High-calorie meals and not enough exercise: That’s the recipe for a national epidemic of overweight and obese… pets.
New data suggest that more than half of America’s dogs and cats are overweight or obese, Gwendolyn Bounds reports at the Wall Street Journal, and veterinarians are worried about it. “Obesity in pets is almost the equivalent of smoking in human medicine,” says Steven Budsberg, director of clinical research at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. The nation’s largest veterinary practice is starting to require its doctors to give pets a “body condition score” during routine visits.
The question is, given the flak Michelle Obama is taking over her campaign against childhood obesity, will First Dog Bo take a stand in the fight against paunchy pets?