The prevalence of chronic diseases in pets has grown
dramatically in recent years. The increase in longevity of pets in part thanks
to the improved veterinary care that they receive puts them at the same level
as people in this type of problems.
News on PRNewswire.com web highlights a publication done by
the American company Banfield Pet Hospital of a study on how the incidence of
chronic diseases in dogs and cats is evolving.
The State of Pet Health 2012 Report has been carried out on patient
files from veterinary centres Bandfield Pet Hospital Network, with data
collected since 2007. A total of 2 million dogs and almost 430,000 patients
cats of the American Veterinary network have served to estimate the prevalence
of overweight, arthritis, and chronic kidney, thyroid, and heart problems.
The Figures in that study are worrying: the number of
overweight dogs has grown up to 37% since 2007, while that of cats has done so
in a 90%! The prevalence of arthritis, the second chronic disease that is most
spread, has increased a 38% in dogs and a 67% in cats in the last five years.
And data relating to the owners are, perhaps, more worrying,
because according to the State of Pet Health 2012 Report only 36% of the owners
of these dogs and 28% of the cat owners say
that they will take their pet to the vet to control these problems.
All chronic diseases studied are closely related: 40% dogs
with arthritis are also overweight, as well as the 37% cats; 42% dogs and 40%
of diabetic cats are overweight; 40%of dogs with high blood pressure are
overweight; and 60% of dogs with hypothyroidism are also overweight.
Data on the increase in overweight and obesity in pets,
which affects one of every five dogs or cats in United States correlate fairly
well with the increase of this diseases amongst the citizens of that country,
according to data that the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides.
The 35.7%adult Americans are obese or suffer from overweight.
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