HAVING an overweight pet could cost owners £1,500 in vets' bills per visit, claims data has revealed.

Common health problems caused by excessive weight include cruciate ligament injuries, urinary tract disease, diabetes and arthritis.

Addressing cruciate ligament injuries can mean swallowing a whopping bill of £1,578.28, and urinary tract disease costs for cats are skyrocketing to a jaw dropping £752.06.

Data from pet insurer ManyPets shows, on average, pet owners are forking out £682.65 for a trip to the vets for diabetes, while arthritis costs are coming to £476.61.

However, 51 per cent of cat and dog owners are already concerned about their pets’ weight, a separate poll of 2,000 pet owners found.

And nearly one in five (18 per cent) with a cat or dog could encounter these bills soon as they believe their pet already is carrying more weight than it should.

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With almost a fifth (19 per cent) admitting they are already shelling out more to tackle their pets’ fluctuating size.

The research was commissioned as part of the ManyPets ‘Why Weight?’ report and launch of its Obesity Learning Hub.

Steven Mendel, chief executive and co-founder of the pet insurer, said: “We understand it can be difficult to resist rewarding pets with extra treats, and heart-breaking to say no to them when they’re asking for more food.

“But, with obesity associated health problems becoming more and more prevalent, we urge pet parents to think twice to save their pets.

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“We’re proud to have launched our Obesity Learning Hub to offer tips and veterinary approved advice for pet parents everywhere.”

The research went on to find, with the rising cost of living still looming large for many pet owners, 22 per cent have been forced to make cutbacks to their pet’s lifestyle.

Almost half (49 per cent) of these are now opting for lower quality brands of food, and 37 per cent have reduced their spend on healthcare.

But 88 per cent believe they would be able to recognise the signs a pet is potentially getting to an unhealthy weight, yet only 31 per cent regularly keep an eye on their pet’s weight.

Moreover 39 per cent will only visit the vets in an emergency – all of which point to an increase in weight going unchecked.

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In a bid to help keep weight down, 76 per cent do try to keep their four-legged friends as active as possible, while 75 per cent limit the number of treats or table scraps they give out.

The study, carried out via OnePoll, found of those with an overweight pet, 22 per cent feel as if their cat or dog is ‘always hungry’.

While a puzzled 19 per cent scratch their heads over their pet's weight as they don’t think they eat an excessive amount. 

Steven Mendel added: “While many pet owners believe it should be straightforward to spot if their cat or dog is putting on weight – it’s often easier said than done.

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“In most cases, gaining weight is very gradual, meaning it can be trickier to identify – especially if pets are not attending the vet regularly.

“We’re hopeful that with the right course of action and identifying the signs early, longer term pet health problems can be avoided in the future.”

FUTURE GAZING AT PET HEALTH

ManyPets has also teamed up with futurologist, Tom Cheesewright, to reveal what the future of pet health could look like.

METAPETS

• Humans are spending more and more time in the virtual world, especially for exercise.

• The metaverse allows us to mix the real world with the digital, so what we might see is future exercise games that include our pets, creating a space for humans and pets to enjoy exercising together.

• A run around the park with your dog could become a race to escape a horde of invading aliens together.

• Your metaverse headset can identify your dog and show you the aliens running away from Rover as he scampers across the grass.

Communal Facilities

• Part of the challenge of pet obesity is a lack of space for them to run around, and time for us to take them out.

• One solution might be shared facilities for our pets, OR even more shared pets.

• The central courtyard in a rectangular apartment block could be turned over to animals, with a reconfigurable exercise yard to keep them engaged and challenged, and a couple of different zones to separate them out: not all cats and dogs get along.

Decamping to the Country

• Housebuilders and property developers might take advantage of this desire and start to build more pet-friendly country homes.

• Small, but with the next must-have feature: a Pet Room.

• Somewhere on the ground floor that your pet can call their own, with secured access to the outside world, and plenty of comfort and indoor entertainment (though we know that even future cats will never sleep in a bed you buy for them).

Flexitarian Pets

• Exercise is a huge component of our pets’ health but we can’t ignore diet as well.

• There are many things we might do in the future to improve our pets’ diets, ensuring they get the nutrition they need while reducing levels of obesity.

• Lab grown meats might be a future low-carbon alternative that still offer pets the nutrients they need, though the price will have to fall: right now they would be an expensive way to feed a pet.

• But the future could see engineered foods become a cheaper and more sustainable alternative.

Honey, I shrunk the dog

• As a general rule, big dogs need more exercise and more food.

• That can make it tricky to meet their exercise needs, and expensive to give them a diet of the required volume and ideal quality.

• If we want to reduce pet obesity, we might want to look at reducing the size of pets overall – or rather, choosing breeds with lower food and exercise requirements.

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