A survey by Hill's Pet Nutrition has concluded that nine out of ten vet professionals believe UK pets are at serious risk of diet related diseases, mirroring the trends seen in human health, and the recession has increased the risk.

The study of more than 100 veterinary professionals suggests their daily case loads are weighed down with a host of serious man-made dietary-related problems including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, simply because owners are not feeding their pets appropriately. These problems are on the increase as a result of owners switching to lower quality food or feeding a man-made diet of crisps and chocolate.

Pet Obesity Task Force Committee Member and Veterinary Nutritionist, Dr Daniel Chan, DVM, DACVECC, DACVN, MRCVS said: "As a nation, our modern lifestyles of fast food, large food portions, and too little exercise are taking a toll on our health, our children's health, and now our pet's health. Excessive calories and lack of physical activity are leading to alarming rates of obesity, which has become the most common form of malnutrition in pets today. As the links between obesity and disease are becoming clearer, it is vital that pet owners adopt healthier practices such as feeding appropriate portions of food, avoiding too many snacks and treats, and exercise with their pets."

Despite obesity being the most physically obvious diet-related disease in the UK, the vet professionals who participated in the study agreed unanimously that owners do not realise their much-loved but overweight pet is actually suffering from malnutrition. 

The vet professionals were also in agreement that not all pet foods are the same, believing to some degree you get what you pay for. Yet worryingly, 83% of vet professionals believe our pet's health has been another casualty of the economic downturn, as cutbacks in the family budget saw trading-down on pet food. Vets suggest the effects of these cutbacks will lead to increases in cases of diet related diseases in the next two years, with a surge in potentially fatal conditions such as diabetes (61%), intestinal problems and pancreatitis (66%).

Adrian Pratt BVSc MRCVS, Hill s Pet Nutrition Veterinary Affairs Manager, said:  The results make sombre reading. Almost all (98%) of the vet professionals who participated report seeing a host of preventable diseases in practice which are the result of inappropriate feeding. While obesity tends to be caused by an excess of empty calories and too little exercise, inadequate nutrients or excess nutrients like salt, will also affect a pet s general health and wellbeing, leading to sickness or long-term diet-related diseases.

Other findings of the study included: 

  • Diet-related problems that cause suffering on the most widespread scale include problems in the intestines and pancreas, which 40% of vet professionals saw at least once a day in practice. Pancreatitis is one of many dietary-related diseases that can be fatal.
  • Vet professionals expect to see an increase in diseases associated with malnutrition such as kidney disease (55%), lower urinary tract disease and urolithiasis (58%), heart disease and high blood pressure (30%). Over half (56%) also anticipate an increase in growth abnormalities and/or skeletal deformities and skin diseases (51%). All of these conditions can be avoided or managed with the appropriate diet.
  • On the point that you are what you eat, 93% of vet professionals agree that this is as relevant to pets as it is to humans.
  • More than three-quarters of vet professionals agree that feeding quality will save money in the long term.
  • In addition to trading-down on foodstuffs, owners have been tightening the purse strings and cutting back on vaccinations, worming and flea treatments (80%), routine surgeries, such as neutering (51%) and pet insurance (50%).

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