Our Pets Are Fat and Getting Fatter

By Stewart Lonky, M.D.

Our pets are tipping the scales at unhealthy weights. It’s not good for them and it says a lot about us.

A few months ago, I wrote about the disturbing trend of animals getting fatter right along with people.

According to the most recent National Pet Obesity Survey, more than 50 percent of cats and dogs—that's more than 80 million pets—are overweight or obese. Our pets have gotten so plump that there's now a National Pet Obesity Awareness Day. And it's not just plump pets that are raising eyebrows and tipping scales. Laboratory animals in strictly controlled research settings, many of which live under a tightly regulated diet and lifestyle regimen, are also ballooning.

Now a recent report from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found that 60 percent of U.S. cats are overweight. Dogs are only slightly better off, with 56 percent of pet pooches hitting the obesity mark.

Along with the increased weight, our pets are developing the same chronic health issues we see in overweight and obese people. According to another report, osteoarthritis (OA) in pets is on the rise, with a 66% increase in dogs and a staggering 150% increase in cats in the past 10 years. Excess weight exacerbates OA, stressing joints. If your pet already has OA, that joint discomfort can prevent them from being active, leading to weight gain which worsens the condition. Dogs are 2.3 times more likely to be diagnosed with OA if they're obese, while cats are 1.2 times more likely.

The real question, of course, is why our pets and other animals that live near humans are gaining so much weight? The culprit should be familiar to anyone working on the field of weight management. Think about it. What factors do humans and wild and captive animals have in common? How about air, soil, and water, and the hormone-altering chemicals that pollute them?

There are many peer-reviewed papers containing evidence of chemical-induced obesity in animals. In one such paper, "Chemical Toxins: A Hypothesis to Explain the Global Obesity Epidemic," the authors offer evidence of chemicals that "affect every aspect of our metabolism." As an example, Phthalates, which are used to give flexibility to plastics and are found in a wide array of scented products like shampoo, alter metabolism and have been found in higher concentrations in heavier men and women.

These and similar findings point out that weight gain can be influenced by endocrine disruptors, chemicals that mimic and can interfere with the natural hormone system.

While many factors impact the health and weight of our pets, we can't discount the role of ordinary, everyday environmental chemicals as well.