The current climate has seen more pets join their furever homes than everbefore with 7.5 million Google searches for a ‘new pet’ across 2020, yetstatistics show 5 0% of pets are overweight and 90% of pet parents with anoverweight pet don’t realise that they are overweight! As the pandemiccontinues to change our daily lives and as we hit the one year post lockdownmark it’s clear that health should be a priority for all owners now more thanever, to ensure our furry friends live a long & happy life.
With this in mind, new consumer trends research from Hill’s Pet NutritionAustralia explores the current extent of pet obesity for both dogs & catsthrough analysis of over 4000 keyword terms on the topic. Findings revealthere were nearly 200,000 related searches across 2020, a 24% rise in concernamongst owners when compared to the previous year.
It’s clear pet parents turn to the internet to seek support on the topic, yetwith so much information available at the click of a button, they are notalways getting the correct advice required. Pet obesity is sadly a common, yetpreventable issue.
As such, the pet obesity consumer trends study identifies & answers thenation’s 7 most frequently asked questions from “ how much should I feedmy dog/cat ” through to “w hy is pet obesity a problem.” Jessica MillsBVSc (Hons I) Professional Consulting Veterinarian , offers actionableadvice as well as her thoughts to the future to help owners identify issuesand equip them with the knowledge they lack in order to combat the current petobesity epidemic.
Here’s a quote about the study.
Dr Maureen Revington, Professional Vet Affairs Manager at Hill’s PetNutrition, said:
“It has often been said that the first step towards solving a problem is torecognise that the problem exists, so the fact that many pet owners don’trecognise or admit that their pet is overweight represents a challenge insolving the record levels of pet obesity in Australia.1 Changed perceptions ofwhat a healthy body weight is or looks like are partly to blame – if most ofthe dogs people meet on the streets and at the dog park are overweight, and ifobese pets are featured in pictures and movies online and on TV, then it’sunderstandable that owners of overweight pets will see them as being perfect!
As well as recognising when a pet is overweight, it’s important to dosomething about it. Being overweight or obese is more than just a cosmeticproblem for dogs and cats. Nor does it make them happier or cuter! Did youknow that being overweight causes a state of chronic inflammation that canlead to the development of many preventable diseases such as arthritis,diabetes, and respiratory conditions, and can shorten a pet’s life expectancyby 2 years?”
You can get your paws on full findings, along with expert commentary & top 10tips to combat pet obesity here, for both dog & cat parents –https://www.hillspet.com.au/pet-obesity-study-2021
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