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11 Facts About Pet Obesity

According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 53 percent of adult dogs and 55 percent of cats in the U.S. are obese or overweight.
22 percent of dog owners and 15 percent of cat owners said their pet's weight was normal, when it was actually overweight or obese.
The "fat pet gap" is the normalization of obesity by pet parents. (Read: fat pets = the new normal.)
Dogs and cats who are 10 to 20 percent over their ideal body weight are considered overweight. Dogs and cats 20 percent over their ideal weight are considered obese.
A golden hamster should weigh 5 to 7 ounces and dwarf hamsters should weigh 3/4 to 1 3/4 ounces.
Obesity is the number one health problem in pet birds. Most birds have food available all the time, so they don't have to work for their dinner. And because there's not too much else to do, they sit around and rest all day.
Amazon parrots, cockatiels, rose-breasted cockatoos, canaries, quaker parrots and budgerigars are more prone to obesity than other birds.
Overweight or obesity can cause arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, certain cancers, heart and respiratory disease, and more for your pet.
According to the Purina Lifespan Study, obesity takes almost two years off a dog's life.
To check if your pet is obese or overweight, you should be able to easily feel your pet's ribs without pressing on the pet and your pet’s stomach should be tucked in.
Veterinarians determine if a pet is overweight or obese by their body condition score, or BCS. Veterinarians assess the amount of stored fat and assign a number to score if a pet is underweight, overweight, or just right.