Nearly 100 million pets in the U.S. are overweight or obese, making weight the leading health threat to our nation’s companion animals today.
Sharp Increase in Obesity Rates
Data reported by Nationwide, the country’s largest provider of pet health insurance, indicate that pet obesity is on the rise for the seventh consecutive year.
A whopping 59% of cats and 54% of dogs in the U.S. are classified as overweight or obese, according to October
2016 research conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP). For cats, 28% are overweight, and
an additional 31% are “clinically obese”—more than 30% above ideal weight. For dogs, 34% are overweight and an
additional 20% are obese.