Comorbidity of overweight and obesity in dogs and cats

Abstract

Overweight and Obesity are the most common nutritional diseases in dogs and cats. The big difference between overweight in pets and humans is that animals do not have the ability to control their weight. They depend solely and exclusively on what their owner serves them. From one year of age it is essential to provide them with the recommended diet for their age, species and breed. Otherwise, we will lead them to become overweight, and from there to obesity. Obesity is defined as excess body fat sufficient to cause disease. When the animal consumes more calories than it expends, fat accumulates in the body. In dogs, overweight begins when the animal exceeds between 15 and 30% the weight established as normal for the breed. Above 30%, we would be talking about obesity. In the case of cats, they are considered overweight when they exceed their “ideal weight” by more than 10%, and they are considered obese when they exceed it by 20%. Health and longevity are affected by excessive fat deposits in the body. Diseases associated with obesity and overweight include traumatic or degenerative orthopedic disorders, cardiovascular disease manifesting with congestive heart failure, exercise and heat intolerance, predisposition to diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. and compromised immune function. On the other hand, obesity and overweight increase the risk of suffering from breast tumors, and this is related not only to obesity but also to the consumption of homemade food and red meat. This bibliographic review of literature seeks to gather and summarize scientific, updated and specific information about the pathologies that are associated with overweight and obesity in dogs and cats, with the aim of understanding the physiology of the pathology and how the Medical professional A veterinarian can intervene in a timely manner to control these disorders associated with pet nutrition.