Obesity has now become a common disease in humans. It increases the risk of other diseases concerning heart and blood pressure. Like humans, pets may get obese and consequently face other medical problems if they are overfed for a long time. Overfeeding your pets is a wrong decision and may even shorten their lives. Let’s take a look at some reasons and how to avoid overfeeding.
1. Diseases associated with obesity
Overweight is related to many kinds of diseases as it causes extra fat, which puts a burden on organs such as the liver and heart. The common conditions that may be caused by excess fat are diabetes, heart disease, and increased blood pressure.
Diabetes
Like humans, obesity may also cause diabetes in pets. Typically, the body breaks down the sugar through insulin after we/pets eat or drink. The secretion of insulin increases in response to the increased blood glucose level for overweight pets. Extra fat demands more insulin, and when the ability to produce insulin cannot satisfy its demand, sugar diabetes develops. If it goes on for a very long period, it may lead to severe heart disease, kidney damage, and so on.
Heart disease and high blood pressure
Once fat in a body is increased, the capacity of blood circulation also increases. It ultimately puts pressure on the heart. For an overweight body, extra fat tends to cause increased blood pressure and lead to heart disease. In addition, extra fat in the pet’s chest limits the expansion of the lungs and results in difficulty in breathing.
Arthritis
You must have observed that overweight cats and dogs move slower than normal ones. It is because too much weight can damage the joints and bones. In the long run, you may notice the development of arthritis, and the pain associated with joints changes also become severe. Extra weight and pain will lead pets unwilling and unable to move actively and fast.
