Sixty percent of cats and 56 percent of dogs in the U.S. are overweight. In fact, the Association for Pet Obesity estimates that veterinarians now classify more than 100 million dogs and cats as overweight or obese. That is up from 80 million five years ago. Some pet owners fail to recognize the severity of the problem.
Source: New York Times, August 2, 2018. (paywall) Link.
Along with diabetes and arthritis, extra heft puts pets an increased risk for liver and kidney diseases, high blood pressure, heart failure and even some cancers. And at least one widely city study in Labrador retrievers found that even moderately overweight dogs have shorter life spans than their lean counterparts.