PAW reveals rise in pet obesity and behaviour issues

The latest PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report has highlighted a sharp rise in behavioural issues and levels of obesity in the nation’s pets as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the tenth iteration of the UK’s largest and most comprehensive report into the well-being of the UK’s pet dogs, cats and rabbits, one in five owners (1.9 million dogs) reported their pet displayed a new behaviour during lockdown, with 5% saying their dog had started showing signs of distress when left alone, raising concerns over the long-term impact of the crisis on separation-related behaviours.

The nation’s cats have also been heavily impacted, with nearly a quarter of owners (2.3 million cats) noticing new behaviours since the start of lockdown, with 15% saying their cat was spending more time outdoors and 6% saying their cat was vocalising more – equating to 590,000 cats.

And it is not just stress levels that have increased since the start of the pandemic – it appears the pet obesity crisis has deepened, too.

The report shows an association between lockdown and increasing rates of pet obesity, with 8% of owners stating their dog gained weight during lockdown – potentially affecting 790,000 dogs – while 6% of cat owners said their pet gained weight.

The same trend has also been picked up in the report for the nation’s pet rabbit population, with 14% confessing to feeding more treats in lockdown than before.

There were plenty of positives, too, however, with the PAW Report highlighting the importance of pet ownership on well-being during the pandemic.

‘Worrying trends’

PDSA director of veterinary services Richard Hooker said: “As well as contributing to our long-term view of pet well-being, this unique report has helped provide early insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the UK pet population.

“The report reflected the enormous positive impact pets have on people’s lives – something our vet teams see every day in our pet hospitals across the UK – with roughly half of owners surveyed (49%) agreeing that their pet has been ‘a lifeline’ during these challenging times.

“However, PAW has also shown some worrying trends – especially relating to increased behavioural issues as a result of owners spending more time at home.

“Rising rates of obesity in dogs, cats and rabbits is also extremely concerning for the veterinary professions, when it is already estimated that up to half of UK pets* are overweight or obese.”

Pre-purchase research

Aside from issues directly linked to the coronavirus pandemic, the report highlighted concerns about the significant increases in the number of pets being imported from abroad.

Data collected showed that 91% of veterinary professionals say they’ve seen an 8 percentage point increase in owners considering importing pets during the past two years.

This, along with findings showing that 20% of cats live with another cat they don’t get on with, highlights the need for more veterinary involvement in pre-purchase research, according to PDSA senior veterinary surgeon (communication and education) Sean Wensley.

He said: “This is a key aspect; the root cause of so many issues is the pre-acquisition journey. I think there is consensus around that being something of a Holy Grail to preventing future problems.

“We have created a pre-purchase consultation framework that is freely available to veterinary practices called ‘Which Pet?’ and we have worked with the BVA on that.

“But of course it is really challenging, at the moment particularly, to offer new pre-acquisition consultations if you are not already doing that because practices are trying to limit footfall and it is a difficult time to start new initiatives.

“We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge in creating these new behaviours among the pet-owning population, but PAW has shown that we can create change as a sector.”

Webinar

PDSA is holding a free webinar with The Webinar Vet on 3 December at 12pm. For the full report, visit the PDSA website.

*BVA and BVNA Voice of the Veterinary Profession Surveys.