30% of pets in Italy have weight problems, in the United States even 50%.
This was written by the animal rights NGO Enpa on the occasion of World Food Day, October 16.
"There are many dog owners who do not notice the problem - says Meir Levy, Enpa veterinarian - and who mistake for constitution obvious problems of overweight or obesity. To them and to all those who have a dog out of shape I always repeat that, despite some breeds are more predisposed to gain weight, there are no overweight or obese dogs or cats by constitution.
"The imbalance factors can be many - explains Levy -: sedentary lifestyle, boredom, lack of stimulus and work or play, unbalanced diet such as the absence of rules and schedules, excessive availability of food, diet rich in fat instead of kibble, too many snacks but also physical conditions and metabolic diseases to evaluate.
Sometimes it is also important to evaluate the condition of the skeleton or muscles that can limit movement, contributing to the state of overweight ".
The veterinarian recommends using the Body Condition Score, a comparative chart on the physical fitness of the dog and cat, to evaluate the state of your pet.
"We should not be ashamed if we have made some errors in evaluation or nutrition - concludes Dr. Levy -, the important thing is to start again and not to drag overweight or obesity conditions that can be lethal for our four-legged friends!".