Obesity epidemic hitting Seattle pets even harder than their humans

The Puget Sound region may be known for its outdoorsy residents who treat their pets like children. But there might be such a thing as too much love. Studies show the Seattle area has one of the highest percentages of obesity among dogs and cats in the country.

Listen to: Obesity epidemic hitting Seattle pets just as hard as humans

It’s a surprisingly severe epidemic, with more than half of all dogs and cats nationwide being considered dangerously overweight, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.

“Which actually means (there are) about 88.4 million overweight pets,” says Dr. Raelynn Farnsworth, professor of veterinary medicine at Washington State University.

Farnsworth says the number of obese dogs has ballooned to more than 37 percent since 2007 while obesity in cats has gone up more than 90 percent in that same time period. Those numbers have gone up much higher and faster than the percentage of obese humans, which is 28 percent nationwide and 22 percent in King County &#8212 up from about 15 percent since 2000.

All that extra weight takes a toll on pets, just like people.

“It’s harder on their joints, it predisposes &#8212 especially cats &#8212 to things like diabetes,” Farnsworth says. “It makes everyday things a lot harder: breathing problems occur when you’re a pet that’s overweight, there’re problems with heat and exercise intolerance. Pets have the same dermatology, so the same skin problems; they get skin fold infections and they have problems there. And then there’s always endocrine problems, things like hypothyroidism. And that can actually be a cause of the obesity, and if we correct that medical problem we can help the patient become less overweight.”

Chronic obesity can cut two years or more off your furry friend’s life.

So, how did we get here? Part of it is the misconception that food equals love.

“Well, I think there’s a lot of reasons,” Farnsworth says. “Owners don’t perceive that their pets are overweight. They show affection to their pets by feeding them treats.”

Farnsworth also cautions pet owners not to fall into a cycle of overfeeding that can happen by misinterpreting animal behavior for hunger. She says that while you’re training your pup, they’re also training you; they look for any trick or weakness that could score them that extra piece of bacon off your plate. Just stick with twice-a-day feedings with the recommended amount of food that’s calculated on the back of the bag of dog food or prescribed by a veterinarian.

Besides over-feeding, Farnsworth says many people are choosing the wrong breed for their lifestyle. For example, someone who picks a trendy or high energy hunting or herding breed &#8212 such a yellow lab or a border collie &#8212 thinks that they will change their lifestyle and go out walking all the time. But, they relapse into their couch-potato ways and it’s the dog that suffers.

Dog lovers can get help picking the right animal or breed for them by contacting the Humane Society, a local veterinarian, an animal trainer, or even friends with dog-owning experience to find the right match. There’s even an online quiz that can give you a good idea which breed could be your new best friend.

However, there are plenty of strategies for individuals who are working toward a better fitness level and can’t quite keep up with their pet.

“Dog parks: You can throw the ball for them, you can even do that sitting down if, for some reason, you couldn’t be up and about,” Farnsworth said. “There is [sic] all kinds of things. And for cats, things like laser pointers and the feather toys are all things that don’t involve you running up and down the stairs.”

Another part of the problem, Farnsworth says, is that, with so many overweight dogs and cats out there, pet owners start to think it’s normal.

But, there’s an easy way to tell if Fido needs to drop a couple pounds.

“When you’re looking at the dog, you should be able to feel their ribs but not see them. and they should have a waist,” Farnsworth says. “So, it shouldn’t be square from their ribs back to their hips &#8212 they should have an hourglass waist.”

Ironically, in a region that prides itself on outdoor lifestyles, Farnsworth says studies have identified living in the Pacific Northwest as one of the major risk factors for pet obesity. All because of the weather.

“You need to make a commitment to be there for your pet,” Farnsworth says. “Buy an umbrella so that when it rains you can still go out.”