Urgent Warning for Minnesota Pet Owners

When I saw this, I was absolutely shocked and definitely surprised to see Minnesota top the list. Sorry pet parents, you aren't going to be happy to see this.

Not going to lie, I'm 100% guilty of having a dog that falls in this category. Clearly I'm not alone though, as the number of dogs in said category has doubled in the last decade.

I have tried everything under the sun to help my big boy lose weight. Yes, we call him big boy. He is a chunker butt. We've done blood work, changed his diet, given him lots of exercise, and nothing seems to help sadly. He was a foster fail and 6 years old already when we took him in.

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According to VCA, obesity rates rise with age. In middle aged and senior dogs, the obesity rate was nearly 45%. And unfortunately, I don't know how long he's been overweight.

Check this out, almost 30% of all dogs are considered obese.

Did you know that Minnesota has the highest level of obese dogs in all of the country?

You read that correctly. More than 40% of dogs in Minnesota are considered overweight.

According to the report, they think the long winters in Minnesota may be to blame for the high rate of dog obesity. "Months of snow and ice can make it difficult for dogs to go outside and exercise as often as they need to. Based on this, we would think that Minnesota would be the most obese state for humans, too, but it’s not even in the top ten. West Virginia currently holds onto the title for humans, followed by Mississippi."

Also See: These are the Best Places to Buy a Home in Minnesota. 

Meanwhile, more than 60% of all cats are obese.

Ugh, chubby cats are the cutest, but sadly obesity is a very serious issue and can actually decrease the animal's life expectancy by up to 2.5 years.

Also, specifically for cats, overweight kitties are 4 times more likely to develop urinary issues than felines who weigh a normal amount.

Now for another interesting pet obesity stat. Pugs are apparently the most overweight dog breed with a whopping 64% of them being obese.

Sorry to be the Debbie downer with this information. The study done by Hepper, says making sure your pet receives adequate exercise and limiting their intake of treats and table scraps should help them curb the extra fluff and stay healthy. Click here to read more about pet obesity.