Lazy owners are to blame for fat pets
dubai — The infamous ‘Dubai stone’ is not limited to just humans — vets here are concerned about an increasing number of pets in the emirate being overweight or obese.
One vet, Dr Sara Elliott of the British Veterinary Hospital, said that out of thousands of pets that are registered with the clinic, 50 per cent need to lose weight. She blames the new phenomenon of pet obesity on the lifestyle and ignorance of animal owners.
Vets encourage pet owners to exercise their animals, especially during the upcoming year-end festive season where residents tend to get “lazy”.
“Not many pet owners realise that animals, on average, need to exercise for over an hour before it will have a positive effect on their weight. This level of exercise simply isn’t easy here, whether due to social and work schedules, or timing restrictions due to the hot weather. Therefore, a strict diet becomes even more crucial in keeping your pet’s weight down.” Dr Elliott said.
“The boredom and unhappiness of animals confined indoors is also given as a factor for overeating. In the UK, around 80 percent of cats will regulate their own weight without interference; they eat only the right amount from an overfull food bowl. More animals here are housebound and pets comfort-eat in the same way humans do, if they are bored or lonely. It’s their version of lazily opening the fridge to see what’s inside, to pass the time. Another way to look at it is when we are busy, we are less likely to snack.”
Dr Elliott said that residents are “killing their pets with kindness”, especially when they feed them the wrong treats, offer them leftovers and allow them to laze around the house instead of getting them to exercise.
She shared a case study of one of her clients whose cat was obese and had developed diabetes and severe joint disease as a result. It
The boredom and unhappiness of animals confined indoors is also given as a factor for overeating. Not many realise that pets need to exercise.” Dr Sara Elliott, British Veterinary Hospital
eventually died of health-related heart failure.
The cat’s owner admits she didn’t exercise her pet, named Sassy, enough as she was living in an apartment and kept the cat indoors while at work all day.
“Sassy was born in Switzerland and was a normal sized kitten. We then moved to the UK where she spent time indoors and outdoors, but when we moved to Dubai she became an indoor cat and didn’t have an exercise routine. I don’t think her diet was a problem as she ate only two meals per day, with the odd treat of her favourite foods, custard and ham,” the cat’s owner said.
“My advice to pet owners would be to make sure your cat or dog gets regular exercise; don’t let them become a house pet and sit around on the sofa. I have another cat now and we play with the cat for at least an hour every day — so it’s active and healthy.”
Dr Ali Hifazat, with the Deira Veterinary Clinic, said pet owners should not leave a bowl of food all the time, but maintain a strict diet schedule instead. “We always have clients that bring in overweight pets. The owners don’t know that their pets should be eating only twice or thrice a day,” he said.
Dr Hifazat said that even though there are limited places in Dubai where pet owners can take their animals for exercise, pets can even be exercised at home and made to eat “properly”. “Even if they’re at home, their health can be maintained. If cats and dogs are left home alone all day with food made available to them, they will eat and sleep throughout the day, causing them to be overweight.”