COVID-19: Weight gain a growing issue for pets during the pandemic
Sydney veterinarian Dr Anne Fawcett says pet obesity has become an increasing issue as more people are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Since the declaration of a COVID-19 pandemic, many companion animal owners have been working from home. This has resulted in a shift in the case load I’ve seen as a veterinarian.
One trend has been an increase in the body weight of companion animals. This may be because working from home means more opportunities to give companion animals treats, or an increased frequency of meals.
To avoid complications associated with obesity, including increased strain on joints and conditions such as diabetes mellitus and pancreatitis, it is important to monitor your pet’s food intake.
Some animals are very persuasive. It may be helpful to create a chart that can be ticked to indicate that an animal has been fed, so that household members know that they don’t need to feed them (some animals are good at convincing people they’ve not been fed yet).
As yet there is no ban on walking dogs, so regular exercise is recommended to keep them mentally stimulated, as well as burning calories. It’s good for people too!
In addition, there seems to have been a spike in cases of vomiting and diarrhoea due to dietary indiscretion.
In some cases this is because members of the household are giving pets foods that those animals are not used to eating. Dietary change can cause gastrointestinal upsets, so should be instituted gradually.
While stockpiling is not recommended, it is helpful to replenish supplies of your pet’s regular food so that last-minute dietary changes can be avoided.
Dr Anne Fawcett is a lecturer in veterinary science at the University of Sydney and a veterinarian in inner Sydney. Read her blog at smallanimaltalk.com
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