition, sources of pet food advice, the benefits of corn, dry versus canned, whether pet food has improved, the best sources of pet dietary recommendations, and more. Among the findings: 58 percent of pet owners and 54 percent of veterinary professionals reported having tried to help their own pet lose weight via low-calorie and weight loss diets combined with increased exercise. 25 percent of pet owners and 43 percent of veterinary professionals said they were “too busy” to exercise their dog; 21 percent of pet owners and 19 percent of veterinary professionals cited behavior issues as a barrier. Inadequate access to exercise areas and physical limitations of the owner and pet rounded out the reported challenges. 48 percent of pet owners stated that their veterinarian failed to recommend a maintenance or routine diet for their pet; 15 percent of pet owners said that they had to ask to receive a pet food recommendation. 63 percent of pet owners and 76 percent of veterinary professionals reported that commercial pet food in 2017 was “better” than that of 10 years ago. 39 percent of pet owners and 26 percent of veterinary professionals said organic pet food was “healthier”; 40 percent of owners and 17 percent of veterinary professionals said, “I don’t know.” Feeding preferences, fears 53 percent of pet owners and 69 percent of veterinary professionals reported feeding dry kibble to their dogs; 17 percent of pet owners and 12 percent of veterinary professionals preferred canned dog food. 49 percent of pet owners and 57 percent of veterinary professionals fed dry cat food; 38 percent of pet owners and 33 percent of veterinary professionals preferred feeding canned/moist. 35 percent of pet owners and 31 percent of veterinary professionals agreed “feeding a predominantly canned or moist food will damage your pet’s teeth”; 39 percent of owners and 58 percent of veterinary professionals responded “No”; 26 percent of owners and 11 percent of veterinary professionals said “I don’t know.” Retreat from raw, confusion over corn Among pet owners, raw diet support appeared to be decreasing and confusion increasing, according to the survey. Only 28 percent of pet owners in 2017 replied “Yes” to whether they thought raw diets are healthier for dogs and cats compared to 35 percent in 2016; 13 percent of veterinary professionals agreed in 2017 versus 15 percent in 2016. Seventy-two percent of veterinary professionals responded “No” in 2017, one percentage point higher than in 2016. Forty-five percent of pet owners responded “I don’t know” in 2017 versus 35 percent in 2016. Whether owners think low- or no-grain diets are healthier for dogs, they either believe it is (46 percent) or they don’t know (43 percent), while 63 percent of veterinary professionals replied “No.” When asked whether they thought whether corn was healthy for dogs, 5 percent of pet owners and 50 percent of veterinary professionals replied “Yes,” 63 percent of pet owners and 30 percent of veterinary professionals said “No,” and 31 percent of pet owners and 20 percent of veterinary professionals said they weren’t sure. Only 3 percent of pet owners think corn is healthy for cats, compared to 34 percent of veterinary professionals; 63 percent of pet owners and 46 percent of veterinary professionals say it isn’t; and 34 percent of pet owners and 20 percent of veterinary professionals replied they didn’t know. About the research Veterinary practices assessed the body condition scores of every dog and cat patient they saw for a regular wellness exam on a given day during the study period. Body condition scores based on a whole-integer, nine-point scale and actual weight were used in classifying pets as either underweight, thin, ideal, overweight or obese. The 2017 survey included the assessment of 1,610 dogs and 714 cats by 178 veterinary clinics. The online questionnaire was completed by 1,215 pet owners and 544 veterinary professionals from Oct. 11 to Dec. 31, 2017. Read the full results at petobesityprevention.org/2017.
