UK pets overweight, lonely and stressed according to a PDSA report

Posted on 1 January, 2019

overweight pet

Are you a pet owner? You may be interested to read the following and perhaps take advantage of an easy to use online tool that can help ensure your pet is healthy and happy.

Last year veterinary charity PDSA [i] highlighted that many of our pets are overweight, stressed and lonely due to owners not being aware of how to meet their needs.

Findings from the 2018 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report revealed that 5.2 million (around one in four) undertook no research at all before taking on their pet, leading to them being unable to meet their pets’ welfare needs.

The report also showed that, while 74% of owners feel informed about all of a pet’s 5 Welfare Needs – the basic requirements to lead happy, healthy lives – worryingly, only around 1 in 8 people (13%) surveyed could correctly identify all five from a list.

The report highlighted that 1 million dogs (24%) are routinely left alone for five hours or more on a typical weekday and 4 million dogs (16%) are walked less than once a day and 89,000 (1%) aren’t walked at all.

When it comes to cats the PDSA found that many cats are suffering from chronic stress because owners aren’t providing enough resources per cat in their household (such as feed bowls, litter trays and scratching posts).

Rabbits are not faring too well either and are one of the most misunderstood of all UK pets. Issues include hutches that are too small, inadequate living conditions, including living alone despite rabbits being very social animals and poor diets.

To help pet owners the PDSA has launched an easy online tool which helps measure the health and happiness of pets based around their 5 Welfare Needs. It offers personalised advice to owners about how they can make simple adjustments to benefit their pet’s wellbeing.

If you are a pet owner why not give it a try and see if you are meeting your pet’s needs? And remember if you are considering a pet in 2019 to do proper research to make sure you have understood how to take care of them properly.

One thing to think about if you do get a pet is who will look after them when you go away. Dogs and cats tend not to enjoy kennels and catteries and find it very stressful being away from their home environment. Rabbits also shouldn’t just be left while you go away without human contact. That’s why many people turn to us to look after their pets.

We provide professional and reliable home and pet sitters who come and stay in your home and take care of your pets. They stick with your usual routines, are never away from the home for more than three consecutive hours in the daylight and one hour at night and provide all the cuddles and love your pet could wish for!

To find out more, please call us on 01296 630 730.



[i] ttps://www.pdsa.org.uk/press-office/latest-news/buying-pets-on-a-whim-with-no-research-could-be-causing-mental-and-physical-misery-for-millions-of-companion-animals-warns-pdsa

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