SA vets vow to ‘battle the bulge’
Nine out of 10 pet owners mistakenly believe their pets are healthy when they are in fact overweight.
OBESITY is in the spotlight this October, but it’s not only a big problem for people – South African vets say more than 50 per cent of the patients they treat are overweight. Rather than being happy and cuddly, fat pets are proven to have shorter lives. They are at risk of arthritis, heart disease, even cancer.
“The cause is basically too much energy in, too little energy out,” says Dr Guy Fyvie, veterinary advisor for Hill’s Pet Nutrition South Africa. “Pets are being overfed and under-exercised.”
In a bid to tackle this growing problem, hundreds of vets around the country run special Pet Slimmer weight-management clinics, with more than 15 000 dogs and cats having joined the battle of the bulge in the last five years.
“The transformation truly amazes me. Limping pets start walking normally again, breathing difficulties become a problem of the past, they become more energetic, playful and mobile,” says veterinary nurse sister Cindy du Preez.
The US Association for Pet Obesity Prevention cites a ‘fat gap’ as a key factor in the obesity epidemic – most owners don’t believe their pet is overweight or understand the serious health problems that can create. “Nine out of ten owners mistakenly think their pet’s size is ‘normal’. The truth is we’ve forgotten what a healthy, lean pet looks like,” says Dr Fyvie.
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