Determining If You Have An Obese Pet And Why It's Important To Know

You may not even know you have an obese pet, or you may think there's a justification for your pet's size, such as age. Unfortunately, pet obesity can lead to serious health complications for your pet. Here's what you should know about figuring out if you have an obese cat, dog, or other type of animal.

Why It's Important to Know If You Have an Obese Pet

Obesity in pets, especially dogs and cats, can lead to a laundry list of problems. These problems can range from mild to very serious and even fatal. Some complications that stem from pet obesity include ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and liver damage.

Different animals and breeds may have a propensity toward one type of ailment over another, but they are all serious and all dangerous if left untreated. These are the problems that can lead to a trip to the emergency vet or might require pet surgery.

The nature of obesity also leads to problems with mobility, joint issues, and respiratory problems. An obese pet will almost certainly have a shorter lifespan.

How To Tell If You Have an Obese Pet

Many veterinarians evaluate if a pet is obese by using a Body Condition Score, which you can do as well. You can think of the BCS as a type of BMI, but for animals.

Because animals come in a variety of sizes and shapes, the BCS takes a few liberties to come up with a score that makes sense for the animal at hand. In this way, there's some subjectivity to the BCS, but when used, there's also a hands-on check to make sure the score works for the animal at hand.

You can find BCS charts for dogs and cats easily enough with a search. You can also find BCS charts for other types of animals if you specify the type of animal in your search. However, for non-professionals, the BCS charts aren't always easy to understand. They can give you a place to start if you're concerned you have an obese pet.

Other methods of determining if you have an obese pet exist. However, it's typically in the best interest of you and your pet to go speak to a professional about your concern. The important thing to know is that treatments for pet obesity exist.

You can find a lot of advice online that speaks of exercise, diet, and changing your pet care behaviors at home. These things are all important. Still, every animal has different needs, and general advice won't always get the job done. Speak to a veterinarian about your pet's obesity and what steps you can take to reverse it.

For more information, contact a company like the South Seattle Veterinary Hospital.